SanDisk has leveraged next generation NAND flash lithography to produce a number of new products for Computex 2015. The new SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive packs 256 GB of data into a small package that is capable of delivering up to 100 MB/s.
The new Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive is SanDisk's first 256 GB thumb drive and sets a high mark for this product category. To differentiate from a crowded field, SanDisk offers the drive with a five-year warranty and includes encryption software that takes advantage of the built-in 128-bit encryption. SanDisk's SecureAccess software keeps private files safe with password protection. RescuePRO software also ships with the drive.
iNAND type package implementations where the controller and NAND die are packaged together allow for smaller designs that don't overheat or pull power at the upper limits of USB 3.0. Many of the large capacity designs we've tested over the years run very hot and either throttle to reduce heat (and transfer performance) or become unreliable over extended use periods. NAND flash endurance decreases when written to at higher than normal temperature. SanDisk's commitment to a full five-year warranty tells us this product was built for general consumers and is not a specialty product that needs to be looked after with special usage conditions.
The SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive goes on sale today worldwide with an MSRP of $199.99.
Chris Ramseyer is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware, covering Storage. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
