Jiří Filip In today's review, we will look at the rather interestingly designed Ultra Dual USB-C flash drive from the SanDisk workshop. It is perfect for owners of MacBooks with USB-C ports who need to save their data outside of their machine from time to time, or simply transfer it to a device with USB-C or USB-A. So if you are one of these users, the following lines will be exactly for you.
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Flying around the world with Apple Technical Specifications
For the Ultra Dual USB-C flash drive, SanDisk, as with the vast majority of similar flash drives from its workshop, opted for a combination of aluminum and plastic. So if you are a fan of these materials, you will be satisfied. The flash drive is equipped with a different port on each side - on one side you will find the classic USB-A version 3.0, on the other side there is USB-C 3.1. Between the ports is a classic NAND storage chip, which can have a capacity of 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256 GB. The variant we tested specifically had a 64 GB variant, which SanDisk sells for a relatively friendly 499 crowns.
However, it is not only the perfect connectivity, which makes the flash drive connectable to the vast majority of modern computers or other electronics, but also the transmission speed that deserves attention. According to the manufacturer, we can get up to a very respectable 150 MB/s when reading, while SanDisk states 55 MB/s when writing. In both cases, these are values that are absolutely sufficient for ordinary users and will not limit them in any way - that is, at least according to the paper specifications. We will focus on whether the drive can live up to them in the real world in a later part of the review. At the very end of the section devoted to technical specifications, I will just mention that in addition to the classic "flash" data transfer from computer to computer, Ultra Dual USB-C can also be used for data transfers to Android phones and tablets. All you have to do is download the appropriate application from Google Play and then follow the instructions in it. However, since you are reading a portal about Apple, our review will primarily revolve around the use of a flash drive with a MacBook.
Design and processing
Although evaluating the appearance of the product is an inherent part of almost every review, this time I will take it very broadly. On the one hand, this is a very subjective matter, and on the other hand, the evaluation of the design of an "ordinary" flash is, in a way, pointless. However, I can say for myself that I quite like its minimalist appearance, as it harmonizes nicely with the design of MacBooks and, by extension, other Apple products. It's also nice that both ports can be easily hidden in the body of the flash thanks to the sliding mechanism, thus providing them with protection from mechanical damage. Their hiding is done with the help of a plastic slider on the edge of the flash, whose controllability is completely trouble-free. Lovers of multifunctional keychains will certainly be pleased that thanks to the double hole in the aluminum chassis, the flash can also be hung on them. If you were wondering about the dimensions, they are 20,7 mm x 9,4 mm x 38,1 mm.
Gallery
Testing
The alpha and omega of any flash drive is undoubtedly its reliability in terms of transferring files from it to and vice versa. Here, I tested absolutely standard "transfer tests", which specifically consisted of two wheels for each port. The first round I was moving a 4GB 30K movie back and forth, the second a 200MB folder with a mishmash of files. In the case of USB-C, the test was carried out on a MacBook Pro with USB-C ports, and in the case of USB-A, on a computer with USB 3.0 support.
First came the 4K film transfer test. The transfer from the Mac to the flash drive started well, as expected, as the transfer speed even reached 75 MB/s, which is significantly more than what the manufacturer claims. However, in about half a minute, there was a relatively steep speed drop down, and the above average was suddenly below average. The recording started to move to about a third (that is, about 25 MB/S), at which it remained until the end of the transfer. Because of this, the film was transferred in about 25 minutes, which is not a bad number, but considering the promising start, it can be disappointing in a way. That it is not just a problem with the USB-C port was subsequently confirmed by the USB-A test, which turned out practically the same - i.e., after a dreamy start, a drop and a gradual reach. As for the transfer of the folder with all kinds of files, due to the hellishly fast transfer start from the Mac to the flash drive, I got it in about four seconds, using both ports, which is really great. However, it is necessary to take into account how small the component was.
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While writing to a flash drive may cause embarrassment due to the incomplete fulfillment of the manufacturer's promises, reading it is a completely different song. Although I did not reach the 150 MB/s specified by the manufacturer during the test, even 130 to 140 MB/s when copying a movie was simply pleasant - even more so when this speed was maintained throughout the duration of the file being dragged. Thanks to this, it was transferred from the flash drive to the computer in about four minutes, which is, in short, a great time. As for the transfer of the file folder, it was almost instantaneous. Considering the transfer speed, it only took a little over a second, just like in the previous case for both ports.
While dragging files from one place to another, I noticed one peculiarity about the flash drive that deserves to be mentioned. This is specifically its heating, which is not at all high and fast, but after some time of data transfer, it will gradually start to manifest itself. It won't burn your fingers, but it will definitely surprise you, because flash heating is definitely not something common.
Summary
The SanDisk Ultra Dual USB-C is a quality piece of accessory that, thanks to its technical parameters, can be used in countless cases. In addition, the excellent port connectivity makes it a flash drive, through which you can get your files almost anywhere you can think of. So, if you are looking for a universal solution for transferring your data, which also offers pleasant transfer speeds and a pleasant design, you have just found it.
Wouldn't this one be better?
https://www.alza.cz/sandisk-ultra-dual-drive-luxe-256gb-d5838635.htm