Western Digital Corporation announced its new high-performance 256GB SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 solid state flash drive.

For more information visit: www.sandisk.com

Unedited press release follows:

SanDisk® Launches its Fastest, High-Capacity USB Flash Drive Ever

New SanDisk Extreme PRO® USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive Now Features SSD Performance in a Portable, Aluminum Metal Form Factor

LAS VEGAS — Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), a global storage technology and solutions leader, today announced its fastest, high-capacity USB flash drive to date with the launch of its high-performance 256GB* SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive. The new drive delivers the speed, capacity, and reliability of an SSD in the convenient form factor of a small USB flash drive, and is ideal for creative professionals, tech enthusiasts, or anyone who creates and shares massive files.

A game-changer in the USB storage category, the drive is capable of read speeds up to 420MB/s and write speeds up to 380MB/s1. With its unprecedented speeds, you can transfer full-length 4K movie to the drive in less than 15 seconds2. With its USB 3.1 interface, people can rapidly access and move files on the go, without having to worry about a cable. The new drive also features a sophisticated design with a durable aluminum metal casing and a retractable connector for ultimate style and reliability.

“The combination of SSD performance and a compact USB form factor offers the ultimate performance and convenience for moving files easily and quickly,” said Sven Rathjen, vice president of marketing, Client Solutions Business Unit, Western Digital. “With its increased capacity and blazing speeds, the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive is our sleekest, most powerful SanDisk USB device yet.”

The SanDisk Extreme PRO Solid State Flash Drive is available up to 256GB, giving consumers plenty of room to manage large files. For added file protection, it includes the SanDisk SecureAccess® software, which offers 128-bit file encryption and password protection3. The drive also comes with a limited lifetime warranty4.

Pricing and Availability
The new 256GB SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive will be available in late January 2017 at Amazon.com and Best Buy at an MSRP of $179.99.

SanDisk storage solutions can be purchased at more than 300,000 retailers worldwide.

About Western Digital
Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) is an industry-leading provider of storage technologies and solutions that enable people to create, leverage, experience and preserve data. The company addresses ever-changing market needs by providing a full portfolio of compelling, high-quality storage solutions with customer-focused innovation, high efficiency, flexibility and speed. Our products are marketed under the HGST, SanDisk and WD brands to OEMs, distributors, resellers, cloud infrastructure providers and consumers. For more information, please visit www.hgst.com, www.wd.com, and www.sandisk.com.

About SanDisk
SanDisk, a Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) brand, provides trusted and innovative flash storage products that have transformed the electronics industry. SanDisk’s quality, state-of-the-art solutions are at the heart of many of the world’s largest data centers, and embedded in advanced smartphones, tablets and PCs. SanDisk’s consumer products are available at hundreds of thousands of retail stores worldwide.

* 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less.

1 Read speeds up to 420MB/s, write speeds up to 380MB/s. USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.0 port required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes.

2 Based on 4K video transfer (4GB) with USB 3.1, Gen 1 or USB 3.0 host device. Results may vary based on host device, file attributes and other factors.

3 Password protection uses 128-bit AES encryption and is supported by Windows Vista®, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 and Mac OS X v10.6+ (Software download required for Mac, see www.sandisk.com/secureaccess).

4 30 years in Germany, Canada and regions not recognizing lifetime warranty, see www.sandisk.com/wug.