Customer Ratings & Reviews

Great Drive, plugs right into my phone for easy storage

Like many people, I've owned countless flash drives with traditional USB-A connectors. Now that many computers and tablets are moving to USB-C, I've been looking for a decent high-capacity, USB-C flash drive that I can use between my laptops and iPad Pro. This SanDisk Ultra certainly fits the bill, though it's compact size comes with some trade-offs in terms of speed. PROS: - The small, compact size of the SanDisk Ultra makes it easy to travel with or throw in a pocket. The USB-C connector easily retracts for safe storage. - When this drive is on sale, it offers a great value for the amount of storage you receive. 256 GB in a drive this small is pretty incredible. Just a few years ago, this amount of storage in a flash drive would have cost significantly more. - Speeds are perfectly fine for general tasks and storage needs. Sequential write speeds range from 50 to 70 MB/s while read speeds peak near 165 MB/s. For small to medium sized files, these speeds are just fine. Photos and documents like PDFs and Word files open instantly. Even larger files such as videos seem to open almost immediately. Speed limitations are most noticeable when copying or transferring large amounts of data at one time (more on this below). - The drive is formatted to FAT32 for universal support across devices. My iPad Pro immediately recognized the drive and I can read and write to it via the Files app. CONS: - I appreciate the compact size, but the plastic design feels a bit flimsy. I worry that the retracting mechanism will eventually break and the drive might be stuck open or closed. As it is, it can sometimes feel difficult to retract the USB-C connector (it seems like a lot of force is required). - Speeds are very inconsistent when transferring a lot of data to or from this drive. While writing large amounts of data (300+ MB), speeds sometimes start out very high (~65 MB/s) but slowly fall into the 40-50 MB/s range. Other times, writing data starts off very slowly (~15 MB/s) but slowly increases to near 60 MB/s as more data is written. I suppose that is the nature of small flash drives like this. It's certainly not a deal-breaker, but could be an issue if you regularly work with large files (such as video editing). - The front of the packaging advertises SanDisk SecureAccess as a way to easily encrypt your files, but that software is not provided on the flash drive. A link to download it is included in the very tiny fine print on the back of the package. The software overall works well, though business users might prefer an easier or more universal solution such as BitLocker. OVERALL: Minor issues aside, this appears to be a great flash drive with a truly incredible amount of storage for the price. Speeds are more than acceptable for the vast majority of use cases. The USB-C connector allows you to access your files on virtually any modern computer or tablet. I wish SanDisk would have used a sturdier material rather than the cheap plastic, but if this model is anything like other SanDisk drives I've owned, it will last for years to come. Recommended!

[Employee of bestbuy] With a 4GB test size and with the drive formatted as exFAT, the sustained sequential write speed is less than 20 MB/s. For comparison the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go flash drive (Model: SDDDC3, SKU: 6421486) can do 38 MB/s sustained writes. I should have bought that instead even if it costed a bit extra.

I am sure we all have USB-A flash drives lying around in drawers. While they are still practical in today’s world, a USB-A flash drive won’t be as versatile as USB-C one. Now that many PCs in today’s world are being manufactured with a USB-C/thunderbolt port, there is never a better time to get a USB-C flash drive than right now. A USB-C flash drive will allow you to transfer files from your Android phone to your computer, and vice versa seamlessly. This flash drive is also sleek and tiny, although I do feel SanDisk could’ve added a bit more protection on the outside in case of drops, scratches, etc. Different materials such as ruggedized rubber would’ve been better. The plastic does feel flimsy and cheap. I did test the flash drive out using the thunderbolt port on my laptop so speeds may differ from others. I transferred about 5GB worth of files from my PC and noticed write speeds are fairly quick. It took about 2 and a half minutes to transfer 5GB worth of videos and files. I decided to compare this flash drive’s speed to a typical USB-A flash drive I had laying around. This one did take significantly longer to transfer 5GB worth of files. (about 13 minutes) Granted, the USB-A flash drive is older and cheaper but I do love how quicker data transfer speeds have gotten over the years! Transferring the files from the flash drive onto my phone was also a quick and easy process. The flash drive does come with the optional SanDisk Memory Zone apk that can be installed on your phone. This application allows you to easily move files from your phone’s internal storage to an external location such as this USB-C drive. The app also lets you organize your files, delete junk files, and create backups. I do enjoy the simple UI of the app so far but a recycling bin in the app would be a great addition in case of accidental deletion of files. Overall, this is a solid USB-C flash drive. It is swift and does its job exceptionally well. The only drawback was the flimsy and cheap plastic used. I do highly recommend you get this flash drive if you are wanting to transfer files from your phone to PC or vice versa.

The Sandisk 256GB USB Drive has lightning speed and lots of space to transfer data (233GB to use)! That is half of my computer’s Hard Drive! Its size is incredibly compact, lightweight and looks great. The USB Drive is made of plastic which feels kind of cheap and not as sturdy as I would think for a USB Drive of this magnitude. With that being said, I had no issues with the plastic USB Drive. The Sandisk Ultra 256GB USB 3.0 Type C Flash Drive (backward compatible 2.0) can move files from one computer to another, topping out at 150MB per second which is extraordinarily fast. I was able to move large music files from my computer to the USB Drive. I never reached over 50MB per second. Then I took and plugged in the Sandisk USB Drive Type C to another computer and moved the music files. The Sandisk drive reached speeds topping 100MB per second on the transfer of music files! So under perfect circumstances you could achieve 150MB per second. Using different computers and other variables like processor speed or Hard Drive space will affect the speed. I still think that 50MB per second and 100MB per second is fast. I don’t think I have had such speed in any other USB Drives I have owned. Plug into your phone with the USB Type C connection to get the software app Sandisk Memory Zone. It provides Auto Backup, Aggregate and Free up Space. Once I had downloaded the software it was a cinch to help cleanup my phone and move data around. This USB Drive also offers SecureAccess software for protecting sensitive documents, pictures etc. This USB Drive really has great all around protection and reliable software for sorting your data. Whether you use the software or not, the Sandisk 256GB USB Type C acts just like any other USB drive. Drop and drag your data, documents, music, and pictures on the Sandisk USB Drive and transfer to another source. The only difference being, this new Sandisk 256GB USB Drive is much faster at transfer rates than other USB drives I have used up to this point. I am very pleased with the size and speed of the Sandisk 256GB USB drive. The only reason I gave this drive 4 stars is because it is made of plastic.

First off, before you buy this, make sure your device has the newer USB-C, which is a smaller port than traditional USB. This USB-C flash drive is tiny. For comparison, look at the picture of it (black) next to a larger, traditional USB drive (orange). The newer drive is not only smaller, but thinner as well. Being so small, it's very easy to carry around with you, either in your pocket, a briefcase or purse. Since my wife's laptop has a USB-C port, I decided to get this drive for her to back up her files. It has enough storage to back up everything important, plus it won't get confused for any other drive, since it's the only USB-C drive we have. Since it's so small, I put a lanyard on the hoop at the back of the drive, so we can hang it somewhere so it doesn't get lost. Transfer speeds are very good, though it depends what type of internal drive your computer has as well. If you have a SSD hard drive, it will be very fast, but a traditional mechanical drive would slow things down.

This USB drive provides 256GB of storage with a 3.1 Gen 1 USB Type-C interface (backward compatible with USB 2.0) that claims speeds up to 150 Mbps on file transfers. Has encryption software to protect your files and a 1-year subscription for RescuePro file recovery The USB is small and lightweight with build quality being plastic that feels a bit flimsy, it has a slider that covers the USB C port when you pull down on the button and a loophole to attach your keychain to. I would have felt better if the outer case were made from metal or a more durable plastic before I would attach this to my keys. Could not achieve any were near the advertised 150 Mbsp on file transfers that averaged around 60 Mbsp on my tests (pictured) when trying on two different computers. Also tried older USB Type-A drives on the same computers and got speeds over 100 Mbsp on them, so it is strange that the newer Sandisk does not get these speeds? Software wise the drive has a PDF with instructions on how to install the Android app (SanDisk Memory Zone) on your phone that lets you browse, backup, organize and store files between internal memory, microSD cards and SanDisk Drives. Memory Zone provides access to popular online storage services allowing users to easily move files between local storage and cloud storage locations. It also has an APK file on drive to install the software directly to your phone. There is no mention on how to get the advertised encryption software. I had to Google search (or in my case Duckduckgo) to the download page for SanDisk SecureAccess 3.02: https://kb.sandisk.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2399/~/sandisk-secureaccess-3.02-support-information-and-download-page You run the software from within the flash drive and it provides 128-bit AES encryption which I use to encrypt my personnel and work files. It is easy to set up and very nice overall. My final thought on this product is that it is a bit slow for a newer USB, but I may just a have faulty drive? The software makes up for the faults of the flash drive with backing up your phone and encryption options.

Having just moved, finding my thumb drives and accessories has been a chore, so this came at just the right time. When this 256G thumb drive hit my doorstep and I opened the package, I was shocked to see how thin it was; so much so that I had to go try to find an old thumb drive for comparison. I must say, this is my first USB-C thumb drive and I like the fact that I don’t have to use an adapter for most of the machines I’m using these days. Unlike other brands, there isn’t a usb protector cap you slide over the end, but it’s built into the case itself. I find sliding the case is a bit difficult when you put pressure in the wrong place. The matte style case is noticeably not slippery and has a distinct different feel to other glossy thumb drives. The Red activity LED can be seen from both sides of the thumb drive when in use. The plastic seems a bit thin, so I’m not keen on the idea of throwing a keychain ring around it. It comes with “Memory Zone” software for phone backup. I used Memory Zone with my S10+ (don’t laugh) for about two hours at first and it didn’t seem to progress over 80% even running in the foreground (vs background) and everything got super hot. Running it days later seems to do a ‘don’t back up the files again if they already exist’ style (incremental) backup and eventually finished as I’d have expected in the first place - but this time well under 2 hours. Once completed, it gives me a restore option, which is pretty cool. Backing up my SD card is a different process and is more of a copy/paste action of the app and can’t be run in the background. I also tested simple drag/drop speeds but I don’t use benchmark tests because I find them to be unrealistic as there’s overhead depending on the filesystem that the device is formatted with. If you don’t care about files over 2GB, then the ‘out of the box’ FAT32 is fine for you, but going to NTFS for large file support will drop android/Mac ease of use. As for the speeds … you’re always as fast as the slowest component. USB bus, extender, spinning disk, NVME, M.2, SSD - all contribute to how fast this can be. My tests were perfectly fine from my perspective - and this is coming from a guy that works on Enterprise Storage for a living and where IOPS and Throughput mean different things. If I had to suggest improvements, it’d be a better slide mechanism and a keychain loop that feels a bit more sturdy. Overall, a nice drive and will make it part of my EDC.

Over the years I have owned lots of SanDisk Flash drives including several Ultra versions and they have always been very reliable. This USB type-C version is slimmer and fully wrapped in a plastic case so it doesn’t have as solid a feel as versions made with medal or thicker plastic. The USB-C head can be retracted into the drive when not installed but due to the thinner plastic case this can be difficult at times. After doing several large file transfers to and from the flash drive I did notice that the drive warmed up and this could be felt through the plastic case. Once the drive sat idle it cooled back down as expected. The drive does include a Lanyard loop and SanDisk Memory Zone software for Android. To secure your data SanDisk offers the SanDisk Secure Access software on their website which allows you to create an encrypted secure vault on your SanDisk flash drives. The encryption process slows down the file transfers a little bit but the security is worth it. Overall its nice USB 3.0 type-C flash drive.

My unboxing experience got off to a bad start. If you look at the uploaded photo of the thumb drive (thumb included, no extra charge) you will see me attempting to close the drive. I couldn't. Thinking I was missing something, I looked for a button that would unlock it. There was none. It's just difficult to move, courtesy of the cheap plastic enclosure. Had to use two hands; one to hold the case, the other to move the slider. One would think if you're going to call your product "Ultra", it might be a nice aluminum case, as are other drives I own. If you're committed to plastic, at least make it work!. I've shown the drive attached to my brand new Dell XPS, equipped with the latest Thunderbolt C-type ports. Tested it out with some multi-gig multimedia files; on average, about 100 mb/sec, which is below stated, which was certainly under controlled conditions. But, better than any drive I currently own, including some previous model Ultras. I did about 10 gig in rapid succession, at which point the drive was pretty warm, I was thinking about backing up a PC onto it; not sure how it would react to a 100 gig load at one time. Having a metal case to dissipate heat might make me a bit more comfortable about it. All in all, it's nice to have this much storage available in a tiny package, but would've preferred they put a "finishing touch" on a somewhat expensive for its class drive.

Great amount of space for such a small compact flash drive. I use it mainly with my Samsung phone and my MacBook, so it really comes in handy and very easy to use. The only suggestion I have is, pulling the usb-c piece out of the flash drive can be annoying after a few tries, seems like it gets stuck.

The SanDisk Ultra 256GB USB 3.0 Type-C Flash Drive has been working great for us over at TAG Cyber. We have been fortunate to buy multiple products from Best Buy that have been very reliable, like this one here.

This thumb drive was dirt cheap and provided exactly what I needed when switching computers. No complaints.

This small USB holds such large video files. It’s so much easier to just, plug in this little guy into my TV and watch my series on it. Now I don’t have to plug in my MacBooks or gaming consoles to watch downloaded series.

The Sandisk 256MB Memory Stick is a basic and budget-friendly storage solution. With its modest capacity, it’s suitable for storing documents, photos, and small files. The compact design makes it easy to carry around, but its limited storage may not be sufficient for large media files or extensive data storage needs. While it serves its purpose as a simple and affordable option, users requiring more storage capacity may need to consider higher-capacity alternatives.

excellent, very ease of use, fits all the newly purchased laptop, I like it very much!

SanDisk Ultra 256GB USB 3.0 Type-C Flash Drive adds extra storage for your large files. Password protected is a great feature for this flash drive. I highly recommend this flash drive to anyone who needs slot of extra storage for large files.

I was expecting pretty fast transfer speeds with the flash drive. I have to say I was pretty disappointed. While read speeds are as advertised, write speeds aren’t listed that I could see and perhaps that wasn’t an oversight on their part. It would start at 60Mbs, then would slow to 6Mbs. Also every time I plugged it into my phone, I would get a message: Restart your phone. A USB storage device was removed unsafely. To prevent your phone from restarting unexpectedly, save unsaved data and restart now. This is EVERY time I plugged it into my phone. There’s an additional issue with the design, it’s hard to open and close. The mechanism just isn’t smooth at all and I feel like I’m going to break it just by trying to use it. All in all I am not happy with it and can’t recommend it.

it's a drive. it holds the date, but the open close slide sucks and is difficult

Very slim and compact, transfers and stores data very quickly. Large capacity for quick backups.