SanDisk Ultra 256GB USB Flash Drive USB 3.0 up to 130MB/s
SanDisk Ultra 256GB USB Flash Drive USB 3.0 up to 130MB/s Read
Move Files Quickly with Faster Transfer Speeds
With transfer speeds of up to 130MB/s(1B), reduce the time you’ll spend waiting for files to move from the flash drive to your computer. Enabled for USB 3.0, this fast drive lets you transfer and store large files faster than standard USB 2.0 drives.
Easy File Recovery with RescuePRO Deluxe Software
The drive comes with a RescuePRO Deluxe data recovery software download offer(4). This software makes it easy to recover files that have been accidentally deleted (download required).
 Ultra USB 3.0 |  Ultra Flair USB 3.0 |  Ultra USB Type-C |  Ultra Luxe USB 3.1 |  Ultra Dual Drive Go | |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 188,656 | 4.6 out of 5 stars 177,486 | 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,326 | 4.5 out of 5 stars 18,897 | 4.6 out of 5 stars 7,165 |
| Price | £11.93 | £11.49 | £13.95 | £12.97 | £9.79 |
| Capacity | Up to 512GB | Up to 512GB | Up to 256GB | Up to 512GB | Up to 512GB |
| Connector | Single | Single | Single | Single | Dual |
| Connector Type | USB Type-A | USB Type-A | USB Type-C | USB Type-A | USB Type-C and USB Type-A |
| Speed | Up to 130MB/s | Up to 150MB/s | Up to 150MB/s | Up to 150MB/s | Up to 150MB/s |
| Design | Compact | All-metal casing | Retractable | All-metal casing | Retractable |
| Keyring Hole | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
(1) Based on 1.2GB MPEG-4 video transfer with USB 3.0 host device. Results may vary based on host device, file attributes and other factors.
(1A) 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less.
(1B) (For 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB) Write to drive up to 10 times faster than standard USB 2.0 drives (4MB/s). USB 3.0 port required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending on host device. 1MB = 1,000,000 bytes. (For 16GB) Write to drive up to 5 times faster than standard USB 2.0 drives (4MB/s). USB 3.0 port required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending on host device. 1MB = 1,000,000 bytes.
(2) Password protection uses 128-bit AES encryption and is supported by Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and macOS v10.9+ (Software download required for Mac, visit the official SanDisk website for SecureAccess details)
(4) Registration required; terms and conditions apply.
SanDisk, the SanDisk logo, SanDisk SecureAccess, SanDisk Ultra and RescuePRO are marks of Western Digital corporation or its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respected owners.
2022 Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Western Digital Technologies, Inc. is the seller of record and licensee in the Americas of SanDisk products.
I bought this recently and so far, it works well. I will return at a later date to write another review after use it more. Good price. Delivered on time. Thank you.
After spending money on a couple of non branded nice looking full metal USB sticks, which failed within a week, I thought it time to use a named brand. So far, this one has worked impeccably. My only concern is the loop at one end which one can use to attached to a lanyard (which I do) relies on pretty thin plastic. I have my doubts that bit will last to be honest.
Let’s be honest, Sandisk is the name for USB devices. I have purchased inferior brands in the past and they tend to fall apart after frequent use. This drive feels nice and robust. the port slides into the body of the unit to prevent any damage, and clicks back into place for use. there is a handy keychain hole to prevent loss during transportation (so many of my previous drives have ended up lost or in silicone heaven with all the dead calculators). I add/remove data from this drive weekly and have had no issues thus far. You really see the benefit of the 3.0 speeds when connected to a similar port, which makes a difference with larger files. Very slick looking device and expect to continue to use effectively for years to come, If i dont lose it first!
The standout feature of this flash drive is its ample storage capacity. With 512GB of space, I can store a vast amount of files, including documents, photos, videos, and even large software applications. This makes it an ideal choice for professionals, students, and individuals who require extensive storage on the go.
The USB 3.0 interface ensures fast data transfer speeds, allowing me to quickly move files between devices. With read speeds of up to 130MB/s, I can access my files in a matter of seconds, saving valuable time and enhancing productivity. The backward compatibility with USB 2.0 ports ensures compatibility with a wide range of devices.
The build quality of the SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive is excellent. The device feels sturdy and well-made, providing confidence in its durability. The retractable design of the USB connector offers protection when not in use, preventing damage and ensuring longevity.
Another advantage of this flash drive is its compatibility with various operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux. This versatility allows me to use it seamlessly across different platforms, making it a versatile tool for file sharing and data storage.
The SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive also comes with SanDisk SecureAccess software, which provides password protection and 128-bit AES encryption for sensitive files. This added layer of security gives me peace of mind, knowing that my confidential data is protected.
In conclusion, the SanDisk 512GB Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive is a reliable and speedy storage solution. With its ample capacity, fast read speeds, and sturdy build quality, it offers a convenient way to carry and transfer large amounts of data. Whether for work, school, or personal use, this flash drive exceeds expectations and is a valuable addition to any digital arsenal.
Most of the use for flash drives and SD cards is for storing my ever-expanding collection of sound samples for music making. With having limited storage on my computer I obviously have to look to external storage solutions. I find traditional external hard disks clumsy and need something I can quickly change over in any case depending upon what kind of music I’m creating so flash drives and SD cards are ideal as I keep varying collections on various drives.
However, reliability is a must as some of my sound samples aren’t backed up and just sit on the drives and cards themselves. Not many but sufficient so I can’t have anything whereby I might lose them.
Most of my newer products like the one reviewed here are USB 3.0, and for what I need them for they read and write quickly enough. There are some speed fluctuations but these seem to be related to what kind of files I’m moving or copying. Compared to earlier USB standards like USB 2.0 there’s no comparison as these do the job considerably quicker (up to x10 the speed according to the advert). They’re perfectly compatible with the earlier standards though; it’s just that transferring files between the two takes longer. Like all similar devices of this speed and type there’ll be variations between models and manufacturers, but as long as these ones reliably work and quickly copy files then that’s all I’m bothered about. I certainly have no complaints this way. I’ve watched videos from them as well and they work fine without break or stuttering of content. I’m sure this is down to the operating system too but it’s good to know that the drives are easily fast enough for this as well.
They seem to be fairly robust too. I haven’t dropped any onto hard surfaces but have dropped a few from chair height onto carpeting. Obviously, the outer shell has remained intact, and thankfully the data has too.
I use SanDisk in the car for playing music files. The flash drive I normally use is an earlier version than the one I’m reviewing here but I’m presuming the outer casing is the same. It looks to be similar. Again, it’s never been dropped onto a hard service, but on occasion when I want a change it gets put into a glove compartment with a variety of other bigger and heavier items and it seems to survive okay. Similarly, I have three of these drives in a drawer next to where I work, which also has a variety of heavier items in it, which often get moved around and end up on top of the drives, but again they survive without damage. Unless I plan to be particularly careless with them, I’m convinced these are good quality, robust products; products I’m happy to entrust important data to that will withstand reasonable handling and storage.
The drives survive well in a variety of temperatures too — everything from being outside in the car in freezing temperatures to being in the house on the hottest of British summers, and no matter what the temperature variation they’re still as readable and writable as ever.
I haven’t used the supplied security software that comes with them and usually just delete it upon receipt, but I’m sure it will work well enough if I had a need for it (and would be a trusted solution if I had to move sensitive data around).
There’s nowhere to write on the drives as to what they are so I identify them by wrapping different coloured tape around them. I like the fact that drives like these are retractable but find this is rarely used once I have the tape around them. Without the tape I would use the feature.
This drive is 256 GB, which is larger than I usually buy, but have bought one previously of the size so know it holds a good whack of data. Copying and moving files onto it is super easy as it works straight out of the packaging. For me it’s just a case of drag and drop and that’s it. In other words there’s no formatting or preparation required (certainly not for a Windows-based computer, anyway). In terms of file numbers then I can’t really guess, but it has to be a considerable number — probably thousands. I refer to music files here but obviously smaller files will be even more.
Size-wise these drives work well; they’re small enough to be easily portable but not small enough to be easily lost. If one is put into a pocket then it can be easily found again without too much scrabbling.
Personally, I like the black colour because if the drives have be left lying around anywhere then their dark colouring allows them to be much easier hidden away in dark corners or drawers and not so conspicuous, which may be important if they contain sensitive data.
Pricewise, these are good from Amazon and I appreciate the speedy delivery so am happy to keep ordering for as long as I need the product.
Note: Since writing this review I’ve since bought another one of these drives: same speed, same size, same design and same reliability — SanDisk product number 14!
Sure they’re usually not the fastest , but I have found after owning dozens of different USBs from different brands , that somehow Sandisk never fails me.
For over a decade I have bought least a few dozen different Sandisk USB flash drives (From USB 1 – USB 3) and none of them have failed me.
When I say failed , I mean none have them have stopped working or none of them have started to behave strangely. None of them have even had any short terms problems lost me any files either.
For that , Sandisk have my trust. They are reliable products. but not necessarily the fastest.
I have also flash disks from many other brands too. I have bought less from other brands and some of those brands , I have had a few of those drives fail or just have something wrong that makes them work strangely. Some of those flash drives have also gone bad temporarily at times and lose/corrupt data and files. Some of these brands are even regarded as trust worthy and well established.
It’s funny I bought way more Sandisk branded USB Flash drives and none of them caused problems or failed.
I bought way less from the other brands and some of those brands had failures.(One brand in particular had a pretty high failure/fault rate)
Enough about my thoughts on the brand , now onto the product itself.
The Sandisk Ultra seem to be their most widely availible and affordable USB 3 flash drives they’ve been making in the past few years.
It’s their among cheapest USB 3 and the Ultra actually comes in other variations that share similar prices. (The rubber-like Ultra Trek and the Metal Ultra Flair)
Today we’ll be looking at the plastic one.
Sandisk USB 3 Ultras , probably aren’t that fast for most people going by USB 3 standards , but if you came from USB 2 , the difference in speed feels like quite a lot.
The Ultra also tends to be quite a bit faster than a lot of other Flash drives within in the same price range from other brands too. But the Ultra tends to be a little bit more expensive than these slower flash drives.
The main difference I can tell when comparing it to these slightly slower USB 3 flash drives from other brands that are similarly priced , is that there seems to be alot less buffering when writing.
These other flash drives can sort of achieve faster write speeds than Ultra , but only in short bursts , and then they have to buffer down to USB 2 like speeds for a few seconds , then go back to fast burst , then slow buffer , fast burst , then slow buffer …. etc … (Buy a really cheap Kingston or Integral drive for example to see this happen)
I noticed that USB 3 Drives from Sandisk don’t seem to do this. They seem to maintain a steady write speed instead . There’s a lot less pausing (In most cases almost none) to buffer , so I think Sandisk uses much more efficient chips to process it all , even in their cheaper flash drives.
Maintaining an overall steady slower write speeds , seems to be overall much faster , than a cheaper flash drive that can’t maintain their fastest speeds for long , as those ones tend to pause for a few seconds to allow for buffering , which almost makes their short term speed advantage redundant.
A good analogy is almost like the Tortoise and the hare. The Sandisks are slow and steady , keep on marching at a steady pace and finish earlier. While the other brands cannot maintain their fast speeds for long and have to take frequent pit stops to catch their breath and buffer , so somehow finish later than the tortoise.
So overall the Sandisk Ultra is a fairly good speed for it’s price when it comes to USB 3.
It beats alot of similarly priced flash disks from other brands around the same price , due to a lot less buffering.
The main bad things about the plastic version , is well it’s plastic case.
I’ve owned dozens of Sandisk over the years and despite me having my full trust in terms of reliability , it pains me to say they created tons of stinkers when it comes to physical designs of their outer shell/casing.
Especially with their extensively Cruzer USB 2 range. They had tons of variations of the Cruzer line up in the USB 2 era , it’s like they didn’t know when to stop , trying to out do itself in making awkwardly shaped designs.
I wish they would stop creating flash drives in unconventional shapes and just back to producing the simple classic small rectangular / oblong slider , they were using for many of their USB 1 flash disks and the first few iterations of their USB 2 flash disks too. Those were the best.
The plastic Sandisk Ultra USB 3 , is one of it’s worst designs in their history my opinion. Which is a huge shame , because it seems to be their most widely available / produced and distributed model of USB 3 .
The main disapointment is the tail end of the platic portion of the body , that the drive resides in is made of a very thin plastic and looks like it would be very easy to break.
I remember reading a review that it was compared to the plastic that you would probably find on a cheap free toy prize, that you would find in a box of cereal. I unfortunatly tend to agree with that observation.
Sorry Sandisk you real cheaped out on this one.
In combination that the type sliding style method they chose is also slightly awkward to use , you shouldn’t be too surprised if the thin plastic will snap one day if you’re not careful.
Another thing I noticed , is that they skimped out in another area, with newer revisions of this model.
I have actually bought quite a few of these plastic Sandisk USB 3 Ultra flash drives over the years , and I noticed in earlier versions of this product : there was a blue LED light that blinked during data reading/transfer.
Later revisions of the same model , seemed to have removed/omitted this blue LED light , presumely to save on costs. Although I guess it was not essential , it’s still helpful in a way to still have the LED light.
I do hate it when products have features taken away , especially when it’s done coverly without drawing attention. So that’s another downer for me.
Overall despite the physical short comings , the Sandisk Ultra is still a reliable USB 3 Flash drive on the inside , that won’t cost you too much.
Although I do recommend actually you go for the rubber-like Sandisk Ultra Trek which I think has a better form factor if you don’t mind lids. The Trek feels more sturdy and seems to have the same speed performance as the plastic .
I have yet to try the metal Ultra Flair , but I’d assume it’s the same on the inside too , since it shares the same name : Ultra.
Ultra Plastic , Ultra Flair and Ultra Trek all share a similar price range , especially if you buy direct from Amazon. It’s all a matter of preference in the outer shell/case.
Although, if you can spare another extra few pounds , you might want to try Sandisk Extreme Go . Which is has a pretty significant speed boost over the Ultra and with less buffering , without breaking bank too much. without setting foot into premium territory.
but in the end the Sandisk Ultra is a good choice for an reliable, reasonable fast, lower end USB 3 Flash drive at an affordable price. I still recommend it .