SanDisk unveils a USB Type C flash drive

For many, the brand SanDisk is synonymous with flash drives. Mobile media management was a different game in the 00’s, and portable file storage was in every pocket, backpack, and briefcase. The game has changed a little bit going into 2016, however. Cloud storage is increasingly ubiquitous, and any of us live on our smartphones and tablets rather than our laptops or PCs. The popular flash drive maker has no intention of going gently into that good night as paradigms shift, however. The company has just unveiled their first ever USB Type C flash drive at the MWC in Barcelona.

The USB 3.1 stick is already a staggering success. It comes in four sizes, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. The available quantities of all four models sold out almost immediately, and two hours ago, all the models were listed as sold out. You can still place an order, but you’ll have to wait 2 to 4 weeks for them to be manufactured.

Depending on the size you want, you’ll end up paying between $13 and $50 for this puppy. We’re not sure about the write speeds as of yet, but the read speed is 150MB/s. It’s not the world’s first dedicated Type C flash drive. In fact, Lexar has one that’s cheaper and arguably cooler-looking. It is, however, SanDisk’s first, and that 128GB version is the largest of its kind that we’ve seen. It looks like a lot of people are willing to fork over the bit of extra cash to get a dedicated Type C flash drive with the brand they’re familiar with.

[press]SanDisk Launches New Mobile Flash Drive for USB Type-C Devices

With up to 128GB, SanDisk Ultra® USB Type-C™ Flash Drive gives consumers greater flexibility to free up space on USB Type-C enabled smartphones, tablets and computers

BARCELONA, Spain–(BUSINESS WIRE)–MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS – SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a global leader in flash storage solutions, today introduced the SanDisk Ultra® USB Type-C™ Flash Drive designed specifically for next-generation devices. The sleek, new drive features a versatile and powerful USB Type-C connector for quick file transfer between USB Type-C enabled mobile devices, laptops, tablets and future devices1.

New SanDisk Ultra® USB Type-C™ Flash Drive is a fast, easy transfer solution for next-generation USB Type-C devices

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“We expect to see many new USB Type-C supported devices released in 2016,” said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product marketing, SanDisk. “As more consumers purchase ultra-mobile PCs, smartphones and tablets that feature this new, more advanced USB standard, it is critical to offer a complete ecosystem of compatible products. New offerings, like our SanDisk Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive, will give consumers the capabilities they’ve come to expect from traditional Type A ports, but with the added benefit of better performance.”

The new SanDisk Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive is available in up to 128GB* and delivers USB 3.1 performance of up to 150MB/s2, making it SanDisk’s fastest and highest capacity USB Type-C offering. The USB drive features a slim, retractable design to protect the reversible connector and is compatible with the SanDisk Memory Zone app for Android™. The app, which is available for free through the Google Play™ Store, auto-launches upon insertion of the drive into a compatible device, allowing immediate access to the user’s content and easy file management3.

“USB Type-C connectors could be a game-changer, as they offer significant benefits to consumers, such as a slim design and reversible plug orientation,” said IDC research VP Shane Rau. “We’ve already seen a considerable increase over the past year when the connector began showing up on new products from major devices manufacturers. As demand increases, we expect more and more solutions to hit the market, such as the SanDisk Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive.”

The SanDisk Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive is the company’s first dedicated USB for Type-C ready devices. The new drive complements the company’s suite of USB Type-C flash memory solutions which range from dual USB drives to portable SSDs.

Pricing and Availability

The SanDisk Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive features a five-year warranty4, and is now available worldwide atAmazon, and other leading retailers. The new offering comes in capacities of 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB with U.S. MSRPs of $19.99, $29.99, $49.99 and $79.99, respectively.

About SanDisk

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, is a global leader in flash storage solutions. For more than 27 years, SanDisk has expanded the possibilities of storage, providing trusted and innovative products that have transformed the electronics industry. Today, 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. For the latest SanDisk news visit www.sandisk.com, or find us on our social channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sandisk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sandisk

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sandisk

YouTube: www.youtube.com/sandisk

SanDisk Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements about the anticipated growth of USB Type-C supported devices in 2016 that are based on current expectations and involve numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include among others the market for USB Type-C supported devices may not evolve or grow as expected, our product offerings may not be available when we expect or gain customer acceptance in the timeline we expect, and the other risks detailed from time-to-time in SanDisk’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 3, 2016. All statements made in this news release are made only as of the date of this release. This news release contains information from third parties, which reflect their projections as of the date of issuance. SanDisk undertakes no obligations to update the information in this release in the event facts or circumstances change after the date of this release.

©2016 SanDisk Corporation. All rights reserved.

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

1 Mobile device requires USB Type-C port and On-The-Go (OTG) support. Seewww.sandisk.com/dualdrive-c for list of compatible devices.

2 32-128GB: Read speeds up to 150MB/s. 16GB: Read speeds up to 130MB/s. Write speeds lower and vary by capacity. USB Type-C port with USB 3.1, Gen. 1/USB 3.0 support required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes.

3Download and installation required

4See www.sandisk.com/wug

SanDisk and SanDisk Ultra are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. USB Type-C™ is a trademark of USB Implementers Forum. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.[/press]