Name: SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD
Brand: SanDisk

Summary

Check the reliability history before you buy: multiple Extreme capacities have failed with unmountable partitions and unprompted data loss.

Strengths

Hits its rated speed on a USB 3.2 Gen 2 host with UASP.
Small and light enough to carry in a pocket.
Hanging loop works for clipping the drive to a bag.
Hardware AES encryption with a password.

Weaknesses

Firmware and controller failures have caused sudden bricking and data loss across Extreme capacities.
Some firmware fixes covered only selected capacities or revisions.
Sustained writes slow down once the internal cache saturates.
Older USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports cut speeds to roughly 400–500 MB/s.
The sealed case means no user access to the M.2 SSD or bridge chip.
Owners who filed warranty claims during the failure wave criticized RMA handling.

Verified specifications

Capacity	1TB.
Model	SDSSDE61-1T00-G25 (V2, Gen 2).
Interface	USB 3.2 Gen 2, Type-C, with a USB Type-C to Type-A adapter in the box.
Rated speed	up to 1050 MB/s read, up to 1000 MB/s write.
Durability	IP55 water and dust resistance, drop protection up to 2 meters.
Encryption	256-bit AES hardware encryption with password protection.
Dimensions	3.96 × 2.06 × 0.35 in (96.2 × 53.3 × 8.8 mm).
Chassis	forged aluminum core inside a silicone/rubberized shell, textured plastic front, reinforced hanging loop.
Power	bus-powered over USB.
In the box	SSD, USB Type-C to Type-C cable, USB Type-C to Type-A adapter.
Warranty	5-year limited manufacturer warranty.

Full research notes and sources

Speed depends on the port

The quoted 1050 MB/s read and 1000 MB/s write figures need a host with USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) and UASP. On an older USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 Gen 1 port you get roughly 400–500 MB/s instead. Independent testing at launch confirmed the rated numbers on a compatible Gen 2 connection, so the bottleneck is usually the port on your laptop or desktop, not the drive.

Sustained writes and heat

Large transfers run into the SLC cache, then the drive throttles and transfer speeds drop. That is normal for a compact bus-powered SSD with no active cooling, but it means a single huge copy is slower than the headline numbers suggest. Small file transfers and random access are unaffected.

Reliability and data loss

This is the part to read twice. Investigative reporting and class-action lawsuits documented drives across the Extreme line failing with unresponsive units, unmountable partitions and unprompted data loss, with the worst reports concentrated on the 2TB and 4TB capacities. SanDisk issued firmware patches for select models, and owner complaints focus on partial rollouts that left other revisions exposed. Nobody has published a failure rate for the whole installed base, so treat this as a documented risk rather than a defect with a known rate.

The drive is sealed. The internal M.2 SSD and bridge chip cannot be replaced, so a failure means a warranty claim or a new drive. Keep a separate backup of anything you cannot lose, and do not use this drive as the only copy.

Which model this is

This page covers the 1TB SDSSDE61-1T00-G25, the V2 or Gen 2 drive rated at 1050 MB/s. It is not the older 2018 V1 model (SDSSDE60, 550 MB/s) and not the 2000 MB/s Extreme Pro USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 model (SDSSDE81). Retail listings often mix the three together, so check the model number. The listing this page is built from is ASIN B095PRKG21.

Is it worth it?

The launch MSRP for the 1TB model was $199.99, when the speed and pocket size were competitive. Given the documented reliability record, the sensible use is scratch space and transfer staging with off-site backups, not irreplaceable data. The warranty is a 5-year limited manufacturer warranty, but the RMA experience during the failure wave was a common complaint.