SanDisk Ultra Plus 256GB SSD Review

Typically when I’m asked what manufacturer of SSD is best for a particular application, to be honest SanDisk hasn’t always been the first point of call but with this new drive, I’m happy to say that this is about to change. I’ve already got in mind where this is going to be best suited and this is within the ultrabook markets where weight is everything. Normally an SSD will pack three to four times the weight that the Ultra Plus does and whilst there are some drives that are slimmer and lighter than the majority of drives, none of them to my knowledge are as light as this one.

Okay so we are only taking about a few grams, but it all adds up in the long run and when you have an ultra light system, you want to keep it that way whilst maximising its performance capabilities, bringing me conveniently to its performance.

On any given day I’d typically point a user in the direction of a SandForce driven drive due to its proven reliability and performance, but the slightly remodelled layout of SanDisk’s drive with a streamlined Marvell controller, the 19nm NAND flash with the companies own nCache boosts the drives performance, giving speeds that are nothing to feel let down by with IOPs that are also pretty good as well.

Topping off the lightweight build and top performance, SanDisk have a price point that is equally as impressive. At around £135 (€157/US$205), the drives storage is only a shade over 50p per GB (€0.60 per GB / $0.80 per GB) and thus at a highly competitive rate as well. Part of this comes down to the smaller PCB that in turn means less components and therefore a quicker manufacture time but also reduced production costs.

Whilst this isn’t that fastest drive that I’ve looked at, it’s interesting to see that SanDisk have changed the way that SSDs are built and with a smaller PCB there is the possibility to reduce the physical size of drives in the future and also pave the way for denser storage in the future at the same time. As I mentioned above, this drive is an ideal candidate for the ultrabook market, due to its slim and featherweight build but also because of its reduced power consumption meaning that whatever ultrabook its put into will stay equally light and may also see a little more battery life at the same time. If its pure speed you’re after then there are other options but of an all round package, the Ultra Plus is a pretty good option to consider and with its innovative PCB I’ll give this an Innovation Award.