[Editor’s Note, August 17, 2023: As recently reported in Ars Technica, a critical mass of users on SanDisk’s forums and Reddit have reported failures of some SanDisk Extreme, Extreme Pro, Extreme V2, and Extreme Pro V2 SSDs, resulting in data loss, as well as the drives becoming unreadable/unmountable. In May, parent company WD released firmware updates for the 4TB SanDisk Extreme, as well as the 4TB, 2TB, and 1TB Extreme Pro models, plus the 4TB Western Digital My Passport, but complaints continue. We are doing our own stress-testing of the sample drives we originally reviewed. As of today, however, we no longer recommend buying any of the aforementioned SSDs, until we are satisfied the issue has been resolved. (A class-action suit has been levied against WD surrounding issues with these drives.) We have left our original review in place here for reference.]

The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 (starts at $119.99 for 500GB; $199.99 for 1TB as tested), the latest iteration in the company's line of durable external SSDs, is faster and more economical than the original version (the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD). Unlike SanDisk's also-new Extreme Pro Portable SSD V2, which supports the seldom-seen USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface, this drive doesn't require replacing or upgrading your computer to avail yourself of its maximum speeds. The Extreme V2 is reasonably rugged, supports password protection and 256-bit AES hardware-based security, and is backed by a five-year warranty. This tiny drive can be fastened to your belt or backpack through its carabiner loop. Whether you're a photographer, a frequent traveler, a video editor, or just someone who needs to store or access large files in a hurry, the SanDisk Extreme V2 is a reliable digital companion and a new PCMag Editors' Choice winner for ruggedized SSDs.

Rugged and Encrypted

The Extreme V2 weighs just 1.8 ounces and measures 0.4 by 2.1 by 4 inches, a bit smaller than its Extreme Pro V2 sibling but very similar in form and color scheme. It looks exactly the same as the previous-generation SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD—a tiny black slab with rounded corners and beveled sides, plus an orange-rimmed carabiner loop in one corner. On one of the short edges, a USB Type-C port is offset toward the side.

The Extreme V2 has some ruggedness cred, being rated to survive a drop from up to 6.5 feet thanks to a forged-aluminum frame protected by a silicone rubber skin. Its ingress protection (IP) rating of IP55 means it provides some protection against sand and water. It's still potentially vulnerable to fine dust, and you wouldn't want to leave it immersed in water for long.

If you're looking for a more rugged option, the ADATA SE800 takes durability up a few notches with an IP68 rating, the best of any consumer-grade external SSD we've tested. It has been shown to be impermeable to dust and can survive a dunk in water, with the help of a rubberized port cover that's attached to the drive so it can't get lost. The Extreme V2 lacks a port cover, as do most other external SSDs.

Included on the Extreme V2 is SanDisk's SecureAccess software, which lets you create a password-protected vault of files on the drive backed by 256-bit AES hardware encryption. As mentioned, the company offers a generous five-year warranty.

The Extreme V2's pricing is competitive among PCI Express-based external SSDs in its class, and cheaper than its previous iteration. For the 1TB model we tested, its list price comes to 20 cents per gigabyte, a penny per gig more than both the WD My Passport SSD (2020) and the Samsung Portable SSD T7, and lower than the ADATA SE800's 26 cents and the Samsung Portable SSD T7 Touch's 23 cents.

Recommended by Our Editors

ADATA SE800 Review - Review

Samsung Portable SSD T7 Touch - Review

WD My Passport SSD (2020) - Review

Amazon's current pricing for the 1TB drive is 15 cents per gigabyte, matching the Samsung T7 and WD My Passport and exceeding only the 13 cents per gig of the Crucial X8 and ADATA SE800. The faster SanDisk Extreme Pro V2 is currently 23 cents per gig at Amazon.

Testing the Extreme: PCIe Speeds Over USB

The Extreme V2 has a USB-C port that supports up to USB 3.2 Gen 2, and it comes with a short USB-C-to-USB-C cable plus a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter. (The latter is tiny and could easily be misplaced.) The drive is rated to support sequential read speeds of up to 1,050MBps and write speeds of up to 1,000MBps. This is zippier than the previous-generation, SATA-based Extreme Portable SSD, with rated read and write speeds of 550MBps and 500MBps respectively, though no match for the 2,000MBps of the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2-based SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD V2.

Here's a look at the drive's results on our benchmark tests, along with those from a host of external SSD competitors. (See more about how we test SSDs.)

In our Crystal DiskMark 6.0 testing, the Extreme V2 turned in a 1,072MBps read speed and a 1,044MBps write speed, both a bit above SanDisk's ratings and the best among the USB 3.2 Gen 2 drives we compared it with. Inside the shell, the device supports the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) data transfer protocol for accessing SSDs over a PCI Express bus, which helps ensure its fast transfer rates. (Both the SanDisk Extreme Pro V2 and the Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD boast the faster USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connection, but very few systems feature native support for the faster 2x2 interface.)

One for the Road

Small, fast, lightweight, and durable, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 is a great backup device for photographers, videographers, road warriors, and indeed anyone who may need to transfer many gigabytes in a pinch.

The Extreme V2 lacks some of the raw speed of its Extreme Pro V2 sibling, but it costs less and doesn't oblige you to buy and install an expansion card to get the most out of it. Factor in password protection, 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption, and IP55 durability, and this lightweight and compact SSD is an all-around great drive with no serious downsides.