Approximately eighteen months after introducing the maiden MFi-certified iXpand flash drive for iPhone and iPad, SanDisk is back with an entirely redesigned second-generation version of its extremely popular product. The new iXpand offers the same level of functionality as the original version, but does so with a redesigned and fresh looking aesthetic that brings the product into the modern age, while also managing to remain compatible with iPhones and iPads that are housed in most popular third-party cases.
At first glance, you can instantly tell that this is a redesigned and refreshed product. The SanDisk branding and overall color scheme provides an air of familiarity and makes you feel comfortable with what you’re getting from a trust perspective, but it does so with a modern twist. In fact, the new iXpand looks to have been purposely designed to look and feel like what we all expect a standard USB flash drive to be like. The difference here is of course the Lighting connector to directly connect to the iPhone and iPad hardware, and the curved design which allows the other end of the stick to be folded to the back of the iPhone or iPad, making it less obtrusive than the earlier iXpand range.
Product design and visuals are all well and good, but what is SanDisk offering from a technical perspective with this refresh? There’s integrated USB 3.0 technology for improved read and write data transfer speeds, both from the iPhone or iPad to the device, and from the device to the connected iOS device.
SanDisk is offering the new iXpand with four capacity choices; 16GB for $49.99, 32GB for $59.99, 64GB for $89.99, or a whopping 128GB for $119.99. In a world where people are using their iPhones and iPads to capture more photographs, and storing media in 4K quality format, SanDisk estimates that approximately 70-percent of device owners transfer data to and from another storage solution. The company is clearly looking to position the iXpand as that solution for iOS users.
In addition to offering a pure storage solution, the SanDisk iXpand also allows automatic backup of a device’s Camera Roll and contacts. Users are also able to watch supported media formats directly from the drive itself without actually having to move it onto another platform. All of this is handled by a dedicated app which is free to download from the App Store.
If you’ve been finding yourself running out of storage space on your iPhone or iPad, then this could be the modern solution that you’ve been looking for.
Buy: SanDisk iXpand v2 USB 3.0 Flash Drive from Amazon: $49.99 to $119.99
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