SanDisk Pro G40 SSD Review: Exceptional speed and resilience

In 2023, fast-paced content creation rules the internet through short-term video, and amateurs and influencers alike find themselves needing a way to securely save their data. It's become more and more essential for digital creators to be able to carry around their content with their portable workstations.

Western Digital's SanDisk Professional brand is all about creating digital storage solutions for content creators and professionals, and we can see that in the G40 SSD. As a high-speed, extremely portable drive, it does the job of fueling productivity for creatives, coming in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB versions.

The "pro" in the G40 doesn't only come from its high read and write speeds, but also from the durability it boasts. Coming in a sleek grey color with silver accents, the design is very telling of its heavy-duty purpose. All the while, it doesn't call too much attention to itself.

SanDisk Pro-G40 SSD - Use and durability

At the bare minimum, a portable external SSD should be durable enough to survive falling out of a bag or pocket. Weighing under a third of a pound, the G40 has a 3-meter drop resistance. We've seen it survive falling down a flight of stairs and survive being thrown around outdoors, as it takes softer impacts with no problem.

With IP68-rated dust and water resistance, the G40 can survive 1.5 meters of freshwater for 30 minutes and resist 4000lb of crushing force. Running water is no problem, and after putting the G40 in a glass of tap water for around 30 minutes, it came out just fine after being patted down with a towel.

As for more direct threats, we found that the G40 can tough out hammer strikes and even be run over by an average-sized car.

If you're careful with your tech, the durability may be overkill, but the G40 will be safe in the full spectrum of reasonably dangerous circumstances an SSD drive may be in. One mistake or instance of forgetfulness can cost people a great deal, so redundancy goes a long way for digital storage.

When using the G40, it tends to warm itself up fairly quickly to prepare for reading or writing data, even if it isn't doing anything. The temperature tolerance of the G40 is between 41 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 35 degrees Celsius), and when pushed under stress, it was never too hot to touch. The aluminum core inside helps pull heat, despite the heavy protection on the outside.

SanDisk Pro-G40 SSD - Connectivity and speed

The drive inside the G40 enclosure is a M.2 2280 drive, as expected, paired with a Titan Ridge JHL7440 Thunderbolt controller. Cache is 1TB, which gives it good sustained write speed over time.

The G40 claims to have a sequential read performance of 3000 MB/s and a write performance of 2500 MB/s on Thunderbolt 3 and a 40 Gbps cable is included in the box. Practical testing shows a 2687.4 MB/s read and 2436.1 MB/s write performance, with these rates being consistent across 1-5 GB of stress.

Mac users will be pleased to hear that the G40 comes formatted for MacOS, but it can be reformatted for Windows. A small light on the front of the SSD lights up while the G40 is on, and blinks when it's in use, which is a minimal and functional use that we approve of.

There seems to be more speed in the write performance, but the read speed is still quite fast, just not exactly as expected. Overall, benchmarking proved the power of the SSD for uploading and downloading massive amounts of information, whether it's work-in-progress files or finished works back and forth between computers and storage.

Great speed, greater resilience

The SanDisk Pro-G40 SSD is a versatile and reliable companion for professionals across various creative disciplines. Whether you're a videographer, musician, writer, or simply need a secure and efficient data storage solution, this SSD delivers on most expectations, ensuring smooth and swift data transfer.

While the price may be steep compared to other portable SSDs, its exceptional performance and durability compared to competitors make it a worthwhile long-term investment that can withstand the demands of intensive use. The G40 can still be lost, corrupted, or water damaged in certain scenarios, but it does what it sets out to do well with few complaints.

SanDisk Pro-G40 SSD Pros

• IP68-rated dust and water resistance makes it suitable for most dangers
• Efficient heat dissipation with aluminum core
• Extremely portable and easy to use for Mac users
• Simple and effective design

SanDisk Pro-G40 SSD Cons

• Limited heat tolerance - beware hot days
• Read speed slightly below expectations
• Reformatting for Windows users

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Where to buy the SanDisk Pro-G40 SSD

The SanDisk Pro-G40 SSD 2 TB is available on Amazon for $239.99 generally, although at publication time it is only available from third-parties at an inflated price. It is also available from Western Digital for $239.99 retail.