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[Review] Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB Type C: Your Stylish Way to Transfer Data between devices
SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB Type-C Flash Drive aims to not just be an external file support solution for the iPad Pro, but also for your older USB-A gear, with a splash of style.
All flash drives are not created equal. Flash media is used in everything from the extremely fast NVMe implementations, all the way down to the storage keys you can buy at the gas station.
In between, are the higher-performing storage keys, like the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB-C Flash Drive. It isn’t something you want to use as, say, a system drive, but it is a good solution to “sneakernet” files between a USB-A computer and a USB-C one, like a new MacBook Pro, or iPad Pro.
Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB-C Flash Drive key specifications
- USB Type-C and USB Type-A connections
- 32GB capacity. 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB also available.
- Up to 150MB/s read speeds
- 1.75 inches by 0.48 inches by 0.34 inches
- Reversible swivel design
- Five-year limited warranty
Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB-C Flash Drive – design
On the face of it, the drive is a compact device that doesn’t look that much different from other thumb drives. It’s small and light, and has a covering section that swings around to protect some of its contacts. Pick protection for USB-A or USB-C, because you can only cover one at a time.
With an exterior enclosure completely from metal, the drive offers a premium appearance and construction, which is unusual for such drives. It also includes a hole in the swinging cover, so it can be attached to a keyring and be always available to users.
Being metal, the exterior of the drive case gets a little warmer to the touch when in use than a plastic enclosure does. But, this is a good thing, as the entire enclosure is a heat sink, keeping performance as high as possible.
Double duty connectivity
The metal body is only one of the differentiating factors for the drive that brings it another level up from the rest of the pack, and that it has two connectors. This drive falls into the category that a few other do, in that it can be used to connect to both USB Type-C devices as well as USB Type-A ports.
For some users, this can be invaluable, and offers the opportunity to make their data highly portable between devices. It could easily be used with an iPad Pro’s USB Type-C port or the Thunderbolt 3 port of modern Macs, while USB Type-A allows it to work with older Macs and PCs that don’t have either USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3 connections.
As the connectors are on opposite ends of the main body, the swinging cover can protect one connection type at a time, leaving the other exposed. Given the smallness of the connector, it’s probably advisable to keep the USB Type-C end protected as much as possible.
The drive boasts USB 3.1 Gen 1 support, which WD claims will facilitate read speeds of up to 150MB/s. The Blackmagicdesign Disk Speed Test tool showed this to be an accurate claim, as the drive managed 150.3MB/s read speeds for the USB Type-A connector, with it effectively the same at 150.6MB/s using Type-C.
While these are more than good enough for a portable flash drive, the write speeds are less stellar. On USB Type-A, the write speed was just 61.6MB/s, while Type-C didn’t do much better at 63.7MB/s. This is to be expected, though, given the media.
The drive isn’t ideal for those who need to write files to it on a very frequent basis. It’ll get the job done — you just need to be more patient than you’d have to be with a more expensive NVMe drive.
Stylish with some uses
Flash drive manufacturers aren’t generally known for innovation. Outside of making them faster or adding dual connectors to it, there’s little else you can do to radically change the concept.
The SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe Type-C doesn’t rock the boat, nor was it ever really intended to. It treads very well-worn concepts that other products in the past have come up with.
Its Luxe element with a premium metal construction goes beyond just design, bringing an effective heat sink to the table. The fact that it doesn’t look too out of place on a keychain also works in its favor, as will its hardiness.
The dual connector system is nice for those who need to work with both types of ports on a variety of hardware, or simply want to transfer files from an iPad Pro or MacBook Pro made in the last five years to an older Mac. Its speed won’t blow your hair back, but is better than many drives in its class, and good enough for occasional use.
This drive isn’t really meant as an external storage upgrade for your Mac or iPad Pro. But, as a way to ferry files between devices or to make some space available on a constrained iPad Pro while on the move, it’s not a bad choice.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief Enterprise business officer, MTN Nigeria, has assured the network subscribers that the new end-user billing system for the use of USSD services will jot affect them.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes are commonly used for banking transactions, airtime recharges, and other mobile services.
The telco said that there is no significant impact or change other than the fact that they will now pay the same N6.98 per session (120 seconds) with their airtime instead of direct bank debit.
Saint-Nwafor, said this during a chat with MTN MIP fellows, explaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered telecom operators to ensure that the new billing model resolves trust issues and ensures transparency in the billing process.
“Our regulator insisted that at the end of every month, we are going to be providing history and statistics on the performance of the service across the board”, she explained.
Saint-Nwafor added that the new billing model has standardized messaging across all operators and ensures consistent communication with customers.
“We will take all the error codes and map them into messages that are standardised across the board. So, if you initiate a transaction, you will know if it is failing. And, when the transaction fails, you will know if it is from your bank or the telco,” she explained.
The U.S. government has recovered $225 million in what is now the largest seizure of funds linked to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
In a statement released Wednesday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the recovery followed an extensive investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, using blockchain analysis and other forensic tools. The statement did not confirm whether any arrests had been made.
According to the authorities, the stolen funds originated from fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes that tricked victims into believing they were making legitimate investments. More than 400 individuals around the world, including dozens in the United States, were reportedly affected.
The operation involved a sophisticated money laundering network that carried out hundreds of thousands of blockchain transactions to obscure the source and ownership of the stolen assets.
“These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,” said Shawn Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office in San Francisco.
Bradstreet added that U.S. officials hope the recovered funds can eventually be returned to the rightful victims.
Cryptocurrency investment fraud accounted for over $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone, according to the statement.
In a rousing declaration that is electrifying minds across the continent, Hon. Nnaemeka Ani, Special Adviser on ICT to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a homegrown digital revolution under the banner “Africa Will Rise: By Code, By Courage, By Us.”
Hon. Nnaemeka Ani
The message, part challenge, part philosophical—seeks to galvanize African innovators to move beyond buzzwords and build technology with impact and legacy in mind.
“Let’s stop building for hype. Let’s start building for legacy,” Ani urged while speaking to ICT journalists over the weekend. “Let’s stop waiting for someone else. Let’s start creating the future—on our own terms.”
At the heart of Ani’s vision is a shift from tech consumerism to tech authorship. With innovation hubs sprouting across cities like Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, Jo’Burg, and Nairobi, and a growing community of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs determined to solve Africa’s unique challenges, the movement is already taking shape.
Ani emphasized that Africa’s future lies not in flashy apps or international admiration but in persistent, intentional solutions that uplift communities—solutions that digitize public services, bridge rural-urban divides, empower women and youth, and build resilience in food and climate systems.
“We have the talent,” he said. “Now it’s time to harness it—to stop building for likes and start building for lasting impact.”
With support from leaders like Ani and rising momentum in Africa’s tech corridors, it seems that a new chapter is being written—one line of code at a time.
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