Final Thoughts and Rating

It offers all the benefits of solid-state storage, including silent operation, near-instant access, no moving parts and a decent jolt of performance, but can't escape the fact that faster drives are available at around the same price.

In some ways, SSDs are becoming a lot like graphics cards. A select few are grabbing the headlines for their benchmark-breaking capabilities, but the models that sell in volume are typically a bit further down the ladder.

The SanDisk Ultra Plus is one of those drives. It offers all the benefits of solid-state storage, including silent operation, near-instant access, no moving parts and a decent jolt of performance, but can't escape the fact that faster drives are available at around the same price.

It's a tough sell for consumers and SanDisk may struggle to compete with the likes Samsung on price. Why buy a 256GB SanDisk Ultra Plus for $220 (86 cents/GB) when an often-quicker 250GB Samsung 840 Series is readily available for $180 (72 cents/GB)?

But there is a silver lining here, as SanDisk will also be repackaging the Ultra Plus as an OEM solution dubbed the X110. Available in both 2.5in and mSATA form factors, the X110 will bring low-power, fast and responsive storage to SanDisk's extensive range of business partners.

Summary: The retail model may be up against it, but the OEM variant looks a very safe bet so while you probably won't rush out to buy an Ultra Plus, don't be surprised if an X110 sits at the helm of your next Ultrabook.

The Good

Decent mid-range performance
Uses in-house NAND and firmware
Available to OEMs in mSATA X110 form

The Bad

Isn't always as fast as competing SSDs

HEXUS Rating

SanDisk Ultra Plus (256GB)

HEXUS Where2Buy

TBC.

HEXUS Right2Reply

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