The new card reader launched by Western Digital under the new SanDisk Professional brand is everything demanding users have been asking for: modularity, performance and a robust yet attractive design. Of course, to know when you will have to pay for a solution with a great future.
Pro Dock 4, the modular card reader
Western Digital launched a new product brand: SanDisk Professional . Ok, for some this will just be adding Professional to a brand that is already very popular and known to all, but it is also the way to give it a much more specific approach and who knows if it ends up as a substitute for the rest of the solutions for professionals that they offer under the hallmark of G-Technology.
However, let’s focus on what really matters: the new modular card reader. The newly and first product presented under this brand is the Pro Dock 4 , a very interesting device due to its modular capacity, although it is nothing new since other brands such as Lexar have already released something similar. Not the same, because this level of technology and implemented standards is more advanced.
Well, the new Pro Dock 4 is a base to which up to four modules can be installed for reading different memory cards from those used by most current photo and video cameras. So, as you can imagine, this is a product very oriented to creatives with great needs. And what we say about grownups is because multi-card readers already exist, but this is not only that, it also allows reading at the same time and without losing performance.
That is, you will be able to transfer the content of what you have captured with your camera to your computer much faster thanks to the use of Thunderbolt 3 technology , which also offers all this with the use of a single cable that, together with its source 260W power supply, it will even charge your portable device connected to the Dock.
Of course there is still more. The modular design allows each user to build their own Dock to meet their specific needs. For example, do you need several readers of the same type of memory card? Well, you can have them. And if in the future you stop using them and jump to another recently presented or existing ones, then you simply change that module and continue using the rest.
Also the good thing is that each of the modules can be used individually, without being inside the Dock. So you can take it to shootings or trips to upload the data. As you can see, there are many possibilities offered by a product with these characteristics.
Of course, the only negative will be the price and not because it is not worth it, but because by its very nature and technologies it will not be economical. In addition, there are solutions such as Lexar’s which is comparatively somewhat inferior and is already around 200 euros just for the base and about 50 euros each module / reader.
SanDisk Professional Pro Dock 4, Features
Now that you know this modular base to create your dream card reader, let’s see all its characteristics in a schematic and clearer way:
- Pro Dock 4, modular base with four independent card reader module slots
- Readers are available for: CFexpress, Coast, Red Mini Max and Multi reader module (micro SD, SD and CF)
- The transfer of each module can be done simultaneously thanks to Thunderbolt 3
- Each module can be used independently via a 10 Gbps USB C connection
- The Dock offers two USB C plus two USB A to connect and charge other devices (from external hard drives to cameras, etc.)
- The price of each of these modules ranges between 80 and 200 euros depending on the type of card accepted (the most expensive is the Red Mini Max)
A solution for demanding users that will not be economical, but it is sure worth it for those who are busy all day transferring large amounts of data. Because it not only saves time, it also provides security and that is important when it comes to handling important files.