T his is a little more than a simple USB 3.0/Lightening data transfer and storage device. Its first trick is packing a small battery into the unit, so extended use via Lightening won't need the iPhone or iPad's battery.

SanDisk's iXpand is a dual-pronged memory drive with a Lighting connector on one end and a USB interface on the other. It's designed to solve two problems: the first is the alleged difficulty in getting photos off your iPhone or iPad; the second is iOS devices' lack of expandable storage.

Easy to use; Plays back almost any media file; Clean and simple app

Bulky; No USB 3.0; Apple's ecosystem limits what the iXpand can actually back-up

The SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive is ten times expensive than other regular OTGs available in the market and the transfer speed is also not much higher, yet it offers more storage space.

Easy to operate; nice app

Limited file transfer; awkward to handle an iPhone or iPad when plugged in

The idea behind the SanDisk iXpand Flash drive is simple. Essentially a USB thumb drive that's equipped with a Lightning connector, it's all you need for an excellent storage expansion for your iPad (or iPhone).

The SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive instantly adds up to 128GB of storage space and it can work as a USB thumbdrive; Its iXpand Sync mobile app works very well both for media playback and content backup

The drive can't hold files larger than 4GB and only supports USB 2.0

SanDisk's iXpand Flash drive delivers what it promises to. Priced close to Rs.3990 for a 16GB variant, you will definitely find cheaper options available in the market if you can compromise on the looks and the multi-feature application.

Slim and pocketable design; Directly record and play content from the drive; Easy transfer with automatic backup

Large files cannot be transfered due to file format restriction

In just a few months after releasing the first generation iXpand, SanDisk were able to take head of reviewer and customer feedback from around the world, and create something that is more in tune with something available in 2016.

I was always losing photos when trying to email them to keep on laptop from iPad. This gadget easily transfers all videos and photos leaving free space on ipad

SanDisk's iXpand flash drive brings additional storage to your Apple iOS device, but is the performance it offers enough?

My wife and I recently returned from our honeymoon in the American Southwest. We toured the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Lake Powell and the Hoover Dam over the course of nine wonderful days.

They might have become a rage all over the world, but iOS devices - whether it is the iconic iPhone, iPad or iPod touch - have had an Achilles Heel: that of non-expandable storage.