Sandisk has folded WD Blue and WD Black into a single Sandisk Optimus SSD family, split across three tiers for creators, gamers, and pros.
Sandisk announced the Sandisk Optimus family at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, replacing the WD Blue and WD Black brands with Optimus, Optimus GX, and Optimus GX PRO lines, each aimed at a clear user group.
This should make shopping much less of a headache, and that’s a win for PC builders everywhere.
For instance, Optimus targets content creators who want a sensible balance of speed and cost. Optimus GX targets gamers chasing quick load times and efficiency. Lastly, Optimus GX PRO targets developers, AI builders, and workstation users who need top throughput and larger capacities.
New branding rarely changes everything, so performance gains depend on the actual hardware inside, not the badge. Still, refreshed packaging and clearer messaging help people choose without squinting at model numbers, which we appreciate.
Sandisk says the rebranded drives will appear at select retailers in H1 2026; we’ll test samples as they arrive to confirm real-world gains versus the old WD models.
Currently, the company is planning a phased rollout. We expect existing warranties, firmware support, and NVMe compatibility to carry over, which should reassure buyers who worry about legacy support.
Retailers will likely list legacy WD model numbers alongside new Optimus SKUs during the transition, so shoppers can spot genuine upgrades versus rebadges.
Meanwhile, anyone building a new PC or upgrading should keep an eye on the upcoming benchmarks and pricing, because that’s really where the rubber meets the road.
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