What’s more, a few USB flash drives now have clever dual-interface designs, allowing you to plug the same device into your Mac or PC (via a USB Type-A connector) and an iOS or Android device (using a Lightning or micro-USB/USB Type-C connector). This can be handy for transferring files between mobile and desktop/laptop platforms. The drive itself comes with USB 2.0 connectivity, which is on the older side. However, the SanDisk's 128-bit AES encryption and included SanDisk SecureAccess Software make this one of the best flash drives for the money. PNY's popular Turbo flash drive sports both a rugged design and ample storage, making it an ideal choice for someone who often travels and doesn't want to risk losing their data. SanDisk's Extreme Pro is one of its most capable USB devices, but be ready to spend some serious cash to get your hands on it. Disappointing review, didn't really focus on the durable all metal and worst of all, didn't show benchmarks. To the point, mainly I was looking for something with good performance, good meaning better than average (!!) while most of those are worse than average (!!) without spending as much as a Sandisk Extreme Pro costs.

The Rage 2 has readings speeds of 400MB/s and writing speeds of 300MB/s, which is significantly faster than the previous model (the Supersonic Rage XT has reading and writing speeds of 180MB/s and 50MB/s). This is the cheapest USB 3.0 drive on the market per GB. It comes with a two-year warranty as well as a capless/retractable cap design. PNY is another memory manufacturer turned player in the USB market. The PNY Turbo 256GB USB drive one of the best USB drives right now, featuring a capped design for protecting as well as read/write speeds of 80Mbps and 20Mbps respectively. As mentioned earlier in this guide, there are a number of different USB types and protocols that you need to be aware of before buying a USB drive. Key specs – Interface: USB Type-C with Type-A adapter; Storage capacities: 32GB; Claimed speeds: 200-300MB/sec read, write not stated; Extra features: NoneWhile the 1TB model will allow you to bring all of your most important files with you, Kingston also offers both a 256GB and a 512GB version. The USB-C port does limit compatibility with older devices but this USB flash drive will pair well with most modern Android smartphones. Since it has both USB-A and USB-C plugs — there's a slide to expose one or the other — the SanDisk Ultra USB-C offers a nicemix of fast data transfers and future-proofing, so you can be sure it'll work with a variety of devices going forward. We've compared these flash drives on various points, from their storage capacity and connectivity options to their read and write speeds and encryption features. We also assessed their portability, overall performance, and pricing, among other things. A cap on the connector keeps the drive safe from damage when it's not in use, and thanks to a loop at the end, you can connect the DataTraveler to a keychain to reduce your chances of losing it when you're walking around town.

Above 128GB, you might want to consider a SSD if you want ruggedness, portability, versatility and better performance without the cost. A flash drive is a tiny storage device that has no moving parts. Unlike external hard drives, these compact devices are better suited for short-term use and portability.When buying a USB flash drive, you’ll want to focus on storage first. If you have a large number of files, videos, or songs you want to carry around with you, getting a USB drive with at least 64GB is critical. Most USB flash drives go up to 256GB and a few now have 1TB versions. You can tell if a USB flash drive supports USB 3.0 or higher if its connector is colored blue. Most USB-C drives support USB 3.0 by default. USB 2.0 is sufficient for smaller capacities but not for bigger ones where write speeds can get sluggish. Larger flash drives (128GB or more) often come only with a USB 3.0 connector.