Photo: Simon Hill
Other flash drives we like
We have tested many USB flash drives that have not been upgraded. For some, this is something worth considering.
PNY Pro Elite V2 (256 GB) for $35: This sliding drive has a plastic cover to protect the USB-A plug and is our compact choice. It performed well in my tests (read and write speed hovering at 415 Mb/s and 425 Mb/s) and opened an opening for the lanyard or key ring. I tested the 256-GB drive, but there are 512-GB and 1 correct models.
Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive GO (128 GB) for $16: This convenient drive can give you USB-C or USB-A and comes in various sizes and some interesting colors, but the lower capacity drive is slow (USB 3.1). You can get a 128 GB drive in USB 3.2 Gen 1, with up to 400 MB/s read, and is a reliable alternative to the PNY Duo above.
PNY Elite-X (256 GB) for $22: This super compact sliding drive has a USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 Jack with a loop at the end to fit the keychain. It works fine, but it proved not obvious in my tests (approximately 200 mb/s read, write 130 mb/s write).
Kingston Iron Keyboard 200 (16 GB) for $100: If you need a secure drive, Ironkey in Kingston has FIPS 140-3 certification, XTS-AES 256-bit encryption and special epoxy on the circuit to make it impossible to remove components. The downside is that it is expensive, the keyboard is considerate, and 10 wrong entries wiped the drive.
Samsung Fit Plus (256 GB) for $23: It looks better than our best small drive draft, with metal body and performance (up to 400 Mb/s) reads 128-GB or 256-GB drives). But Samsung’s drive is also much bigger and more expensive, although it does have a convenient keychain loop.
Avoid using these flash drives
Photo: Simon Hill
Silicon Power DS72 Portable SSD (1 TB): For a 1 TB drive, using a USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB-A and USB-C connectors, which is a reasonable price and always hits a 450 Mb/s read and write speed in my tests (it can reach 1050 MB/s and 850 MB/s with the correct gear). It’s warm to touch, but the reason I don’t recommend this drive is the stupid plastic connector cover. You have to bend them back and they get stuck when you try to plug in the drive.
Word-by-word two (64 GB): This small drive is cheap and has USB-A and USB-C plugs, but I found the write speeds to be variable (USB-C 60 MB/s, USB-A’s 90 Mb/s) and the read speeds are both around 150 MB/s. The USB-A has a lid that you can attach a Wee strap, but this drive is almost too small and it turns out it can be plugged in and removed. It also has 16 or 32 gigabyte options.
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