USB flash drives

How to choose a USB flash drive

A flash drive is the simplest way to carry files or copy a film for the TV, but the cheapest one is not always a sensible buy. Think about where you will plug it in and how large the files are — that decides the capacity and the interface.

• Capacity. 32–64 GB covers documents and photos, 128–256 GB is comfortable for video and backups, 512 GB – 1 TB already replaces an external drive.
• Interface and speed. A USB 2.0 stick reads at 20–30 MB/s in practice, USB 3.2 Gen 1 (also called USB 3.1) at 100–200 MB/s, the best at up to 400 MB/s. Writing is usually 2–4 times slower than the advertised read speed — filter by read speed on the left.
• Connector. USB-A suits computers, TVs and cars, USB-C newer laptops and phones. A dual-connector stick (USB-A + USB-C) works in both; the iPhone gets a Lightning version.
• Body. Metal survives a keyring better than plastic; a cap protects the contacts.
• Security. For work and personal data there are hardware-encrypted drives that will not open without a PIN or password.

USB flash drives in our range

The core of the range is USB 3.2 sticks with a USB-A connector of 16–512 GB: Kingston DataTraveler Kyson (up to 200 MB/s) and SE9 G3, SanDisk Z73, ADATA UV128 and UR340, MediaRange MR916–MR1904. USB-C sticks for a laptop or Android phone are Samsung 256 and 512 GB, SanDisk Extreme Fit 1 TB, Kingston DataTraveler 70 and the metal-bodied MediaRange MR1952. The dual-connector Kingston DataTraveler Duo 3C (128 and 256 GB) fits an old computer and a new phone alike, while SanDisk iXpand with a Lightning connector is for iPhone and iPad. The tiny Kingston DataTraveler Micro stays in the port for good, and the encrypted Kingston IKKP200C and IKLP50 protect sensitive data. At the budget end are USB 2.0 sticks of 4–128 GB (Intenso, MediaRange, SanDisk Cruzer) for documents and music.

Brands

Kingston is the widest brand in the range: DataTraveler covers every connector and capacity, and its encrypted drives are the business standard. SanDisk offers the largest capacity (1 TB) and the only Lightning stick. Samsung USB-C sticks are fast and compact, ADATA and MediaRange give a good price-to-capacity ratio — 128 GB for a couple of tens of euros. Intenso covers the budget USB 2.0 end, while Dahua and Transcend are represented by single models.

Compatibility and delivery

A USB 3.2 stick works in a USB 2.0 port too, just more slowly. Many TVs read only FAT32, which cannot store a file over 4 GB — format the stick as exFAT for large videos. As a small item, a stick ships to an Omniva, DPD or Venipak parcel locker within 1–2 working days.

Related products

For a camera or phone, see memory cards and card readers. If you need hundreds of gigabytes, external SSDs are several times faster than a stick, and external hard drives suit an archive. The full selection is in memory and storage.

Frequently asked questions

Flash drive or external SSD? Up to 256 GB and for occasional copying, a stick is enough; for moving tens of gigabytes daily, an external SSD is 3–5 times faster.

Why does the stick show less space than the packaging says? Manufacturers count gigabytes in decimal, the computer in binary, so a 128 GB stick shows about 119 GB.

Does a USB-C stick work with a phone? Yes, if the phone has a USB-C port and OTG support (newer Androids do). iPhone 15 and later use USB-C too; older ones need the Lightning iXpand.

How long does a flash drive keep data? A quality stick holds data unpowered for about 10 years, but never keep the only copy of a file on it.

Can I pull the stick out without ejecting it? Not while it is writing, or the file will be incomplete. Use “Safely remove” or wait until the light stops flashing.