The electronics industry has finally adopted the USB Type-C connector, at least in the mid-range and premium markets. For the first couple of years, it was pretty touch-and-go as far as which USB-C cables and accessories would work with various devices. Today, there’s a much higher level of interoperability between Type-C cables, peripherals, and smartphones, and the situation is only getting better.
There’s a long list of good reasons to invest in a quality USB-C flash drive. Whether your phone’s internal storage is full and you want to keep your entire music collection on hand, you need to transfer files without accessing the internet, or you want to share photos on a smart TV, a reliable and fast USB-C thumb drive can help.
In real-world testing, the DataTraveler Max can legitimately reach speeds of nearly 1,000 MBps. While not all devices will be able to take advantage of such high speeds, this is undoubtedly one of the fastest thumb drives yet released. Furthermore, Kingston’s flash memory has an excellent reputation for reliability and one of the lowest failure rates of any manufacturer. Granted, even the lowest-capacity 265-gigabyte model isn’t cheap, and the 1-terabyte version is downright expensive.
Nonetheless, if peak performance is your goal, there’s no better option. With that said, it’s not perfect. The plastic body doesn’t have a premium feel and does flex a bit when squeezed. Plus, this is also one of the largest thumb drives out there. If you’re willing to overlook those issues (which don’t affect performance or reliability), this is an all-around winner.
Kingston DataTraveler Max
Roughly the size of a AAA battery, the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go is a versatile and highly portable option that offers plenty of bang for your buck. The Type-A and Type-C ports make transferring files between your smartphone and PC a breeze. It has a sturdy loop for attaching to a lanyard or keychain at the end of the swiveling plug protector. Also, in terms of capacity for the dollar, this one is tough to beat. As a bonus, it’s available in a few fun colors aside from boring black.
Of course, if you’re aiming for cost-effectiveness, you might have to make some compromises. The Dual Drive Go isn’t as fast as much of the competition, although it is every bit as reliable. For that matter, SanDisk is famous for its flash drives, which have been known to last for years of regular use. It does get hot to the touch, especially when writing large files from a PC, but that’s pretty much par for the course with flash drives this small.
SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go
If you’ve ever had the misfortune of a USB-C storage device or cable simply not working with your USB-C smartphone, you’ll appreciate the dependability of the PNY Duo Link. It’s explicitly advertised as supporting the USB On-The-Go standard, which indicates that it works swimmingly with most Android devices, including many tablets. For what it’s worth, it comes pre-configured in the FAT32 format you’ll need for smartphone use. Plus, it’s about as small and lightweight as they come.
Its sliding mechanism lets you choose between the Type-A and Type-C connectors and protects both when not in use. Unfortunately, though, it’s not without its drawbacks, and the knocks against it are purely physical. While it’s small enough to barely notice in your pocket, it is a bit wide. Plus, it can potentially block adjacent ports on crowded laptops.
Additionally, the USB-C connector isn’t long enough to poke through some bulky cases to reach the port. But if you’re getting it primarily for extra smartphone storage and have a slim case or none at all, the Duo Link is a good choice that you can be confident will work with your device.
Convenience is probably the biggest selling point of USB-C, and they don’t get much more convenient than the Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go. You simply won’t find any Type-C flash drives more compact. It has a single cap that is removable but also secured by a tiny lanyard with a metal connector on the end. After all, the best products are the ones you’ll actually use, and if you can tote this little guy around on your keychain all day. Then you’re sure to have it when you need it.
Unfortunately, it has some pitfalls, which are partly related to its small size. As most micro flash drives do, it tends to get very hot, and it’s limited to USB 3.0 speeds. But it also doesn’t cost very much and comes from a dependable manufacturer. So while it’s not ideal for transferring large files regularly between phone and PC, it’s a worthwhile choice if your demands aren’t too high.
Electronics are sensitive. A bent connector or smashed body can mean the difference between accessible data and lost archives. This PNY Elite flash drive doesn’t have a cap per se, but instead a sliding shield that extends to protect the Type-C connector when not in use. Plus, its form factor and materials, while plastic, are essentially impossible to damage unless you’re really trying. Not only is it physically resilient, but it also comes in sizes up to 512 GB at surprisingly reasonable prices.
While it’s not as compact as a micro thumb drive, it is shorter than a full-size model and, therefore, considerably less awkward to use in a phone. However, if you’re focused on blazing-fast read and write speeds, consider a different option, as this one doesn’t top the charts in real-world benchmarks. In fact, on the off chance you need to use it with a MacBook, it’s even slower, according to several MacBook owners. It’s also a bit wide and might block ports on certain laptops, including the MacBook.
It’s no secret that Samsung makes premium memory products, so it’s no surprise that one of its high-performing flash drives is on our list. In user benchmarks, the Duo Plus gets better scores than a majority of competitors and sports both Type-A and Type-C connectors for sharing files between devices. You won’t have to worry about shock damage either, as it’s remarkably durable and resistant to damage from high operating or storage temperatures. In fact, this excellent flash drive would be closer to the top of the list if it weren’t for the somewhat troublesome design.
Having one removable cap is bad enough, as it’s frighteningly easy to lose. The Duo Plus has not only a removable cap, but also a detachable Type-C adapter. Yes, there is a lanyard loop that you could theoretically use to keep the cap on, but having three separate pieces is a bit of a design flaw. Nonetheless, we trust Samsung products as far as their functionality goes, and this one performs remarkably well (as long as you hold onto the whole thing).
The zinc-alloy body of the Lexar JumpDrive helps protect the unit from physical damage and also serves to pull some heat away from the internals, which contributes to its performance and longevity. It also looks nicer than a boxy thumb drive made from black plastic. Lexar assures us that it’s USB OTG compatible, which is good news for many smartphone owners. On top of that, the 128-gigabyte model is an excellent deal, offering more space for the money than nearly any other.
There is one thing that rubs us the wrong way, though. The letters and numbers “USB 3.2” are printed right there on the body in plain sight, but according to hawk-eyed observers, it’s functionally identical to Lexar’s previous USB 3.1 and 3.0 models. That’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s unfortunate that a normally reliable manufacturer is misusing buzzwords for marketing purposes. Luckily, it doesn’t affect performance, but don’t expect it to beat the rest in a head-to-head race.
A combination of a metal body with just a bit of high-grip texture makes it easy to slide the Type-A and C connectors out of the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive body when you’re ready to use it. Once plugged in, you’ll find above-average read speeds in the neighborhood of 150 MBps with supported devices. It’s pre-formatted to work perfectly with Android devices and is available with up to a quarter-terabyte of storage space.
The only words of caution we have are that the write speed is considerably lower than the read speed, and writing multiple large files may well cause it to get remarkably hot and bog down. Either way, it shouldn’t dip below 20 MBps for any significant length of time.
It’s not exactly what you’d call a thumb drive; actually, the Kingston XS2000 is an external NVMe solid-state drive. We’ve highlighted it as a top USB-C flash drive for a few reasons. First, it is technically a drive that uses flash memory. Second, it’s hardly any bigger than other models, most notably Kingston’s ultra-premium DataTraveler Max. Finally and most importantly, it offers capacities up to 2 TB at relatively reasonable prices. So if you need that kind of storage space for large files or collections, the XS2000 can deliver at a reasonable cost per gigabyte.
It’s a good alternative to a traditional thumb drive, but be aware it is slightly larger than most of those. Also, you’ll need to remember to carry your USB-C cable with you, or you won’t be able to use it. It comes with a short cable in the box, but it’s not a bad idea to pick up a premium Type-C cable to go along with it.
What exactly is USB-C?
It’s a little-known fact that the USB Implementers Forum is actually a shadow cabal of global leaders hell-bent on ensuring that nobody truly understands which USB standards are capable of which speeds. That’s why we have protocols like USB Gen 2 2×2, which used to be called simply USB 3.2, but was renamed to be sufficiently confusing to the average consumer.
At least, that’s what it seems like sometimes.
To clear up any confusion, USB Type-C refers to the USB-C connector, and that’s it. USB 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 Gen 2, plus 3.2 Gen 1×2, 2×1, and 2×2 (yes, sadly, those are all real designations) all refer to the speeds the bus can transmit. The USB-C plug fully supports all previous versions of the USB standards, but it doesn’t guarantee that a USB-C-enabled device is capable of 3.1 or even 3.0 speeds.
So what does that mean in terms of smartphones and tablets? Not a ton, actually. Many modern smartphones are equipped with USB-C ports but are still limited to USB 3.0 speeds. If your phone is one of those, consider whether it’s worth investing in a high-performing USB 3.1 flash drive.
PC file transfer: the reason to get a high-speed flash drive
If you frequently transfer files from your PC to your smartphone, opting for faster standards might help. When plugged into a PC, the average good-quality thumb drive can read and write at roughly 90-120 Mbps and 20-50 Mbps, respectively. Those numbers go down if you’re copying many small files or if the device gets extremely hot, at which point it may throttle to keep from overheating.
If you’re the proud owner of a high-end smartphone, a premium flash drive such as the Samsung Duo Plus or blazing-fast Kingston DataTraveler Max can quickly make file transfer. The top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra flagship, for example, boasts 10 gigabits of throughput over its USB 3.2 Gen 1 port.
All this is to say that a manufacturer’s claims of maximum speeds should be taken with a grain of salt. The speeds you actually get depend heavily on the hardware and software in your smartphone or tablet. Ultimately, it’s worth checking out PC benchmarks when comparing which drives are fastest in the real world, as testing on a PC removes potential bottlenecks such as low-speed USB ports on smartphones.
One final note on PC-to-smartphone file transfer: for the sake of convenience, consider one of the multiple 2-in-1 flash drives we’ve highlighted. The USB-C connector is more robust than the obsolete micro-USB but a bit less sturdy than the full-size USB-A connector. Not only is it more stable, but many laptops only have a single USB-C port, and most desktops don’t have any. If you plan on transferring files from your desktop to your phone, a combo flash drive is a must-have.
A note on counterfeits
Because some online retailers group their internal and third-party stock, it’s entirely possible to get a fake flash drive from a supposedly reputable seller. MicroSD cards are even worse for this. It’s impossible to prevent when buying from some websites, but it’s also a known issue. If you find yourself with a flash drive that comes nowhere near the claimed specifications or is clearly a counterfeit knock-off, you shouldn’t have any problem getting the retailer to replace it.
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