USB Flash Drives

USB flash drives are a portable, cost-effective solution to back-up your data or transfer files. They come in a wide array of designs, storage sizes, and data transfer speeds. With storage capacities that exceed 200GBs, these pocket size drives allow you the flexibility to transfer and exchange data from and to desktops, laptops, printers via any USB port. 

USB Drives Are a Cheap, Convenient Solution to Store Data

Unlike many external portable hard drives, USB drives are incredibly compact and lightweight. With them, you don't have to carry your laptop or tablet around when you need to access important files. These tiny pen-shaped devices work without the need to install any driver, so you'll be able to transfer files between two computers faster than ever before. Unlike cloud-based storage services, USB flash drives can work offline, providing more flexibility and data security. They're also available with multimedia card readers for expanded compatibility. Flash drives are typically inexpensive, starting from around $5.

Modern Flash Drives Come With Additional Security Features

Many USB drives have encryption features to protect your data just like hard drives. Some models protect all the files with a password, while others have two separate areas; one for password-protected files and one for freely-accessible files. Most password-protected flash drives can lock down or reformat themselves after a certain number of failed login attempts. 

USB Drives Come in Different Storage Sizes to Meet Everyone's Needs

Flash drive memory sticks come in standard storage sizes. Typically the larger the capacity, the higher the price. However, even very large USB drives are increasingly cheap. The most common storage sizes are 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB. There are also larger drives with capacities up to 1TB or 2TB. If you only need to store .docx or .pdf documents, a 2GB pen drive is more than enough. If you want to save music and videos then an 8GB or 16GB pen drive is a better choice for you. 

Not All USB Flash Memory Drives Have the Same Read-and-write Speed

USB 3.2 pen drives are the fastest on the market, and they can reach a speed of 2500MBps. There are USB 3.1 drives that are capable of writing and reading data at a speed of up to 1250MBps. USB 3.0 drives work at a maximum speed of 625MBps, while the ones with USB 2.0 work at up to 60MBps. These USB standards are backward compatible, so you can use a 3.2 pen drive with a 3.1 port and so on. Inevitably, you base the actual write and read speed on the port's USB standard. For example, if you use a USB 3.0 drive with a 2.0 port, the maximum speed allowed will be 60MBps. 

USB On-the-go (OTG) Flash Drives Work With Your Smartphone

USB OTG flash drives can work with your smartphone without the need for any additional piece of hardware. Most models have both a micro-USB and standard USB port, so they can transfer photos and videos from your phone to your computer. Many USB OTG drives can also work as portable chargers for your mobile device.