
Looking for the best USB 3.0 flash drive on the planet, are you? We positively hope that your search ends here. The most rugged and speediest USB drives have been chosen for your perusal that can effectively manage your data.
Modern digital nomads must carry their data storage devices wherever they traverse. When the cloud is unreliable (thanks to a mercurial ISP) and you’ve to juggle data between multiple personal computers, flash drives are a Godsend. Only the ones who have been at the mercy of early storage devices like floppy disks can truly appreciate the convenience that a USB NAND flash drive offers. The high storage capacity, plug and play facility and nifty portability of the drives have made them an indispensable addition to everyone’s digital arsenal. Weighing less than 15 gm on an average, physically smaller than a floppy or optical disk, these drives can store from 1 GB to 128 GB of data currently and transfer it across devices at blazing speeds with the newly upgraded USB 3.0 technology. In fact, with rising storage capacities, the drives are now supplanting traditional magnetic drives to a large extent in their SSD (Solid State Drive) avatar. In what follows, you will find the best USB flash drives that outdo all competition.
Top 5 USB Flash Drives
When buying a flash drive, the most important features to look out for would be storage capacity, USB 3.0/USB 2.0 connectivity, read/write speed, security features like encryption, shock or water resistance and cost-effectiveness. ‘More is always better‘ is the maxim that should guide your choice. The fact that going for USB 3.0 would be a smart choice is a no-brainer, as it offers far superior data transfer speeds compared to its predecessor – USB 2.0 technology. With a USB 3.0 device connected to a compatible host computer, a 4 GB DVD movie can be copied to a hard drive in a matter of less than 2 minutes. Select a drive that offers you the best tradeoff between storage capacity and cost. Here are speediest, lightest and most voluminous flash drives in the market today.
LaCie XtremKey USB 3.0
Designed to be a mini impregnable data fortress, the Lacie XtremKey is water resistant (up to 200 meter), with an almost uncrackable AES 256-bit encryption. It can withstand fire exposure (for about 30 seconds), cold temperatures up to -30°C (for 24 hours!), mechanical pressure up to 10 tons and an acceleration up to 5G! It is the superhero equivalent among flash drives with a top data transfer speed of 230 MB/s. It also comes with a one year secure cloud storage subscription from Wuala, with matching storage volume. Here’s a listing of its most important specifications along with its associated cost.
Specification | Value/Type |
Storage Capacity | 32 GB/64 GB |
Interface Type | USB 3.0 |
Data Transfer Speed | 230 MB/s |
Warranty | 3 Year Limited |
Cost | $84.99 (32 GB) / $139.99 (64 GB) |
Transcend JetFlash 780
The JetFlash 780 with USB 3.0 connectivity is guaranteed to provide you with a ‘Transcendental’ data storage experience. With reading speed of 210 Mbyte/s and writing speeds touching 140 Mbyte/s, this drive will save you time. With 64 GB data capacity offered at a price tag around $65, with those kind of data transfer speeds, you’ve surely got yourself a good deal here. Here is the spec story:
Specification | Value/Type |
Storage Capacity | 8 GB / 16 GB / 32 GB / 64 GB |
Interface Type | USB 3.0 |
Data Transfer Speed | 8 GB: 100 MByte/s (R)/20 MB/s (W) 16 GB: 140 MB/s (R), 40 MB/s (W) 32 GB: 210 MB/s (R), 75 MB/s (W) 64 GB: 210 MB/s (R), 140 MB/s (W) |
Warranty | Lifetime (Limited) |
Cost | $21.9 (8 GB)/ $46.53 (16 GB)/ $35.75 (32 GB)/ $65.95 (64 GB) |
Kingston Digital DataTraveler HyperX 3.0
The ideal choice for a power user looking for greater storage volume and blazing fast data read and write speeds, the DataTraveler HyperX (aptly named) is built for high-end performance. A reading speed of 225 MB/s, enabled by an eight channel controller, justifies the $80.98 price tag. If you have a lot of data baggage to carry around, this is what you are looking for.
Specification | Value/Type |
Storage Capacity | 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB |
Interface Type | USB 3.0 |
Data Transfer Speed | 225MB/s (R) 135MB/s (W) 30MB/s (For USB 2.0) |
Warranty | 5 Years |
Cost | $80.98 (64 GB) $179.98 (128 GB) $471.79 (256 GB) |
Edge DiskGO SuperSpeed 3.0
The most cost-effective among the whole lot, Edge DiskGO has decent reading (47MB/s to 70MB/s) and writing speed (30 MB/s to 40 MB/s), with 128-bit AES encryption. The price tag ranging from upwards of $28 makes it an attractive proposition.
Specification | Value/Type |
Storage Capacity | 8GB/16GB/32GB |
Interface Type | USB 3.0 |
Data Transfer Speed | 8 GB: 47 MB/s (R)/35 MB/s (W) 16 GB: 67 MB/s (R)/30 MB/s(W) 32GB: 70MB/s (R)/40MB/s (W) |
Warranty | Limited Lifetime |
Cost | $28.04 (32 GB) / $48.03 (64 GB) |
Corsair Flash Voyager
The workhorse Corsair Flash Voyager drive offers top class performance at a substantially lesser price. Besides offering data transfer speeds in the 120 MB/s bracket, these are waterproof drives offering up to 128 GB of storage space.
Specification | Value/Type |
Storage Capacity | 8 GB/16 GB / 32 GB /64 GB |
Interface Type | USB 3.0 |
Data Transfer Speed | 8 GB: 65 MB/s (R) /12 MB/s (W) 16 GB: 75 MB/s (R) / 18 MB/s (W) 32 GB: 80 MB/s (R) / 40 MB/s (W) 64 GB: 85 MB/s (R) / 70 MB/s (W) 128 GB: 220 MB/s (R)/ 130 MB/s (W) |
Warranty | 5 Years |
Cost | $19.99 (8 GB)/ $25.47 (16 GB) / $42.99 (32 GB)/ $71.99 (64 GB)/$132.99 (128 GB) |
Let speed and storage guide your quest for the best USB flash drive in the market. A superior electronic device may cost more now, but will pay itself off in the long run. Focus on the long term payoff, go for USB 3.0 drives with the most volume of data storage. Corsair, LaCie and Transcend are some of the most reliable brands to choose from.