How to choose the right flash drive

USB flash drives (also called thumb drives) are very convenient for backing up or physically transferring files and many other purposes. But which one should you buy? It depends on why you need it. Here, we look at the types of flash drives available and the factors you should consider when buying flash drives.

1.USB storage capacity

The capacity of USB flash drives ranges from under 1 GB to over 1 TB. There is no “correct” size for flash drives; the amount of storage you need depends on the amount of data you want to store. For example, if you want to grab some Word or Excel files from a computer, a 1 GB flash drive may provide you with enough capacity. However, if you plan to back up all files, you may need a few GB to 500 GB or more.

If you want to store all the images and videos in your phone, please go to the phone settings and check how much space your media files take up. It can range from 1 GB to dozens of GB. Whatever it is, this is the minimum amount of storage you need, considering that you may add more files in the future. You can use the same method for other types of files, such as MP4. Remember to consider what types of files you might want to store on the same drive.

The price of a flash drive is directly related to its size; as the size increases, so does the price. See this list of the best USB flash drives for some quick price comparisons.

2.USB transfer speed

Another factor to consider when buying a flash drive is the transfer speed. There are two types of USB flash drives: USB 2.0 (the older standard) and USB 3.0 (the newer standard). The transfer speed of USB 2.0 is 480 Mbps, and that of USB 3.0 is 4,800 Mbps or 4.5 Gbps. This means that the speed of USB 3.0 is approximately ten times that of USB 2.0.