Best USB sticks in 2020

Every year the rate of development of high technologies is increasing, in connection with which old technical devices are modernized and receive more powerful characteristics. Thus, new processors, video cards, video cameras, and household appliances regularly appear. In addition, the cultural scene is developing. Quality movies, software, video games, music, and so on are emerging. Flash cards were invented to store all this information. They allow not only to save a lot of information, but also to transfer it between devices.

The best USB sticks in 2020 are significantly different from those that were produced a few years ago. Today, these devices have good memory capacity, file transfer rates and the like. Most of the models look standard and are easy to operate. They are a small interface that can be installed in the corresponding port of a computer, TV, tablet and other devices.

In fact, the best USB sticks don't differ much from each other. The most significant indicator that differs and is quite important when choosing a device is the data reading speed, as well as the allowable volume. In addition, the reliability of the model plays an important role. To understand which USB flash drive is better, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with an independent rating, which includes the most popular and high-quality models.

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Popular manufacturers of USB sticks

First of all, it is worth noting companies whose main or secondary line of activity is the manufacture of the devices in question. Today, there are about 4 giants of this industry that are heard by everyone who has ever used a flash drive.

• Corsair;
• SanDisk;
• Kingston;
• Transcend.

Corsair is a fairly young organization based in the United States. It produces not only flash cards, but also gaming peripherals, as well as memory sticks for PCs. In the Russian market, flash drives from this company are not as popular as other devices of the company.

The next company is SanDisk. This corporation also operates in America and has about 1/3 of the entire flash drive market. This is a rather serious indicator that reflects not only the demand for products, but also their quality. SanDisk products sell well both in the US and Russia, and around the world.

The last popular flash card manufacturer to be considered in this ranking is Transcend. This is a Taiwanese company that makes various storage devices. These can be USB flash drives, drives with other interfaces, as well as external hard drives. Transcend's sales volumes are an order of magnitude lower than those of competitors, but the products are selling well in Russia.

Next in line is a brand named after the capital of Jamaica - Kingston. It is the oldest corporation on the list, which has been in business since 1987.The most demanded products of this manufacturer are flash cards and RAM modules, both for desktops and laptops. There is a world-famous brand of RAM gaming boards called HyperX. Few know that it belongs to Kingston.

Best USB 2.0 Flash Drive

The first step is to consider standard drives that use the classic 2.0 data transfer standard. It was developed back in 2000 and is still in demand on the market. It should be noted right away that 2.0 flash drives have a transfer rate that is significantly lower than version 3.0. It is 480 Mbit / s, that is, 60 MB / s. It should be borne in mind that these are the maximum numbers that this standard supports. In fact, they may be much smaller.

The main advantage of 2.0 drives is their low cost. Since there are more modern and productive devices on the market, the older options have faded into the background, and their price has justly decreased. Thus, if we consider 2 models of the same manufacturer with standards 2.0 and 3.0, it turns out that the cost of the first option is about 2 times lower than the second.

Thus, it is recommended to buy such devices only for those users who do not pay attention to the data transfer rate and are ready to wait for some time. They also want to save a lot of money on purchase and get an impressive amount of memory for a low price.

It should be borne in mind that when compiling the review, drives with the same amount of memory were considered, namely 16 GB.

Transcend Jetflash 600

The first thing to consider is Transcend's Jetflash 600. It is produced in China. The average cost is 1100 rubles. The device in question does not have any distinctive features that would make it possible to put it in the 1st place. The appearance of the flash drive is an ordinary black piece of plastic with a lid, with which problems constantly arise, since there is no reliable fastening on it and it constantly falls off.

There are no holes on the card itself that would allow storing the drive as a key fob on keys. However, in terms of technical characteristics, the product is all right. It boasts the fastest write speed of all the 2.0 standard models discussed in this article.

Pros:

• Data compression function to save memory;
• Reading speed - 32 MB / s;
• Write speed - up to 16 MB / s;
• You can set a password;
• A good selection of storage capacities ranging from 4GB to 128GB.

Minuses:

• Quite a high cost for this standard.

Sandisk cruzer fit

Next in line is a model from SanDisk called Cruzer FIT. It is manufactured in China, although the company is headquartered in the United States. The average price is 740 rubles. The main advantage of the product is its minimal dimensions. However, it should be borne in mind that such a compact flash drive can be easily lost. Therefore, it is recommended to buy it only if it will be constantly used. For example, for a turntable in a car.

The Cruzer FIT flash drive is very convenient in cars, since it cannot be accidentally touched and broken than the less compact version. The product protrudes only a few millimeters. In addition, it is recommended to use this device in netbooks and laptops, which have a small amount of internal hard disk memory.

Pros:

• Compact size;
• Reading speed - 28 Mb / s;
• Recording speed - 14 Mb / s;
• You can set a password;
• Backup function.

Minuses:

• Not found.

Kingston Datatraveler SE9

The most stylish flash drive manufactured by Kingston is next in line. It is called the Datatraveler SE9. The main feature of the product is its design appearance. However, its technical characteristics leave much to be desired. The data recording speed here is extremely low and makes you wait very long for the end of the procedure. The average cost of the model is 710 rubles, as in the previous case.

Pros:

• Low cost;
• Stylish metal body.

Minuses:

• Reading speed - 22 MB / s;
• Writing speed - 15 MB / s.

Best USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Now it's time to disassemble more modern models that support the 3.0 standard. Flash drives of this standard are more expensive than 2.0 models, but here the maximum speed can be 625 Mb / s. In comparison with the previous standard, this is an exorbitant figure. Naturally, this is only a theoretical description. In fact, the average storage speed is about 250 MB / s, which is also quite a lot.

It should be borne in mind that when compiling the review, drives with the same amount of memory were considered, namely 64 GB.

Corsair Flash Voyager GS

The first 3.0 flash drive worth taking apart is the Corsair Flash Voyager GS. Like other products of this company, it is made in China. However, the corporation itself is based in the United States. The average cost of such a device is about 4 thousand rubles. Due to such a high cost, the brand does not manage to take a significant part of the market with this product, since not all users can afford to overcome such a price tag.

Naturally, the cost corresponds to the quality and it is difficult to say that it is too high. The assembly of the device is made at the highest level from reliable parts. The performance itself and other technical characteristics are an order of magnitude higher than those of analogues. However, many users are not willing to pay that much to increase write speed by 20-30 percent.

Pros:

• Reliable metal case;
• Reading speed - 236 MB / s;
• Recording speed - 170 Mb / s.

Minuses:

• Too high cost;
• Quite large in size.

Transcend Jetflash 790

Another Transcend Jetflash model with the number 790 is next in line. Although it supports the 3.0 format, its cost is only 1000 rubles. This is 4 times less than the previous version. However, the performance is not much lower here. It is worth noting a rather interesting design solution. The lid is completely absent here, and the USB connector slides out of the case using a special slider.

If we consider the feedback from users who have already purchased this model, it becomes clear that the technical characteristics declared by the developers do not correspond to reality. Many users claim that the actual write speed is almost one and a half times slower than the declared one.

Pros:

• A wide range of volumes from 8 to 128 GB;
• The presence of a color indicator of data transfer on the surface of the flash drive.

Minuses:

• The speed indicator is extremely unstable.

Kingston Datatraveler R3.0 G2

Many users find the Kingston Datatraveler R3.0 G2 to be an excellent example of the ideal value for money. The production of this flash drive takes place in China, and the company itself is based in America. The average cost is approximately 1,300 rubles. The waterproof case is worth noting. It allows you to use the device even after dropping it into a glass of water.

If you are worried about the safety of information that will be stored on a USB flash drive, then you should pay attention to this model. It is one of the most reliable for 2020. As far as the data transfer rate is concerned, it is also pretty good. Moreover, the actual figure is even higher than that declared by the developers.

Pros:

• A wide range of volumes from 8 to 256 GB;
• Rubberized waterproof case;
• Reading speed - 140 MB / s;
• Recording speed - 45 Mb / s.

Minuses:

• Due to the waterproof case, the cooling system is not well thought out. As a result, the device may become very hot during prolonged use.

Best flash drive with faster read and write speeds

As mentioned in this article, one of the most important technical indicators of a USB stick is its speed. Namely, reading information and writing it. If you are looking for a device that can record files with an increased volume in a matter of minutes, then you should pay attention to the upgraded models. However, it should be borne in mind that their cost will be an order of magnitude higher than standard options.

SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1

We suggest considering a quality model from SanDisk called Extreme PRO USB 3.1. It should be noted immediately its cost, which is about 6 thousand rubles.The main focus of the product is maximum transmission speed without compromising other characteristics. The most demanded options are 128 and 256 GB. It makes no sense to buy a smaller volume, since it is aimed at real-time recording of large files.

As the practice of users shows, the declared characteristics fully correspond to the actual ones. This means that although the price of the product is extremely high, the user gets a really high-quality and effective product for this money.

The appearance of the model implies a metal body and no cover. The connector slides out using a special slider.

Pros:

• Reading speed - 420 MB / s;
• Recording speed - 380 Mb / s;
• You can set a password;
• Stylish body.

Minuses:

• Extremely high cost.

Hyperx savage

Another model with increased speed is the HyperX Savage. As in the previous case, the model is based on the USB 3.1 interface. The entire line is represented by 4 products, differing in memory capacity. 64 to 512 GB. In fact, you can purchase an external hard drive with the dimensions of a regular USB flash drive. At the same time, the cost, as for the SanDisk Extreme PRO, is 6 thousand rubles.

In addition to the large amount of data, a high data transfer rate is realized here. It is slightly lower than that of the previous version, but it is also quite impressive. It should be noted that the write speed directly depends on the capacity of the flash drive. That is, for 64 GB it is 180 MB / s, and for 512 GB it is 250 MB / s. The reading speed does not change.

It is worth noting the stylish design of the flash drive. Like all other products from HyperX, the flash drive has a unique look. The body itself is made in black, but it has a large red “X” on it. Moreover, it was applied not as a drawing, but as a separate plastic. More details can be seen in the image.

Pros:

• Write speed - from 180 to 250 MB / s;
• Reading speed - 350 MB / s;
• Stylish design;
• Memory capacity from 64 to 512 GB.

Minuses:

• The cost is too high.

Best High-Capacity Flash Drive

The second most important technical indicator of any flash drive is the total amount of memory. For some, this characteristic is the most important. Such users should pay attention to models with increased capacity. They are extremely expensive, but the client receives the highest quality and most reliable product.

Patriot Memory SuperSonic Magnum 2 512 GB

First, let's take a look at a little-known manufacturer from China. We are talking about the Patriot Memory SuperSonic Magnum 2 model, which costs 17 thousand rubles. For this money, the user gets a unique product, the memory capacity of which is 512 GB, and the data transfer speed reaches 300 MB / s. Having paid such a serious amount, the client should receive the most reliable and productive product. Which exactly matches this flash drive.

Some users who decided to check the veracity of the developers' statements have done some research. They set up a comprehensive test for the drive to check the quality and performance. Fortunately, the outcome was positive. No deviations from the manufacturer's claims were found.

Oddly enough, in the Russian market this flash drive has a minimum of demand. Domestic users are not yet ready to buy such an expensive product, even considering its excellent characteristics. However, it should be borne in mind that this is not a simple flash drive, but a specific narrowly focused product, which also has a high price. Therefore, not all users need such a product.

Pros:

• Reading speed - 300 MB / s;
• Recording speed - 400 Mb / s;
• Memory capacity 512 GB.

Minuses:

• High price.

Kingston Datatraveler Ultimate GT 1 TB

At the end of the article, we suggest considering a device that only a few users decide to purchase. We are talking about the Kingston Datatraveler Ultimate GT model with a capacity of 1 terabyte. Its cost is 60 thousand rubles. This is the largest flash drive in 2020. It will not be possible to find an even larger volume. Thus, the user can buy an external hard drive the size of a USB flash drive. However, it will come at a huge cost.

It is noteworthy that Kingston has already announced that an upgraded 2 terabyte version of this model will appear in the near future. Naturally, such a flash drive can be useful to those people whose work is connected with processing a huge amount of information that cannot be accommodated on one hard drive.

Pros:

• Reading speed 300 MB / s;
• Writing speed 200 Mb / s;
• Memory capacity 1-2 TB;
• Stylish design.

Minuses:

• Colossal cost.

Best USB stick in 2020 by different characteristics

It is impossible to definitely name the best USB stick and recommend buying it. Each product has its own disadvantages and advantages. Therefore, you need to build on your needs, choosing quality products. We recommend that you read the following tips to help you choose.

• The most popular in Russia is SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1;
• The most compact - SanDisk Cruzer Fit;
• Best value for money - Transcend Jetflash 790;
• The highest speed among budget models - Transcend Jetflash 600;
• Best Design - Kingston DataTraveler SE9;
• The most reliable is the Corsair Flash Voyager GS;
• The most stable is HyperX Savage;
• Largest memory capacity - Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate GT 1TB.