For now, SanDisk is claiming the crown for the smallest USB 3.0 drive with 128GB of storage.
The Ultra Fit USB 3.0 is shorter than a dime and narrower than a penny, and now supports capacities up to 128GB. While tiny flash drives like this aren’t new, they tend to top out at 64GB of storage. SanDisk has managed to double the capacity, while offering USB 3.0 transfer speeds of up to 130 megabytes per second.
If you need more storage, SanDisk’s Ultra USB 3.0 drive now stores up to 256GB, though it comes in a more standard thumb size. This capacity is a first for SanDisk, though other storage makers such as PNY have beaten SanDisk to the punch. The new drive touts transfer speeds of up to 100 megabytes per second.
Both drives support SanDisk’s SecureAccess software for creating password-protected folders with 128-bit AES encryption. They also include a year’s subscription to RescuePro, which can help recover corrupted or accidentally deleted files.
Neither drive comes cheap, however, with suggested prices of $120 for the 128GB Ultra Fit, and $200 for the 256GB Ultra. They should both be available soon through SanDisk’s website and through online retailers, where they’ll hopefully get some discounts before too long.
Why this matters: Higher capacities from major storage makers are always good news, even if you can’t fathom packing so much data onto a thumb drive. The new options are sure to drive prices down through the rest of the line, as we’re already seeing SanDisk’s 64GB Ultra Fit sell for just $27.50 on Amazon.