64 GB

You'll find 64 GB USB flash drives here from SanDisk, Kingston, Lexar and Verbatim. They hold around 90 hours of CD-quality audio, a backup of your phone photos or studio projects you need to transfer to another computer. Most models have a standard USB-A connector, some have USB-C for a phone or newer laptop, and the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe, Ultra Dual GO and Kingston DataTraveler microDuo 3C ranges have both connectors on one drive. The drives also differ in speed and plastic or metal casing, while the Lexar JumpDrive Fingerprint F35pro unlocks with your fingerprint.

How much space does a 64 GB flash drive really have?

Your computer will show around 57 to 58 GB on a 64 GB drive. The manufacturer counts a gigabyte as one billion bytes, Windows divides by 1,024, and the file system takes up some space too. For audio work, that still means around 90 hours of WAV 16 bit / 44.1 kHz recordings or more than 400 hours of MP3 at 320 kb/s.

You can only save files larger than 4 GB, such as a video or a backup of an entire project, to a drive formatted as exFAT or NTFS. FAT32 will not accept a file that large, although older car stereos and TVs often read FAT32.

Is there a difference between USB 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2?

USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.2 Gen 1 are the same 5 Gbit/s interface, which the USB-IF organisation has renamed several times. The memory inside the drive determines its actual speed, so look at the figure in MB/s. USB 2.0 drives, such as the SanDisk Cruzer Blade, read at around 24 MB/s and are enough for documents or music in the car, while USB 3.2 models read at 80 to 300 MB/s.

When copying to a drive, write speed is what matters, and it is usually lower than the read speed shown on the packaging. The Kingston DataTraveler SE9 G3 reads at 220 MB/s and writes at 100 MB/s; the Verbatim Store 'n' Go reads at 80 MB/s and writes at 25 MB/s. If you often move large projects, compare write speeds in the specifications too.

Which connector and casing should you choose?

• USB-A fits a regular computer, car stereo, TV or DJ player.
• USB-C is found on the Verbatim Plectra, SanDisk Phone Drive and SanDisk Extreme Fit, which suit a phone, tablet or newer laptop.
• USB-A and USB-C on one drive let you transfer files between a phone and computer without an adapter.
• A metal casing is found on the Kingston DataTraveler Micro and SE9 G3 and the SanDisk Ultra Luxe; these cope better with being carried on a keyring.

The small SanDisk Ultra Fit and Extreme Fit drives can stay plugged into a laptop or car stereo. If you need more space, see the 128 GB page; you'll find all capacities in the USB Flash Drives category.