Instead of lugging around a heavy storage drive, it’d be so much easier to carry hundreds of gigabytes on your keychain. When we say hundreds, we mean four times the memory space on your laptop! Better known as flash drive or memory stick, the small gizmo is familiar to us all, but not many of us know that these can connect to our smartphones, too, and hold a whopping one terabyte (1TB) or 1,000 gigabytes of data. According to Dropbox, that’s the equivalent to 250 movies, 250,000 pictures or 6.5 million document pages. It’s also plenty of space for entire libraries of games and music – all in one pen drive.
We picked out the best 1TB flash drives on Amazon to keep you from deleting what you need. If you become a Prime member, you can get your USB drive as soon as tomorrow.
1. Best Overall: SanDisk Ultra 1TB Dual Drive Luxe
Pros
- Transfer files between your phone and laptop
- Sleek body design
- Reads 150MB per second
Cons
- Heats up quickly
- Only works with smartphones that have Type-C USB port
- Reading and writing speeds may be slower than stated
SanDisk’s Ultra 1TB Dual Drive looks like your traditional 16GB memory stick, save for the dual ends. This memory stick comes with a Type-A USB that goes into laptops, and a Type-C USB on the other end that fits into most smartphones and tablets today. So if you tend to transfer files between devices often, with this pen drive it might just take a minute. The metal case even has a keyring loop so that the stick is always on you, whenever you need to free up space.
2. Best for Long-term Use: PNY Pro Elite
Pros
- Reads speeds of up to 400MB per second, writes up to 250MB per second
- Extremely durable
- Easily transfers 4K videos
Cons
- Expensive
- Only has Type-A USB
Reviewers find PNY’s 1TB flash drive speedy, sturdy and small. The compact memory stick works smoothly with big files (4K movies) and doesn’t heat up in the process, though it may just feel warm to touch. People prefer the durable metal body and comment on how long the PNY drive has been a part of their keychain – some reviewers have even crossed the 10-year mark with this one.
Bonus: Buy with 0 per cent installments and pay Dh50.92 for 12 months with select banks.
2. Best for Emergency Back-up: Flash Survivor Stealth
Pros
- Five-year manufacturer warranty
- Waterproof and shockproof casing
Cons
- Bulky cylindrical design
- Most expensive on the list
Not the prettiest pen drive to look at but Corsair’s Flash Survivor can survive your laundry days, if forgotten inside a pocket. The USB is encased in aircraft-grade aluminium and has a water seal as well as a shock-dampening collar – your data is going nowhere. Laptop users might find it difficult to plug it in on a flat surface, however. The drive’s cylindrical body can make usage awkward.
Bonus: Buy with 0 per cent installments and pay Dh62.48 for 12 months with select banks.
3. Best for File Recovery: SanDisk 1TB Extreme PRO USB
Pros
- Encrypt your files with SanDisk SecureAccess software
- Recover deleted files
- Smooth playback and fast read/write speeds
Cons
- Runs hot
- Actual capacity is 920 GB
We’ve all accidentally wiped out years of memories with the wrong click of a button. SanDisk’s Extreme PRO USB eliminates that anxiety because you get access to a recovery software. Then there is also the option of encrypting your confidential files with another SanDisk pre-installed program. Buyers are especially happy with how hundreds of movies are playable as soon as you plug it in, without lag, without any reading time.
Bonus: Buy with 0 per cent installments and pay Dh48.14 for 12 months with select banks.
4. Best for Smartphones and Type-C USB laptops: Kingston DataTraveler
Pros
- Can be used with Type-A ports with conversion plug
- Writes fast
Cons
- Some might find the design outdated
- Speeds may be slower than stated
Kingston’s DataTraveller is especially designed for devices that have Type-C ports – though if you have a Windows PC, for instance, an extension works just as well. Go for this to back up your smartphone data in one go. A reviewer reported a running time of 28 minutes for a 128 GB phone. Sliding the USB in and out can feel a little sticky.
Bonus: Buy with 0 per cent installments and pay Dh45.83 for 12 months with select banks.
5. Best Budget: Sttarluk USB Flash Drive
Pros
- Six colour options
- Three-in-one drive – Lightning, Type-A USB and micro USB
- Touch ID protection
- Least expensive on the list
Cons
- Slowest on the list
- Might be a risky investment
Without shelling out much, you can get a decent 1TB flash drive by Sttarluk, but it doesn’t transfer or read files as fast as you would like. Its multipurpose options for iPhone, Android phones and laptops definitely make it a convenient purchase. Do note that Type-C is not supported, however. You can protect the files you want using your fingerprint or a password, so that they’re inaccessible even if you lose the drive.
Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. If you decide to shop through links on our website, we may earn an affiliate commission, as we are part of Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.
