HDD and cloud competitors: TOP 5 available 128 GB flash drives

The line of Cruzer Blade USB drives from SanDisk is represented by five models of different volumes from 8 to 128 GB. All of them are offered with a 5-year manufacturer's warranty and have an attractive price.

The case of the SanDisk Cruzer Blade 128Gb is completely made of plastic, including the USB connector itself. It's an open type here and does not provide a cap.

The small dimensions of the drive, comparable to the size of AAA batteries, exclude blocking of adjacent slots when connected. There will also be no difficulties with storing and carrying the flash drive: it will require a minimum of space. In addition, the model is practically weightless, which minimizes the risk of damage in case of falls.

The contrasting red and black colours of the SanDisk Cruzer Blade 128Gb looks beautiful. The straight lines of the connector are complemented by a voluminous rounded base, and the existing bend provides a comfortable grip of the case with your fingers.

SanDisk Cruzer Blade 128Gb does not support the USB 3.0 standard, which causes relatively low speed parameters of operation. Data is read at values of about 25 MB/sec, and write — up to 15 MB/sec. At the same time, copying small files (up to 70 MB in size) to a USB flash drive is faster, and with large ones, the speed drops by 3-4 times (up to 4-5 MB / sec).

Initially, the model comes with a FAT32 file system: to work with files larger than 4 GB, you need to format it in NTFS or exFAT format.

You can recommend the SanDisk Cruzer Blade 128Gb USB drive to those who are looking for an affordable and roomy solution for storing numerous small files, for example, a home photo archive or favorite music tracks. But the procedure for copying big data (high-quality movies, modern games) will require a lot of time and patience.

The updated Cruzer Glide line with a volume of 128 GB, unlike its predecessor (SanDisk Cruzer Glide 128 GB Price from 378 up to 1 278 ₴) received support for the USB 3.0 standard, as well as an LED indication of connecting and reading/writing data. The flash drive is provided with a manufacturer's warranty of 60 months.

The SanDisk Cruzer Glide USB 3.0 128Gb drive is made in a red and black plastic case. There is a retractable USB connector, which on the one hand protects it from damage during storage /transportation, and on the other hand makes the cap unnecessary. Glossy inserts add to the attractiveness of the flash drive, however, they are quite branded and more susceptible to scratches on the background of a matte coating.

The slide-out key is red and the area next to it has an LED backlight. It is constantly lit when the drive is connected to a PC or laptop, and flashes while reading or writing data.

The disadvantage of the model can be considered the length of the case — in the open position it is more than 7 cm, but with a hidden opening, the flash drive completely hides even in the female palm.

As for the low-cost price segment, the SanDisk Cruzer Glide USB 3.0 128Gb is pretty fast. The manufacturer's stated parameters of 100 MB/sec for reading and 20 MB/sec for writing correspond to reality when interacting with ports that support the USB 3.0 standard. You can copy a movie about 4 GB in size to a USB flash drive in about 3.5 – 4 minutes, and from it in 60 seconds. A drop in the recording speed occurs when transferring numerous small files (photos, documents) or connecting the model to a USB 2.0 port.

According to the owners, the USB drive heats up significantly during operation, which can certainly be called a minus.

In general, USB Flash of the updated Cruzer Glide 128Gb series can be recommended for storing multimedia data. The model handles quite quickly with copying large files, which makes it quite an interesting choice in its price segment.

The older model of the DataTraveler 100 G3 series, produced by the world leader in the Flash memory market — Kingston, is a 128 GB drive. This is a plastic flash drive with a 5-year manufacturer's warranty.

The Kingston DataTraveler 100 G3 128Gb case has a matte surface. There is no cap for the USB connector, as the model is equipped with a sliding mechanism with automatic locking in the closed and open position. There is a lace loop on the back side.

The interesting form factor of the USB drive is complemented by very compact dimensions. Although the rather bulky width of the base (21 mm) may interfere with the connection of the second device to the neighboring port, which is worth considering for laptop owners.

It is possible to apply a pattern to the body of the flash drive within the framework of the corporate programme Co-Logo. This feature may be of interest to corporate customers who need flash drives with branding elements (the image of a corporate logo) and are planning to purchase from 100 or more drives.

Kingston DataTraveler 100 G3 128Gb complies with the specification of the third generation USB. Also, the flash drive provides backward compatibility with ports of the 2.0 standard. But the user will feel tangible advantages in speed only in terms of reading data — 100 MB / sec. Recording, according to the data on the package, occurs at 10 MB/sec, and in fact it often turns out to be 1.5 – 2.5 times slower.

With Kingston DataTraveler 100 G3 128Gb, you can quickly copy and play files, which is convenient, for example, when watching a movie from a USB stick on TV. But it will take more time to write data to a USB drive — from 1.5 to 3 minutes per 1 GB. If this moment is not critical, then the model deserves your attention.

The 128 GB flash drive of a successful American manufacturer is designed for data exchange between various devices of a modern user: computers and laptops, smartphones and tablets. In addition to the usual connector, the SanDisk Ultra Dual m3.0 128Gb provides an additional micro USB connector, which allows you to directly connect the drive to Android-based mobile devices with OTG technology.

To work with tablets and smartphones, you can install a proprietary Memory Zone application that simplifies data access, viewing and backup.

On one side of the SanDisk Ultra Dual m3.0 128Gb there is a USB connector, and on the other — a micro USB. A transparent plastic frame with a retractable mechanism unites them into a single whole. When one time is open, the other is hidden. This design made it possible to abandon the caps and made the USB flash drive as compact as possible (it is slightly larger than the USB adapter of a wireless mouse), but the question of protection from mechanical damage and contamination remains open. But the 5-year warranty on the device will allow you not to worry about software defects.

Due to USB 3.0 support, the read speed with SanDisk Ultra Dual m3.0 128Gb reaches 150 MB/sec. But the recording is 10 – 15 times slower. You can copy a 1.46 GB movie to a PC in a matter of seconds, and you will have to wait about two and a half minutes to transfer it to a USB flash drive. It will take 3 minutes to transfer the same file to a smartphone, and at least 6 minutes from a mobile device to a storage device. During operation, the case heats up significantly.

SanDisk Ultra Dual m3.0 128Gb is a relatively inexpensive, very compact and fast drive in terms of data reading. If you regularly work with files on your Android device or need to expand its memory (and a smartphone or tablet does not support microSD cards), then this flash drive will be doubly useful.

The Kingston DataTraveler SE9 G2 128Gb flash drive looks both concise and impressive. Compact dimensions in thickness and width eliminate the problem of blocking adjacent openings when connected to modern devices. And a wide hole on the back of the case provides various possibilities for attaching a USB drive: you can use laces or straps, keychain rings or carabiners.

Thanks to the Kingston DataTraveler SE9 G2 128Gb metal case, it looks attractive and expensive. In addition to its stylish appearance, the flash drive is very resistant to mechanical damage and statistical loads, it dissipates heat well in comparison with plastic models. Although, according to users, the body of the model is still very hot.

The absence of a cap on an open USB connector does not allow the drive to be considered over-protected. For particularly difficult conditions of use, it is worth looking at specialized models, for example, to Kingston DataTraveler R3.0 G2 64 GB .

The USB drive is actually fast only in terms of reading data (100 MB/sec). In terms of recording speed, its parameters are modest and do not fully correspond to the capabilities of the USB 3.0 standard (10 – 15 MB/sec). Note that Kingston DataTraveler SE9 G2 128Gb performs well when working with small files, which competitors tend to "slow down" the copying procedure.

The model is optimal for solving problems related to reading information (playback or copying from a USB stick). Here you can store photos and audio recordings, use Kingston DataTraveler SE9 G2 128Gb as an external drive for a car radio, media player or TV. Plus, the metal case provides a more interesting design and additional strength. If this is important to you, then you can slightly overpay by giving up plastic models.