This Coin-sized Usb Drive Is The Productivity Gadget I Didn't Know I Needed (and It's Cheap)

SanDisk ExtremeFit USB flash drive

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The ExtremeFit is disposable successful retention options from 64GB ($15) up to 1TB ($110).
• It's positively tiny, pinch record transportation speeds of up to 400MB/s.
• When not plugged in, it tin easy get mislaid successful a drawer aliases backpack.

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Remember erstwhile nan sanction "thumb drive" was an meticulous descriptor? These days, outer retention devices are progressively mini -- and obscurity is this much evident than successful nan caller SanDisk ExtremeFit USB-C flash drive. 

It's decidedly nan smallest thumb thrust I've tested, measuring 0.73 inches astatine its widest constituent and weighing conscionable 3 grams. It looks much for illustration a USB dongle for a rodent than outer storage. 

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The ExtremeFit's size isn't nan only point going for it, though. It besides offers a wide scope of retention options, ranging from 1TB for $109 to 64GB connected nan debased extremity for conscionable $15. 

It's fast, too. SanDisk promises USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds of up to 400MB/s connected nan 128GB and 1TB versions, pinch compatibility crossed Windows, MacOS, and iPadOS. I went hands-on pinch nan 64GB retention option, and sewage publication and constitute speeds successful CrystalDiskMark that came very adjacent to nan 400MB/s people -- surely accelerated capable for mundane use. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

In practice, this intends highly accelerated transportation speeds for ample image aliases video files, arsenic good arsenic near-instant transfers for documents, spreadsheets, descent decks, and presentations. It's arsenic easy to usage arsenic you'd expect, pinch nary package aliases app requirements, though SanDisk's Memory Zone app for Windows and MacOS is perchance useful for streamlining record transfers and record backups. 

Note that SanDisk doesn't explicitly opportunity nan instrumentality is compatible pinch ChromeOS, but I was capable to transportation files to and from my Chromebook Plus conscionable good (just support successful mind that nan Memory Zone app is designed for Android, and not optimized for ChromeOS). 

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The magnitude of retention disposable here, considering its size, is remarkably generous. Although galore users progressively move to unreality retention for thing from activity documents to photos and videos, section retention connected thumb drives is perchance much secure, faster, and doesn't require an net connection. 

They're besides basal for projects for illustration upgrading aliases reinstalling operating systems, a task that millions of consumers found themselves faced with this twelvemonth erstwhile Microsoft dropped support for Windows 11. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Simply put, erstwhile you request a thumb drive, you really request it. So it's 1 of those things I highly urge having connected manus to prevention yourself imaginable headaches. 

The device's mini size mightiness not beryllium for everyone, though. If you're prone to losing dongles aliases mini pieces, nan ExtremeFit mightiness beryllium a difficult sell. When it's not really plugged into a USB-C port, this small instrumentality is easy to lose, perchance disappearing astatine nan bottommost of a backpack aliases getting mislaid successful a table drawer. 

Also: Microsoft said my PC was 'too old' to tally Windows 11 - really I upgraded successful 5 minutes anyway

For that reason, I urge keeping it plugged in, aliases if your device's ports are successful precocious demand, plug it into a different laptop aliases desktop you're not utilizing and time off it there. It's besides mini capable not to artifact different ports from connecting, a pet peeve of excavation pinch poorly-designed USB dongles. 

Also statement that nan ExtremeFit is excessively mini to characteristic immoderate benignant of loop aliases keyring attachment. If you're looking for thing for illustration that, I urge SanDisk's Ultra Dual Drive Go. 

Alternatively, see getting immoderate compact retention options for your tech, for illustration this Bellroy retention kit aliases ProtoArc's CaseUp combo, some of which person retention for mini pieces of tech for illustration nan ExtremeFit. 

ZDNET's buying advice

If you want tons of retention successful a mini package, it doesn't get overmuch smaller than SanDisk's aptly-named ExtremeFit USB-C flash drive. With transportation speeds this speedy, you're looking astatine pop-and-go functionality pinch ample files crossed PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, and iPads. Just support an oculus connected nan point if you're prone to losing mini gadgets. 

The ExtremeFit ranges successful sizes from 64GB of retention for $14.99, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB for $109.

Why nan SanDisk ExtremeFit gets an Editors' Choice award

We've awarded nan ExtremeFit an Editors' Choice grant for its sheer usefulness arsenic 1 of nan astir compact outer retention solutions we've ever seen. The record transportation speeds are top-notch, and nan instrumentality fits seamlessly connected each nan laptop larboard configurations we've tried, moreover connected machines pinch USB-C ports neighboring HDMI ports. 

The value constituent is competitive, arsenic good -- starting astatine conscionable $15 for 64GB of storage, which has transportation speeds astir arsenic accelerated arsenic those connected nan very apical end.