USB Type-C is quickly becoming the standard smartphone and laptop port, replacing the aging microUSB standard. SanDisk is getting with the times with its new line of dual-tipped flash drives that feature both a USB-A connection for laptops and USB-C for smartphones.
The new flash drives, called "SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C flash drives," feature a switch on the side of the flash drive. You can slide the switch to one side to reveal USB-A and slide in the reverse direction to reveal the USB-C port.
So why would you need a flash drive like this? If you have a laptop with a traditional USB-A port, you can grab photos or files and upload them to your USB-C enabled smartphone. It's great for storing a bunch of photos and video that you don't want cluttering up your smartphone's limited storage.
The SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive isn't a new concept, with storage companies already selling USB drives aimed at smartphones. What the newly announced Ultra Dual Drives have is faster transfer rates thanks to the USB 3.1 spec. You can expect speeds of up to 150 MB/s.
The new drives are available on Amazon and other retails, though they're not currently for sale yet. The drives will officially cost $20 for 16GB, $30 for 32GB, $40 for 64GB and $70 for 128GB but Amazon lists them for quite a bit cheaper. Expect to pay $15 for 16GB, $20 for 32GB, $33 for 64GB and $56 for 128GB. There's no word on UK or AU pricing yet.
iPhone users have their own line of mobile flash drives called the iXpand.
- This insanely small SSD holds half a terrabyte
