I Tested Raspberry Pi's New Usb Flash Drive - And It Has A Critical Advantage Over Competitors

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Comes successful 128GB and 256GB retention options
• Constructed from tough, heat-dissipating aluminum
• Write speeds are passable for both, but nan 150MB/s for nan larger thrust is amazing.

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One point that you tin ever beryllium judge of erstwhile it comes to Raspberry Pi accessories is that they are ever made to nan highest quality. 

I've ne'er bought thing pinch that has nan Raspberry Pi logo emblazoned connected it and been disappointed, and nan latest Raspberry Pi Flash Drive is nary exception.

But it's conscionable a boring aged flash drive, right?

Wrong.  

When nan news broke astir nan caller Flash Drive, it was sounded arsenic nan cleanable accessory for those who want high-speed retention that went supra and beyond what nan humble microSD paper could offer, but you don't want nan hassle of utilizing a much fixed solution for illustration nan M.2 HAT+ (which, remember, is only compatible pinch nan Pi 5). 

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Removable drivers are really useful successful business settings and for things for illustration NAS boxes.

There's nary uncertainty that nan bully aged USB flash thrust is still a useful shape factor. And erstwhile it's encased successful tough, heat-dissipating aluminum, pinch nan capacity and Raspberry Pi logo profoundly embedded successful nan shell. 

I emotion nan detailed, heavy etching.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

But can't you conscionable usage immoderate aged USB flash drive? 

Well, you can, but location are a mates of features that are beautiful circumstantial to nan Raspberry Pi Flash Drive. The first is SMART wellness reporting and support for TRIM. While I've travel crossed a fewer drives that had nan chips to do this, I can't deliberation of immoderate different flash drives disconnected nan apical of my caput that connection this. 

Without SMART, I wouldn't spot a flash thrust to grip important worldly for illustration holding captious data, and I decidedly wouldn't usage it arsenic a footwear thrust connected a captious system. 

How it performs

It's besides fast, particularly nan 256GB variant, which tin execute a sequential constitute velocity of 150MB/s, double that of its smaller 128GB sibling. A batch of inexpensive flash drives I've tested person decent publication speeds, but I've travel crossed a batch of big-brand drives that person cripplingly slow constitute speeds, truthful it's bully to spot this exemplary keeping to its trading promises.

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I've tested nan Raspberry Pi Flash Drives -- some capacities -- connected a number of systems, and nan capacity is arsenic described, and it is tin of handling heavy, sustained loads. Another mobility I had astir nan thrust was really it handled heat, and I'm happy to study that I had nary issues astatine each -- and moreover recovered nan thrust very effective astatine dissipating heat. 

One point that everyone needs to carnivore successful mind -- and thing that was a spot mislaid successful nan first coverage, I deliberation -- is that this doesn't switch anything. Raspberry Pi still supports (and moreover makes its own) microSD cards and M.2 SSDs. 

This is conscionable different option. If microSD cards, M.2 SSDs, aliases moreover immoderate aged flash thrust you person lying astir activity for you, past you transportation connected doing what useful for you. What this offers is simply different option. 

ZDNET's buying advice

Priced astatine $30 for nan 128GB version, and $55 for nan 256GB variant, nan Raspberry Pi Flash Drive is simply a awesome action for personification looking for thing amended than a microSD card aliases immoderate random flash drive, but who doesn't want to spell nan full hog and get an M.2 HAT+ and SSD. 

I'd besides urge these drives are besides awesome solutions for those moving a Pi 4 aliases earlier that can't return an M.2 HAT+ upgrade. Yes, they're flash drives, but these are darn bully flash drives.