Summary
PNY Elite-X Type-C Flash Drive protects its USB-C connector, until needed. A simple push exposes the connector, a pull returns it to the enclosure. Small, 200MB/S reads. Loop on the drive for attaching to a keyring or carabiner.
PNY Elite-X Type-C Flash Drive Review
When I say, “my little friend,” I am not referring to a Colt AR-15 with a fake M203 grenade launcher. No, I am referring to my 128GB PNY Elite-X Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 Flash Drive. With most of my data in the cloud these days, I don’t carry much mobile media, but I like to have a flash drive around.
I keep a few videos and some music on it just in case of a zombie apocalypse, well, use your imagination. Otherwise, my flash drive holds a backup copy of whatever presentation I’m about to give and a couple more just in case I’m called upon to fill a slot because one of my fellow speakers found him or herself caught in a zombie apocalypse.
The roughly 2” x .5” x .25” (when closed) PNY Elite-X Type-C Flash Drive fits anywhere. I equipped its keychain loop with a keyring and then to a carabiner. It dangles on a loop in my backpack—or whatever I want it to dangle from. The drive weighs less than a third of an ounce, making it a very little friend.
What we like
The $15 PNY Elite-X Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 Flash Drive makes even small USB-A flash drives look big, or at least bulky. PNY also sells a 64GB ($11) and 256GB ($26) version of the drive. The drive works with any USB Type-C devices from desktop computers to phones. Most mobile apps are now fully compatible with their desktop counterparts. That means a flash drive stuck into a phone can deliver a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation in a pinch. It can also backup photos, videos, music and other files without drivers or special software.
The drive consists of an enclosure and a retractable USB-C connector. Just that simple. Push to expose the connector. Pull to put it away.
Performance is good, with speeds up to 200MB/s. Slow compared to SSDs, but for small files, not a big deal.
The cardboard retail pack is good, save the tiny bit of plastic that holds the drive into the cardboard. You can see the packaging designers attempted to go with minimalist plastic, but because it’s inside the cardboard, recycling the packaging requires tearing out the plastic holder. It is a good step toward fully recyclable packaging, but at some point, product managers (and consumers) need to figure out that a picture represents the product just as well as a revealing plastic window.
What could be improved
I would like to see PNY make the retractable connector a little easier to retract. With a keyring attached, I place a little more leverage into the mechanics, but I’m worried the plastic loop will break with the wear and tear of the metal ring pulling on it. However, even with the slight effort required to pull the connector back into the enclosure, I’m much happier with the drive than if they had included a connector cap.
PNY Elite-X Type-C Flash Drive: The bottom line
Flash drives still offer a sense of security in many situations. With many devices eliminating USB-A connections, USB-A flash drives increasingly require hubs. USB-C flash drives offer the next level of innovation in the ever-shrinking, and increasingly larger capacity, world of removeable memory.
PNY provided the PNY Elite-X Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 Flash Drive for review. Images courtesy of PNY unless otherwise noted.
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