PNY Duo Link V3 Flash Drive Review: An Instant Favorite

Most USB flash drives are the identical, however PNY needed to make its newest Duo Link V3 totally different. With an all-metal construct, knowledge switch speeds nearing 1GB/s, and a budget-friendly worth, this simply turned my favourite flash drive but.

Worth and Availability

The PNY Duo Hyperlink V3 flash drive is available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage sizes. Pricing begins at $31 for the 256GB mannequin and goes as much as $162 for the 2TB model. It’s out there at Amazon, PNY, and B&H Photograph.

The Construct High quality Blew Me Away

Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

When the PNY Duo Hyperlink V3 first arrived, I used to be anticipating a traditional flash drive. Some low-cost metallic housing on the within with a plastic outer housing. That’s not what this flash drive is in any respect.

As an alternative of plastic, PNY opted for an all-metal design right here. The metallic feels extraordinarily sturdy and premium, particularly in comparison with the plastic construct of most flash drives.

I used to be additionally stunned with the mechanism that PNY selected for the rotation of this drive. I’ve had rotating flash drives up to now, and so they at all times felt flimsy and like after sufficient rotations the mechanism would put on down—which I’ve had occur up to now.

As an alternative of nubs and notches, PNY went with a magnetic system for the rotational mechanism. It’s clean, satisfying, and virtually like a fidget toy in a way. I’m actually impressed with the mechanism and I really feel prefer it’ll maintain up effectively even with heavy use.

Quick Sufficient for Most Folks

The PNY Duo Hyperlink V3 is USB 3.2 Gen 2 at 10Gb/s. This enables for switch speeds as much as 1GB/s, which I used to be in a position to see when testing the drive.

In reality, when doing benchmarks on the drive with 1GB recordsdata, I noticed learn speeds of 950MB/s and write speeds of 978MB/s. Doing a bigger 8GB file resulted in 947MB/s learn and 806MB/s write.

Whereas there are undoubtedly quicker SSDs available on the market, I truthfully don’t assume a flash drive must be any quicker for most individuals. Having the ability to switch 1GB recordsdata in a single second (at peak speeds) is already quick sufficient. That’ll transfer 50GB of recordsdata in lower than a minute.

Actually, with the speeds that this drive has, I might haven’t any downside storing my picture library on it if I wanted extra space than my MacBook had out there on the time. In reality, I’d even edit a 4K video off the drive linked to my MacBook with out fear because of its velocity.

The Versatile Kind-Issue Is What Sells This Drive

Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

I really like how well-built this flash drive is, and I actually do benefit from the velocity, however, if I’m being trustworthy, the twin USB-C and USB-A form-factor is what makes this drive fascinating. PNY hit it out of the park with the twin USB-C and A connectors, each of which hit the 1GB/s switch speeds.

I additionally love that there’s a lanyard connector on the outer case. That makes it straightforward to attach this drive to a set of keys, your backpack, or anything.

Flash drives with each USB-A and USB-C have develop into a necessity for me in my every day life. My MacBook Professional and most of my different laptops round the home are all USB-C, together with my iPhone and iPad. Whereas every thing I’ve is USB-C at dwelling, once I’m not at dwelling, USB-A nonetheless guidelines the roost for knowledge switch.

There have been quite a few instances once I’ve wanted to print a file over USB at church or a good friend’s home and there was no USB-C in sight. That’s why I really like twin USB-C/A flash drives a lot. I can use the USB-C facet to maneuver the file from my MacBook or iPhone to a different machine that’s USB-A solely with out having to hold a bunch of cables round.

Ought to You Purchase the PNY Duo Hyperlink V3 Flash Drive?

Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

I feel that the PNY Duo Link V3 flash drive ought to be prime of the checklist for anybody shopping for a flash drive right now. At proper round $30 for 256GB of quick, compact, and versatile storage, it’s laborious to disclaim the worth that PNY has right here.

For comparability, SanDisk’s 256GB USB-A UltraFit flash drive is $20 with 400MB/s speeds. The Amazon Fundamentals 256GB USB-A flash drive with simply 130MB/s speeds is $25. Each of those drives pale compared to the speeds of the PNY Duo Hyperlink V3, and neither provide the twin USB-C/A design.

So, when you’re out there for a flash drive, the PNY Duo Hyperlink V3 ought to be your first alternative.