Phones don't come with expandable storage anymore, but the best USB-C thumb drives solve this problem. It's a far cheaper alternative to spending hundreds of extra dollars on higher internal storage variants of the Samsung Galaxy S26 or your phone of choice. You could even save money on monthly your Google One subscription by storing your large photos and videos on a Type-C thumb drive. Even if you don't, having an offline backup of everything is important.
Modern USB-C flash drives are versatile. They support the latest USB specs and offer speedy read/write speeds. Some high-end models even support Thunderbolt protocols and can reach transfer speeds of up to 20Gbps. It’s a godsend if you work with files in Ultra-HD 4K.
These are the best USB-C thumb drives
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Best overall
Starting at $22, the affordable Lexar D40E 128GB Dual USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C Jump Drive is keychain-sized and lightweight. It has transfer speeds of 100 MB/s, dual USB-C and USB-A connectors, comes in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB variants, and can withstand operating temperatures from 0 to 50 °C.
Best waterproof
Samsung's reliable Type-C Waterproof Flash Drive features USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports transfer speeds of up to 400 MB/s for 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models, and 300 MB/s for 64GB variants. It is also robust and resistant to shocks, water, magnets, X-rays, and heat.
Best read/write speeds
The PNY Pro Elite USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB comes in capacities of 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. This allows you to compactly store a boatload of movies, music, photos, or backup files. The big draw with this are the read speeds of 1,000MB/s and write speeds of 800MB/s.
Best colorways
The SanDisk 1TB Ultra Dual Drive Luxe USB-C Flash Drive is stylish, compact, and uses a clever slide mechanism for easy access to both USB ports. This USB 3.2 Gen 1 drive supports read speeds up to 400 MB/s and comes in storage options going up to 1TB. It also comes in a variety of different colors including blue, black, green, and purple.
Most lightweight
Kingston's DataTraveler Max comes in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB variants. Thanks to USB 3.2 Gen 2 support, this drive can handle high-bandwidth tasks with ease. It also has an unusually lightweight build with rigid casing and a keyring loop.
Best solid state drive
The SSK External USB-C SSD Flash Drive USB3.2 Gen2 is not your average thumb drive. This portable solid state thumb drive is available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB. 1TB, and 2TB options and supports 500 MB/s read and 550 MB/s write speeds. It also supports Thunderbolt 3, is water-resistant, and comes with both USB-C and USB-A ports.
Double the ports, double the fun
You may notice that most drives on this list are multi-port flash drives, with a USB-C port on one end and a USB-A port on the opposite end, like some USB-C cables. This makes the flash drive a convenient way for users to offload photos and files from any Android phone to their computer or vice versa, even on older computers without USB-C ports. Thanks to this setup, you can quickly recover files from older devices.
The Lexar D40E Dual USB 3.2 Gen 1 Jump Drive starts at $22 for 64GB and has both USB-A and USB-C ports. You can choose the right storage variant for your daily needs without breaking the bank. Even the 256GB option costs just $45, making it an ideal purchase for any kind of buyer. You can't go wrong with this USB 3.2 Gen 1 thumb drive.
Alternatively, if you're looking for something more robust, the Samsung option is very durable. The Samsung Type-C Waterproof Flash Drive USB 3.1 can withstand exposure to water, high temperatures, and even shocks, making it a highly enticing option even if it isn't the cheapest.
A note about read, write, and transfer speeds
When looking at flash drives, you'll see many USB standards thrown around and bold claims about data transfer speed. Like microSD cards, most flash drives advertise a transfer speed, which you should always translate to read speed, not write speed. This is because practically all external storage devices have a lower write speed than read speed, sometimes much slower. However, unlike microSD cards, USB drives don't use speed classes like V30 or U3 to detail performance.
When shopping for a USB-C thumb drive, higher write speeds are essential if you regularly copy large data files. Ensure that the USB-C port you're plugging into matches the USB version of your thumb drive. For your reference, the maximum possible data transfer speed for USB 2.0 is 480 Mbps, USB 3.2 Gen 1 is 5 Gbps, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 is 10 Gbps.
