PNY Launches a Tiny 512GB USB Stick
USB sticks are still the ideal choice if you want some extra storage that’s small enough to keep in a pocket. But what if you want a lot of storage that’s small enough to leave plugged in to your laptop? PNY may have the answer with a tiny 512GB drive.
PNY has introduced a new model to its range of Elite-X Fit USB 3.1 drives, with this one doubling the storage capacity to 512GB. What’s more impressive, though, is the low-profile design PNY uses, which allows the Elite-X Fit to measure just 0.8-by-0.61-by-0.31-inches (2.16-by-1.52-by-1.55cm). In other words, you can plug the drive into a laptop’s USB port and forget about it.
As it’s so small, PNY decided to give the Elite-X Fit a textured grip to make it easier to plug and unplug, while also providing a translucent cap to protect the connector when not in use. As the drive is USB 3.1 Gen 1, PNY claims it can achieve read speeds of up to 200MB/s, while write speeds are listed as “30x faster than USB 2.0.” The drive also boasts backwards compatibility with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports as you’d expect.
The 256GB model of the Elite-X Fit has a list price of $47.99, but can be found online for $36.99. For the 512GB model, there’s a premium as it’s a new, much larger capacity drive. Expect to pay around $100, where as more typical, larger 512GB USB sticks can be found for as little as $70. In terms of competition, according to ComputerBase there’s only one other drive that can compete in terms of both size and capacity, and that’s the SanDisk 512GB Ultra Fit, which can be picked up for around $78, but it’s slower and slightly larger.
