With a look
Expert assessment
Benefits
- Faster than SD card
- Portable
- Affordable
- Versatile plugs
Disadvantages
- One stinger is always exposed
- Slows down a large single 250GB transfer
Our verdict
The PNY Duo Link V3 Flash Drive is an excellent choice for users looking for a super-fast, reliable, ultra-compatible and portable storage solution.
Price upon review
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Best price today
Price upon review
From $34.99
Best prices today: PNY Duo Link V3 Flash Drive
£33.05
In today’s world of cloud storage and painless wireless transfers plus cheap SD and microSD card readers, it’s easy to forget how useful those old-school flash drives can be—especially since most people are still putting up with the old, old rectangular USB-A connector that hasn’t been seen on a Mac since 2017’s MacBook Air.
Flash drives were once the kings of portable storage, prized for their portability, ease of use and offline data transfer. If you wanted to quickly and securely move files between devices without an internet connection, they were the perfect tool. Cloud storage is now the norm, but is slower, less data secure and usually requires a monthly subscription.
SD card vs flash drive
Modern MacBook Pros (and Mac Studio) boast an SDXC card reader slot that can transfer data at a reasonable 250 MBps when using a UHS-II card. Other Mac users can easily plug in one of the best Mac USB-C hubs to add a similar card reader – actually at a faster 312MBps.
If you need to store large capacities, the SD card is an affordable and super portable option. SD cards are generally easier to trust in terms of data speed (100 Mbps to 312 MBps), as no-name flash drives rarely list their data transfer rates.
A USB drive takes up one of your Mac’s valuable Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, while the SD card reader is only for portable storage. For bulkier, always-connected external storage, check out our roundup of the best external SSD drives for Mac.
However, we think you should reconsider the humble flash drive, especially one as capable as the PNY Duo Link V3 Flash Drive, which blends speed, portability and broad compatibility in a slim and still very portable package.
This compact, durable device is designed for those who require fast data transfer and the ability to seamlessly manage files across a variety of devices. If we compare it to larger form factor portable storage drives, the Duo Link V3 is a 10 Gbps USB SSD (solid state storage drive). It’s just a flash/thumb drive form factor. Technically, it’s an On The Go (OTG) drive, making it compatible with most phones and tablets, as well as PCs, Macs, and laptops.
It’s also very fast – much faster than even the fastest SD card. PNY claims speeds of up to 1000MB/s read and 800MB/s write, making the Duo Link V3 one of the fastest USB flash drives on the market today.
Simon Jarry
Quick as a flash
In our tests, the PNY Duo Link V3 came very close to the claimed speeds, recording scores of around 800-820 MBps for reading and 680-800 Mbps for writing, putting the 250 MBps Apple SDXC card reader in the shade.
The drive becomes significantly slower with much larger single transfers of over 250Gb or so. In testing at our sister site PCWorld.com, my colleague Jon Jacobi noted that in his 450GB test, speeds started at nearly 650MBps, then after about 250GB were written, dropped off and wavered between 15MBps and 100MBps. While the 450GB write result ruined the drive’s overall rating, he notes that “but “to be fair, the Duo Link V3 is about light convenience, not heavy workloads” and that “few users will ever write 450GB of contiguous data”.
The C team beats the A team
Personally, I wouldn’t go near a flash drive based on the old USB-A connector, and one of the attractive features of the PNY Duo Link V3 is its dual Type-A and Type-C connectors. This flexibility makes it an excellent choice for users with a wide range of devices, from older laptops and desktops with older USB-A ports to the latest iPhones, iPads and Macs with USB-C ports.
As fewer devices use the old standard, we should have less use for that USB-A connector, but it’s handy if you need maximum compatibility.
The performance of the Duo Link V3 is particularly noteworthy with its 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 compatibility. In our tests, transfer speeds were noticeably faster compared to many other flash drives in the same category, with data moving between devices in seconds.
PNY
Durable design
With its sleek, matte black metal swivel design, this pocketable flash drive is both durable and lightweight. The swivel design that manually switches between the C and A connectors means there’s no cap to lose, which I’ve found is often the case with other flash drives. The twist clicks satisfyingly into place, which is a nice touch.
The lack of a cap might make you reconsider if you’re out and about all the time, in environments where it might be exposed to dust or physical impact, or you’re keen to send the drive to others as one end or the other will always be exposed. But around the home or office, the capless flash drive is more practical if it’s unprotected.
Simon Jarry
Price
The entry-level 256GB PNY Duo Link V3 is priced at an affordable $34.99 / £34.99. You get double the capacity with the 512GB model for $49.99 / £59.99, then 1TB for $81.99 / £109.99, and the high-end 2TB flash drive for $154.99 / £179.99.
In comparison, you can buy a well-known brand 256GB SDXC card for around $25, 512GB for around $40, 1TB for $90 and 2TB from $170 for a reliable brand. The prices are therefore cheaper for lower capacities, but the same as the gigabytes pile up. However, keep in mind that these cards’ data transfer speeds are at most a quarter of the PNY flash dive.
Should you buy the PNY Duo Link V3 Flash Drive
The PNY Duo Link V3 Flash Drive is an excellent choice for users looking for a super-fast, reliable, ultra-compatible and portable storage solution. With capacity options from 256GB all the way up to 2TB and prices not unlike slower SD cards, it should be a strong contender for your portable storage needs.