The world's smallest 1TB SSD drive is the travel device I didn't know I needed

SanDisk ExtremeFit USB flash drive

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The ExtremeFit is disposable successful retention options from 64GB ($15) up to 1TB ($110).
• It's positively tiny, with record transportation speeds of up to 400MB/s.
• When not plugged in, it tin easy get mislaid successful a drawer oregon backpack.

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Remember erstwhile the sanction "thumb drive" was an close descriptor? These days, outer retention devices are progressively tiny -- and obscurity is this much evident than successful the caller SanDisk ExtremeFit USB-C flash drive. 

It's decidedly the smallest thumb thrust I've tested, measuring 0.73 inches astatine its widest constituent and weighing conscionable 3 grams. It looks much similar a USB dongle for a rodent than outer storage. 

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The ExtremeFit's size isn't the lone happening going for it, though. It besides offers a wide scope of retention options, ranging from 1TB for $109 to 64GB connected the debased extremity for conscionable $15. 

It's fast, too. SanDisk promises USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds of up to 400MB/s connected the 128GB and 1TB versions, with compatibility crossed Windows, MacOS, and iPadOS. I went hands-on with the 64GB retention option, and got work and constitute speeds successful CrystalDiskMark that came precise adjacent to the 400MB/s people -- surely accelerated capable for mundane use. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

In practice, this means highly accelerated transportation speeds for ample representation oregon video files, arsenic good arsenic near-instant transfers for documents, spreadsheets, descent decks, and presentations. It's arsenic casual to usage arsenic you'd expect, with nary bundle oregon app requirements, though SanDisk's Memory Zone app for Windows and MacOS is perchance utile for streamlining record transfers and record backups. 

Note that SanDisk doesn't explicitly accidental the instrumentality is compatible with ChromeOS, but I was capable to transportation files to and from my Chromebook Plus conscionable good (just support successful caput that the Memory Zone app is designed for Android, and not optimized for ChromeOS). 

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The magnitude of retention disposable here, considering its size, is remarkably generous. Although galore users progressively crook to unreality retention for thing from enactment documents to photos and videos, section retention connected thumb drives is perchance much secure, faster, and doesn't necessitate an net connection. 

They're besides indispensable for projects similar upgrading oregon reinstalling operating systems, a task that millions of consumers found themselves faced with this twelvemonth erstwhile Microsoft dropped support for Windows 11. 

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

Simply put, erstwhile you request a thumb drive, you truly request it. So it's 1 of those things I highly urge having connected manus to prevention yourself imaginable headaches. 

The device's tiny size mightiness not beryllium for everyone, though. If you're prone to losing dongles oregon tiny pieces, the ExtremeFit mightiness beryllium a hard sell. When it's not really plugged into a USB-C port, this small instrumentality is casual to lose, perchance disappearing astatine the bottommost of a backpack oregon getting mislaid successful a table drawer. 

Also: Microsoft said my PC was 'too old' to tally Windows 11 - however I upgraded successful 5 minutes anyway

For that reason, I urge keeping it plugged in, oregon if your device's ports are successful precocious demand, plug it into a antithetic laptop oregon desktop you're not utilizing and permission it there. It's besides tiny capable not to artifact different ports from connecting, a favored peeve of excavation with poorly-designed USB dongles. 

Also enactment that the ExtremeFit is excessively tiny to diagnostic immoderate benignant of loop oregon keyring attachment. If you're looking for thing similar that, I urge SanDisk's Ultra Dual Drive Go. 

Alternatively, see getting immoderate compact retention options for your tech, similar this Bellroy retention kit oregon ProtoArc's CaseUp combo, some of which person retention for tiny pieces of tech similar the ExtremeFit. 

ZDNET's buying advice

If you privation tons of retention successful a tiny package, it doesn't get overmuch smaller than SanDisk's aptly-named ExtremeFit USB-C flash drive. With transportation speeds this speedy, you're looking astatine pop-and-go functionality with ample files crossed PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, and iPads. Just support an oculus connected the happening if you're prone to losing tiny gadgets. 

The ExtremeFit ranges successful sizes from 64GB of retention for $14.99, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB for $109.

Why the SanDisk ExtremeFit gets an Editors' Choice award

We've awarded the ExtremeFit an Editors' Choice grant for its sheer usefulness arsenic 1 of the astir compact outer retention solutions we've ever seen. The record transportation speeds are top-notch, and the instrumentality fits seamlessly connected each the laptop larboard configurations we've tried, adjacent connected machines with USB-C ports neighboring HDMI ports. 

The terms constituent is competitive, arsenic good -- starting astatine conscionable $15 for 64GB of storage, which has transportation speeds astir arsenic accelerated arsenic those connected the precise apical end.