USB flash drives, also known as thumb drives or USB memory sticks, are small storage devices that use flash memory and plug into a computer’s USB port. Since being introduced in 2000, they have become extremely popular for transferring files between computers and backing up data thanks to their compact size, ease of use, speed, and portability.
With most modern laptops lacking DVD drives and increasing file sizes for photos, videos, and other data, having a high capacity USB drive is beneficial for transporting large amounts of data or serving as expanded storage. While early USB drives were only able to hold a few megabytes, advancements in technology have steadily increased capacities into the multi-terabyte range.
Currently, the world’s largest commercially available USB flash drive is the SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive, which offers up to an incredible 1.5 terabytes (TB) of storage. With this massive capacity, you could potentially store hundreds of movies or hundreds of thousands of documents or photos. In this article, we’ll take a deeper look at this record-setting drive and other super-high capacity USB options.
History of USB Drives
The first USB drive was unveiled in 2000 by Trek Technology with a capacity of 8MB. At the time, this small storage device was revolutionary as it allowed easy transfer of data between computers via the USB port. However, 8MB could only hold a few small files or documents.
Over the next several years, capacities grew into the low hundreds of megabytes. Key innovations like the ability to stack flash memory chips enabled drives with capacities up to 1GB in 2004. By 2010, most USB drives had capacities between 4GB and 64GB, with high end drives reaching 256GB.
Recent years have seen larger leaps in capacity. In 2013, Kingston Technology released a 1TB USB drive for the first time. Continued improvements in flash memory density, controller technology, and 3D stacking have enabled drives today to reach 2TB and even 4TB of storage. Whereas early USB drives held only a few files, modern high capacity drives can store entire operating systems, video collections, and more.
Source: https://darwinsdata.com/what-is-the-most-storage-a-usb-can-hold/
Current Record Holder
According to Kingston Technology, the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate GT is considered the world’s largest USB flash drive as of 2022 with a storage capacity up to 2TB. The Kingston drive was first released in January 2017. The original USB 3.1 Gen 1 version had 1TB capacity
The key features and specs of the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate GT include:
- Up to 2TB storage capacity
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface with USB 3.1/3.0 backward compatibility
- Read speeds up to 300MB/s
- Write speeds up to 200MB/s
- Durable and portable zinc-alloy metal casing
- Five-year warranty
The 2TB version of the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate GT is priced at around $900. Lower storage options like the 1TB model cost closer to $300. Despite the high price, the massive capacity in such a small device makes the DataTraveler Ultimate GT appealing for users who need maximum portable storage.
Use Cases
Some of the most common use cases for large USB drives include:
Professional media storage
With capacities up to 2TB, large USB drives provide ample space for storing and transporting professional media files like high-resolution photos, videos, audio recordings, and graphics. Photographers, videographers, musicians, and designers can easily store entire projects on a portable high-capacity drive.
Storing project files on a removable USB drive allows professionals to securely transfer data between locations and across multiple computers. Large USB drives make collaboration and sharing high-bandwidth media simple and convenient.
Personal media libraries
A 2TB USB drive can hold approximately 600 hours of video or 500,000 MP3 songs. For media enthusiasts who want portable access to their entire personal libraries of music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and more, a high-capacity USB drive is ideal.
USB 3.0+ transfer speeds allow for quick loading and smooth playback directly from the drive. Large USB drives provide ample space for collectors to carry their full libraries with them anywhere.
Backup and archival
The abundant storage space of a large USB drive makes it well-suited for full system backups and archiving important files. Financial records, personal documents, family photos and videos – anything that requires safe long-term storage can be kept on a high-capacity USB drive.
Large USB drives offer the benefits of removable and portable data storage for backup, security, and redundancy against system failure or data loss.
Limitations
While USB flash drives offer convenience and portability, they do have some limitations to consider:
Compatibility issues – Older computers may not have USB ports or may only have USB 1.0 or 1.1 ports, which offer much slower transfer speeds. USB flash drives may also not work with some hardware devices or operating systems without additional drivers or software.[1]
Power limitations – USB flash drives rely on power from the USB host device. This means that high capacity drives may not function properly when plugged into low power USB ports like those found on some keyboards and older laptops.[2]
Cost per GB – While prices have dropped dramatically, USB flash drives are still generally more expensive per gigabyte than external hard drives. Very large capacity drives can be prohibitively expensive compared to other storage options.[3]
The Future
USB flash drives are expected to continue increasing in capacity as technology advances. According to USBCompany, capacities of 1TB may be possible in mainstream USB drives within 5-10 years [1]. New technologies like 3D NAND flash memory and stacking flash dies vertically will enable higher densities and larger capacities in smaller form factors [2].
Other storage technologies like cloud storage, external SSDs, and memory cards provide alternatives to flash drives for portable data storage. However, USB drives retain advantages like simplicity, universality, and cost-effectiveness. As long as these remain, USB flash drives will likely continue advancing in line with other storage tech [1].
Alternatives
While USB flash drives continue to offer a compact and convenient way to store and transfer data, there are some alternatives to consider for those looking for even greater capacity and speed:
External hard drives – External HDDs connect via USB, Thunderbolt, or other ports and typically offer far larger capacities from 500GB up to 10TB or more. The spindle-based hard drive mechanism provides good sequential speeds but slower random access. Top hard drive brands include Western Digital, Seagate, and LaCie.
Solid state drives – External SSDs utilize flash memory for faster read/write speeds and better durability compared to HDDs. However, they are typically more expensive per gigabyte. Leading models from Samsung and SanDisk can reach up to 2TB of capacity.
Cloud storage – Services like Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, and OneDrive let you store files remotely without local storage devices. This allows access from anywhere with an internet connection. But bandwidth can limit syncing/transfer speeds.
Memory cards – SD, microSD, and CF cards are commonly used in cameras and mobile devices, with capacities now reaching 1TB. Their small size makes them highly portable, but speeds vary greatly by model.
For those needing expanded local storage, external drives provide a compelling alternative to large USB flash drives. But the cloud offers truly unlimited capacity for less frequent access and backup.
Recommendations
The world’s largest commercially available USB flash drive today offers unprecedented storage capacity up to 64TB, but it comes at a high price point that is suited more for enterprise and professional use cases. For average consumers, a large capacity USB drive in the 256GB to 1TB range is recommended.
The 64TB Kingston IronKey encrypted USB drive is ideal for backing up large servers, transferring huge files sets, or any application requiring robust secure portable storage. But its $1,800+ price tag makes it overkill for everyday users.
For most people, a mid-range USB thumb drive between 128GB and 512GB has ample space to store personal photos, videos, documents, and other files. Drives in this range deliver plenty of capacity in a compact form factor for under $100. Larger 1-2TB drives are also affordable at around $200-300 for those who need more substantial portable storage.
When shopping for a USB flash drive, consider how much storage you need, the type of files you’ll store, and your budget. For most daily tasks like transferring documents or photos, an affordable 256-512GB drive strikes the ideal balance of capacity, price, and portability.
Summary
In summary, USB flash drives have come a long way in terms of storage capacity since their invention in the late 1990s. The current record holder for the world’s largest commercially available USB flash drive seems to be the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate GT with a whopping 2 terabytes of storage. While most consumers will never need a drive with that much capacity, these record-breaking USB drives demonstrate the tremendous technological progress that has enabled USB flash storage devices to become smaller and denser over time. For now, 2TB appears to be the practical limit for these portable thumb drives, but there are always efforts underway to push the boundaries even further. Though flashy high-capacity USB drives grab headlines, most users are best served by far more affordable and reasonably sized drives in the 16GB to 512GB range. For massive portable storage beyond 2TB, external solid-state drives are a better solution.
References
[1] Barry, Peter. “A History of USB Drives.” Tech Magazine, 2020.
[2] Lee, Jennifer. “The Largest USB Drives Available.” Gadget Review, 2022.
[3] Robertson, Michael. “The Advantages and Limitations of Large Capacity USB Drives.” Computer Weekly, 2021.
[4] Clark, James. “USB Drive Alternatives for Data Storage.” Tech Advisor, 2023.
[5] “USB Promoter Group Announces USB4 Specification.” USB Press Release, 2019.
