Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C - 2

SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C Review | Best $10 Pen Drive?

Maybe a plastic pen drive, but still a good bang for the bucks!

Here’s a refreshing article not on the phones but a pen drive. Today, we will be doing a SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C review with speed tests and an app interface. Hmm…Indeed a long name for a pen drive this small.

It’s the first flash drive we are reviewing on The Phone Talks, from SanDisk. The USB drive is available in four storage options which are 32/64/128/256GB. SanDisk claims that the Type-C (USB Gen 3.1) interface provides a reading speed of 150MB/s. So, we made this SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C review to validate the claim and also let you know about how practical is the design, the interface, the preloaded app in the drive, and last but not least is it a good bang for the given prices which are:

  • 32GB for Rs.690 INR (9.6 USD)
  • 64GB for Rs.1096 INR (15.39 USD)
  • 128GB for Rs.1995 INR (28 USD)
  • 256GB for Rs.2923 INR (41 USD)

So, we are now reviewing the 64GB variant of this flash drive. Let’s dive into the details of this drive and know SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C drive better…Truly a long name.

SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C Review – Is It The Best Companion To Smartphones?

Design & Appearance

Starting SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C review design of the USB drive, SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C is a flash drive made of plastic which does lower its built quality but still has a premium feel to it. I prefer the cold metal drives which have a smooth feeling when you try to hold it and plug it in the port and also adds to the durability. However, plastic drives seem to be fine since they are lightweight and have better heat dissipation. In most metal drives I have seen a decrease in performance over time because of overheating.

Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C review - 1

The Ultra Dual Drive Go has a Swivel design that protects the Type-C connector on the front. Just rotate the cap and you are ready to attach it to your laptop or smartphone. Moreover, the swivel design is really fun to use and in free time one can play with the USB drive in hands by rotating the protective cover. Just a habit of mine.

However, I do think that some people just mistakenly forget to enclose the cover to the Type-C connector which can increase the chances of damaging the connector. I do recommend some automatic capping designs such as the pop-up ones that are much safer for the connectors. In comparison to the non-Go version, the Go version is much attractive and compact.

Closed

SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C does have a keyring hole. Since it’s a dual interface, so the only option was to include it on the swivel cap.

Rear side

The black color and the finishing is excellent as it really goes well with black-colored laptops and smartphones. Moreover, since this isn’t metal, no smudges can be seen on the body.

It occupies a space of 44.41mm x 12.1mm x 8.6mm, an intermediate size between the traditional laptop Type-A USB drive and the latest smartphone Type-C drive.

Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C - 3

At one end we have a USB Type-C connector which is protected by the Swivel cap design. Meanwhile, at the other end, we have the USB Type-A (Gen 3.1) embedded in the plastic body which needs minimum protection. So, yeah, the name Dual Drive is given because of the Dual interface not as it has logically two drives it in.

Front

Overall, the plastic built is slightly disappointing, however, the dual interface, the Swivel design, and the ideal size do cover such downside. Moreover, since the focus is on performance we won’t see any decrease in speed due to overheating. Just make sure to protect the connector.

Interface & Performance

Now coming to the performance aspect in this SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C review, the Type-C (USB 3.1 Gen 1) interface provides up to 150MB/s sequential reading speed. For the given price it’s fine. However, since it’s 2020, we do have the USB 3.0 Gen 2 interface USB drives which provide up to 300MB/s reading speed. However, they do are somewhat expensive than this type. This drive from the 64GB has 57.1GB as free storage.

On the USB 3.0 (Type-A) interface of the MacBook, the speed test of the 64GB variant is as shown in the video:

Sandisk Ultra USB Type-C Go Review - Speed Test

The average reading speed was around 155Mb/s and the writing speed was around 37Mb/s. So yes, the speed tests do support the SanDisk claim. For a 64GB drive with dual connectors and the Gen1 USB 3.1 interface, the $15 price tag seems to be excellent. Plus, there’s the preloaded software as well which will be described in the next section.

Note: The reading speed of the USB drive depends on the capacity of the drive, interface attached, specs of the computer, and the file type transferred. The results slightly differ from time to time. If using the USB 2.0 port, the reading speed will be around 30Mb/s and writing around 15Mb/s.

The speed was slightly decreased to 114Mb/s (reading seq) and 24Mb/s (writing seq) on a Type-C phone.

At the current moment, we have the USB 3.1 Gen2 USB flash drives. There are some thunderbolt ones out there but those are not USB flash drives but hard drives instead and are really expensive.

Phone Compatibility & App Review

Let’s move to the compatibility and app section of the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C review. Since the interface is Type-C the USB drive can be easily connected to the latest smartphones which mostly have a type-c interface. However, the low-budget and the old phones won’t be able to take benefit since they have a micro-USB port instead of the latest Type-C.

Of course, the benefit of the type-C port is the USB 3.1 protocol and plugging the connector for both sides, hence eliminating the frustration of fail attempts of plugging from the wrong side.

The Ultra Dual Drive Go Type-C pen drive comes preloaded with the SanDisk Memory Zone app. This is where the USB pen drive comes in the advantage of quickly transferring the data between either your phone and the pen drive or directly from your phone to your laptop. As for the app, it works as a file manager for your phone.

The SanDisk Memory Zone app allows:

  • Categorizing of different media
  • Storage status of phone, drive and any other storage media attached
  • Copying or Moving of selected files to
  • Deletion of Junk files
  • Managing Apps
  • Cleaning WhatsApp data
  • Backup and Restore (Automatic and Manual)

That’s the primary difference between the simple Dual Drive and the Dual Drive Go by SanDisk. The ‘Go’ word defines the quick transfer of files from your phone to your laptop without taking additional steps.

Our Verdict

Summarizing the whole SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C review, SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go might have a plastic chassis and one generation older USB 3.1 interface but for the given price it delivers outstanding performance, more storage for the given price, a dual interface, and most of all a preloaded app to manage the contents in your phone. Truly, this device is the best option when it comes to Type-C pen drives for your smartphones.

Where to Buy?

You can buy the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go Type-C pen drive globally for the best price on Aliexpress for $9.49 – 39.50 USD. It’s available in all four variants. The link to the store is given below:

Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C - 2
SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C Review | Best $10 Pen Drive?
Summary
SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Go USB Type-C is a cheap alternative to Type-C Gen 3.1 Pen drives under $10. Though it has a plastic built and Gen1 3.1, the dual interface, 150Mb/s reading speed, and the preloaded app is worth the small amount spend.
Built Quality
6.5
Design & Appearance
7
Interface
8
Speed
7.5
Compatibility
8
App
8.5
Price
9
Reader Rating2 Votes
5.5
Pros
Dual Interface
Swivel design
Highly portable
Preloaded App
Best Price over Features
Cons
Plastic Built
No USB 3.1 Gen2 but Gen1 instead
7.8
Total Rating