You need to back up your PC or mobile device, but you don't know how to choose an external drive that works best for your needs. We're here to help you decide.
How much do they cost?
Like SD and microSD cards, USB flash drives have become a commodity product. There’s an abundance of great options at every price point, and choosing higher capacity, better performance or a particular physical design rarely costs much more than buying a basic device. Shop online and you can pick up a 32GB USB 3.0 stick for well under £10, or double the capacity for just a fiver more. Things only get expensive with the highest-capacity drives, but you can still find 256GB devices for less than £50.
How much storage do I actually need?
When most of us buy a USB flash drive, we’re balancing price against capacity. 8GB and 16GB drives still exist, but these days there’s precious little price difference between them and a 32GB drive. You’ll pay £5 to £8 more for a 64GB drive, and it’s really only once you get to 128GB and above that you start paying the big bucks. 64GB is probably the sweet spot, particularly if you’re not moving massive files ar