Flash drives are replacing optical storage media. However, good high-speed flash drives with a decent amount are quite expensive. Nevertheless, most users prefer branded devices at "frantic" prices. Say, the quality is better. However, you can find drives from lesser-known manufacturers with the same characteristics, but twice as affordable. We will consider the cheapest flash drives that can only be found (mainly on "Ali"). But first, let's talk about how to choose the right USB drive.
How to choose a flash drive?
What should you pay attention to first of all? Of course, the speed of reading and writing. And only then deal with the size. It is worth noting that the USB 2.0 standard has already exhausted itself and is outdated. Given the current size of some files, the data transfer rate provided by this interface is not acceptable. Now USB 3.0 is more relevant. Yes, and he is preparing to retire. Nevertheless, the best flash drives use this particular standard. How much does the cheapest USB 3.0 flash drive cost? It depends on its volume and manufacturer. But approximately the price tag starts with 500-600 rubles. But not in Russia.
So, what should a good flash drive write and read? The optimal speed when using the USB 3.0 interface is from 60 megabits per second for reading and 35 megabits per second for writing. If it is smaller, then this means that the flash drive does not comply with the USB 3.0 standard and should not be purchased. Now about the amount of memory. You can find drives with different sizes of storage, but it is not recommended to purchase devices with a memory capacity of less than 16 gigabytes. In modern realities, the volume of 8 gigabytes does not mean anything. And now we will consider the cheapest flash drives from various manufacturers that can be found on Aliexpress.
Wansenda WSD D300 32 GB
An excellent drive from an almost unknown manufacturer with a capacity of 32 gigabytes. The speed of reading information from this drive is 80 megabits per second. Acceptable result. The write speed is 40 megabits per second. It's not bad too. Such a recording speed means that a 4 gigabyte movie will be recorded to this drive in about a minute and a half. This is called the USB 3.0 standard. And this is the cheapest flash drive for 32 GB in the vast "Aliexpress". Its cost does not exceed 900 rubles. Cheaper only for nothing. At the same time, the seller has a huge number of positive reviews about drives from this brand.
DM PD068 32 GB
Another 32 gigabyte flash drive from a little-known manufacturer originally from China. The seller has options with memory from 16 to 128 gigabytes. And the prices are quite adequate. The cheapest flash drives from this manufacturer (16 gigabytes) cost 800 rubles. And our hero on 32 GB costs about 1100 rubles. But he is worth his money. So, the real read speed of this drive is 100 megabits per second. Excellent result. But the write speed is 35 megabits per second. A four-gigabyte movie is recorded on a USB flash drive in a minute and a half. Excellent result. In general, there are a lot of such drives on Aliexpress. It is only necessary to find them among everything else.
Samsung Mini 64 GB
The originality of this “Samsung” raises serious doubts. But that's not the point. Our task is to find the cheapest USB flash drives with decent speed in the open spaces of Aliexpress. And this is one of the cheapest models with 64 gigabytes of space. Presented drive provides a read speed of 130 megabits per second. This is an incredible result. The write speed of this flash drive is 35 megabits per second. A 4 gigabyte movie is recorded in 1 minute and 50 seconds. Not bad. And doubly good, if you know the price of this device. It does not exceed 1,500 rubles. It is the 64 gigabyte version. It’s impossible to find anywhere cheaper. With such a speed.
DM PD021 64 GB
Another drive from DM. But this time with a capacity of 64 gigabytes. It provides a linear read speed of 100 megabits per second. And the write speed to the drive is 35 megabits per second. Normal characteristics for such a cheap flash drive. The price of the drive does not exceed 1200 rubles. Now you know exactly where the cheapest flash drives are. On the "Aliexpress". You only need to be able to find them. However, this is not all. In the vastness of the Chinese retailer there is still much interesting. Let's consider other options.
Lalakie USB 3.0 64 GB
USB drive from a virtually unknown brand. However, this flash drive can accelerate when reading data up to 90 megabits per second. Files are written to it at a speed of 35 megabits per second. Good result. A film in HD quality will be recorded in one and a half minutes. At the same time, the drive has a sturdy case and high build quality. Even though made in China. The cost of the drive does not exceed 1300 rubles. This is a normal price. In Russia, such a flash drive would cost several times more.
Wansenda D101 32 GB
And this is a USB-OTG standard drive. It can be used both in PC and in smartphone. The volume of the flash drive is 32 gigabytes. It has USB at one end and micro USB at the other. Thus, it can be easily used in mobile devices that support OTG technology. The drive provides a reading speed of 60 megabits per second. The write speed is 35 megabits per second. Average results. But a movie in HD will be recorded on a USB flash drive in a minute and a half. And the price of this universal device with a memory capacity of 32 gigabytes does not exceed 1100 rubles. Cheaper only for nothing.
SSK SFD223 32 GB
Stylish USB stick from SSK (whatever that abbreviation means). He cannot boast of particularly high speeds, but it costs no more than 900 rubles. The volume of the flash drive is 32 gigabytes. Linear reading speed - 34 megabits per second. The write speed is 25 megabits per second. A four gigabyte movie will be recorded to this drive in two and a half minutes. Not so long. This USB flash drive cannot be attributed to a full-fledged USB 3.0 standard. Here is a cross between 2.0 and 3.0. But the price is appropriate.
Eaget U90 32 GB
A flash drive of an unusual shape from an unknown manufacturer. In this device, the emphasis was on design, not speed. The volume of this drive is 32 gigabytes. Read speed from a flash drive - 40 megabits per second. The speed of writing to the drive is 25 megabits per second. An HD movie is recorded on this device in three minutes and forty seconds. Not very impressive result. But the user has an original design and a good price. The cost of a flash drive does not exceed 1000 rubles. Apparently, such a price tag is precisely because of the design. If it weren’t for him, the price would have been even less, since the technical characteristics of the drive are not very good.
Conclusion
So, above we considered the cheapest flash drives that can only be found on Aliexpress. Only models with a decent amount of memory were considered. If the number of gigabytes is not important, then you can find it even cheaper. Only with a smaller volume. The cheapest flash drive for 1 GB was not considered, since such a volume in modern realities is good for nothing. It is better to purchase drives with storage of 16 gigabytes or more. Then this flash drive can be used at least somehow.