Raspberry Pi introduces the Raspberry Pi Flash Drive. With this USB stick, the company aims to offer transparent performance and high quality, in contrast to what it claims is often found online.
Raspberry Pi notes that those who need a USB stick too often look online for the cheapest option, only to be disappointed by the read and write speeds or, in the case of a shady stick from Amazon, even the effective storage capacity. Against this backdrop, the company, known for its mini-computers, is launching its own Flash Drive.
Performance
The Raspberry Pi Flash Drive is intended to be a reliable USB stick with transparent performance and good value for money. The Flash Drive comes in two variants: 128 GB and 256 GB. The 128 GB version costs 29.95 euros (including VAT), and the 256 GB version costs 54.95 euros. The Flash Drive is available immediately.
Raspberry Pi states that the small model has a sequential write speed of 75 MB/s. For the large version, it is double that at 150 MB/s. The read speed is said to be similar.
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The advertised speed relates to large files. The USB stick is equipped with a pseudo-SLC cache buffer. pSLC flash cells are faster but more expensive than QLC flash. The cache buffer accepts write commands at a higher rate and then writes data to the QLC memory. Raspberry Pi points out that the 75 MB/s and 150 MB/s refer to the write speed to the QLC storage, regardless of the buffer speed. For smaller files, the experienced speed will therefore be much higher.
The stick supports USB 3.0 and has a USB-A connection. Raspberry Pi says it has extensively tested that data is retained, even when the stick is removed unsafely. It is said to be very robust and can hardly be destroyed due to the aluminum housing. A small hole at the back makes it possible to attach the Raspberry Pi Flash Drive to a key ring. The more technical enthusiasts will appreciate the inclusion of SMART parameters.
Exceptionally banal
The Raspberry Pi Flash Drive stands out because of the banality of the product. A USB 3.0 Type-A stick with a write speed at the level of an entry-level hard drive is hardly a groundbreaking product. The company mainly notes that the market is currently so saturated that it is difficult for a consumer to buy such an average USB stick with guaranteed performance. With this model, the technology company mainly wants to put its raspberry-shaped quality stamp on a simple storage medium, which makes it interesting.