- The Raspberry Pi Flash Drive offers 128GB and 256GB high-speed options
- Sequential performance reaches the maximum bandwidth of USB 3.0 briefly
- SMART reporting and TRIM support help maintain performance and longevity
Raspberry Pi fans have a new storage option that combines a compact design and high capacity in a single device.
The Raspberry Pi Flash Drive has an expressive design with an aluminum housing and a subtle Raspberry Pi logo.
This flash drive is a compact USB 3.0 device built specifically for Raspberry Pi enthusiasts, offering both 128GB and 256GB storage options.
Maintains USB 3.0 performance
Like many high-density NAND flash storage solutions, it uses a small reservation of pseudo-SLC cache to improve performance during bursty write workloads, streaming data to slower QLC flash in the background.
This approach allows sequential write speeds to reach the maximum USB 3.0 bandwidth for short periods while maintaining sustained performance even during heavy I/O activity.
Benchmarking this type of configuration proves challenging, which is why the numbers listed reflect sustained write speeds when the cache is fully committed and read speeds measured with an empty cache.
The drive has undergone extensive testing to ensure it withstands sudden removal or power failure and survives tens of thousands of random power cycles under intermittently intensive workloads.
The device also supports SSD-like SMART health reporting to monitor its lifetime and supports TRIM operations to maintain performance over time.
It automatically enters USB 3.0 low-power modes when idle, minimizing power consumption.
The 128 GB variant delivers 16,000 IOPS for random 4 kB reads, 21,000 IOPS for random writes and up to 75 MB/s sequential write speed.
The 256GB version achieves 18,000 IOPS reads, 22,000 IOPS writes and 150 MB/s sequential writes.
Both models use a USB 3.0 Gen1×1 interface with a Type-A connector and support the USB Attached SCSI Protocol, with fallback to USB Mass Storage.
The drive can store, transfer or back up data, and it can also run operating systems and other Raspberry Pi distros directly.
This provides storage flexibility similar to SSDs or standard hard drives without sacrificing portability.
The unit also features a durable enclosure that resists physical damage and a small attachment hole that allows the drive to be attached to a key ring or similar accessory for security.
The Raspberry Pi Flash Drive is available now from Raspberry Pi authorized resellers for $30 for the 128GB version and $55 for the 256GB option.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
