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SanDisk has announced a new USB flash drive designed for mobile devices, although it’s arguably ahead of its time.
That’s because the SanDisk Dual USB Drive uses a Type C connector, a fledgling standard yet to roll out to the mass market.
It’s widely expected that Type C will one day ship as standard on smartphones and laptops, eventually replacing the current Micro USB status quo.
This particular drive carries 32GB of flash storage, and has built-in connector tips for your usual USB ports, as well as Type C ports.
This means you can just plug in and play, transferring content from devices with ease, all sans cables or adapters. Just not yet…
Analysts predict that we’ll see around 12 per cent of handsets carrying the Type C connector by next year.
It’s likely that flagship devices will be amongst the first to rock the new port, so snapping up SanDisk’s drive now could be a solid investment in your smartphone future.
What’s more, the Type C is also rumoured to be coming to Apple’s still unconfirmed MacBook Air with Retina display.
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So what’s so good about Type C connection? Well the primary advantage for most consumers over Micro USB is the reversible design.
Similar to Apple’s current lightning connector, you can plug in a Type C tip either way up, a luxury not offered with Micro USB.
It can also handle faster transfer speeds than Micro USB, which will come in handy as average media file sizes grow over the coming years.
The 32GB SanDisk Dual USB drive goes on sale globally in Q2 this year, although there’s still no pricing available just yet.