Rank #1 in Best 128GB USB Flash Drives: 10 Ranked, and the Write Speeds the Boxes Hide
SanDisk Ultra 128GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The SanDisk Ultra 128GB takes the top spot in this guide because it is the drive whose read and write numbers stay apart. The listing quotes 130 MB/s read and then, in a separate specification field, 80 MB/s write — the split you would expect from a USB 3.0 stick, and the reason it sits above listings that print one headline figure and copy it into both fields.
It is a 128 GB USB 3.0 flash drive, black, priced at £18.79, rated 4.6 out of 5 from 210,343 ratings. The rating bars in the listing split 77 five-star, 16 four-star, 4 three-star, 1 two-star and 2 one-star, which adds up to 100 bars rather than 210,343 ratings — a reminder that the percentages on the page and the review count measure different things. Everything on this page is taken from the Amazon listing: its specification fields, its bullets and its customer reviews. We have not tested the drive, and the numbers below are SanDisk's, not ours.
How those 210,343 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.6 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price | £18.79 |
|---|---|
| Amazon rating | 4.6 out of 5 from 210,343 ratings |
| Rating breakdown (as listed) | 77 five-star, 16 four-star, 4 three-star, 1 two-star, 2 one-star — the bars total 100 |
| Read speed | 130 MB/s |
| Write speed | 80 MB/s |
| Capacity | 128 GB |
| Hardware interface | USB 3.0 |
| Hardware connectivity technology (as listed) | USB 3.0 Micro A |
What buyers actually say
Quoted from customer reviews on Amazon
Verified purchase“Bought this USB for djing as my old one sadly corrupted.Always gone with sandisk as they are high quality and always durable. Can get a-bit hot for what i do. Value for money is very good for something this small and mighty.Speed is very quick when uploading large quantities of music.Overall great little usb with a well protected USB 3.0 port.”
Verified purchase“What can you say about any storage device, well it was good value for money and it has the capacity stated and it works just fine that's about all I can say”
What it is up against
The rivals it was ranked against in Best 128GB USB Flash Drives: 10 Ranked, and the Write Speeds the Boxes Hide.
Questions people ask
What read and write speeds does the SanDisk Ultra 128GB quote?
The listing gives 130 MB/s read and, in a separate specification field, 80 MB/s write. The write figure is not repeated from the read figure, which is what makes this one the straight comparison in the guide.
Why does the same listing claim up to 10x faster than standard USB 2.0?
Standard USB 2.0 runs at 480 Mbps, roughly 60 MB/s, so 10x would be around 600 MB/s — well above the 130 MB/s read speed SanDisk gives for this drive in its own specification field. The two figures come from the same page and do not agree.
Is the full 128 GB available for files?
The listing states a memory storage capacity of 128 GB and does not quote a formatted capacity. One reviewer's summary is simply that it has the capacity stated.
What can I plug it into?
The listing says compatible devices are any device with a USB port, and lists Apple and Android under compatible phone models. Two reviewers describe using theirs with a television.
Does it encrypt files?
Yes. The listing says the SanDisk Ultra password-protects and encrypts private files with SanDisk SecureAccess software.
How has it been rated?
4.6 out of 5 from 210,343 ratings, with the listing's own breakdown showing 77 bars at five stars and 2 at one star.
Comments
Reader comments are not checked against the manufacturer's claims above.
No comments yet
Be the first to add something we missed — a price change, a spec that turned out wrong, or how one of these held up.
Leave a comment
No account needed. Own one of these? Tell other readers how it actually performed.