The Kingston DataTraveler Duo is a new fast flash drive with a pair of useful connectors and a folding mechanism. In this short review, we will look at its features, find out the speed of reading and writing. And we will also decide what it is for and who is it for.
Packaging
The Kingston DataTraveler Duo flash drive was released in late 2020 and is part of the Kingston DataTraveler line. The USB drive is sold in a blister with a plastic window, which is usual for this segment.
Appearance
The Kingston DataTraveler Duo is slightly larger than conventional flash drives. It’s all about two USB Type-A and Type-C connectors, as well as a folding protective structure.
If desired, each of them individually, or two together, can be hidden in a sliding mechanism. Convenient if you put a USB flash drive in your pocket or bag with other things. So the connectors will not touch anything, they will not get tangled anywhere, they will not be scratched, and so on. True, there is still a chance that small debris will fall into them, because they are not closed from above.
The same design does not provide for a cap that is always lost, but there is no place for attaching a rope or for keys, a carabiner and other common places.
Features and tests
Kingston DataTraveler Duo received 57.6 GB of free space. It is convenient to connect it to both regular USB-A and USB Type-C. The model supports USB 3.2 Gen 1.
Ideally, take speed measurements in such a port, but my laptop only has USB 3.1, so put a little on top to the indicators below if you have the latest USB version.
Through CrystalDisk, the results came out as follows: read speed 108 MB / s, and write 28 MB / s.
Then I took a 1.62 GB folder and copied it first from the M.2 SSD to the USB flash drive, and then from it back to the disk.
In the first case, the minimum speed was 7 MB / s, and the maximum speed was 24 MB / s. In the second, the minimum is 34 MB / s, and the maximum is 102 MB / s.
Kingston DataTraveler Duo connects not only to PCs, laptops and other computers. The flash drive works with tablets and smartphones, especially if they have a USB Type-C port. Alternatively, you can connect using an adapter.
In my case, I was unable to measure the read / write speed on my Samsung Galaxy M31s. The smartphone recognized the USB flash drive and worked with it without problems, but neither the A1 bench application nor other similar metering programs saw it.
I can only say approximate speed measurements from colleagues. Through the A1 bench, the DataTraveler Duo USB drive averaged 17.7 MB / s read and 8.2 MB / s write. Of course, this is not a memory card, but the result is quite adequate.
Outcomes
Kingston DataTraveler Duo is a modern USB flash drive for all tasks and with the possibility of universal connection. Its large memory and exFAT file system allow it to quickly write impressive amounts of data and almost as quickly upload it to other devices.
A flash drive is useful as an encrypted key to enter, as an installation flash drive, as a place to store programs in Portable versions, as a means of playing large multimedia on TVs and set-top boxes, as a place for backups, APK libraries, and so on. …
The Kingston DataTraveler Duo is not the smallest USB stick out there. But it looks modern, it is equipped with a movable mechanism for protecting the connectors, however, it is not equipped with places for attaching to various objects. If you already have a flash drive with a similar amount of memory, then it is hardly worth switching to this model. The speed here, of course, is higher, but this is unlikely to be enough to make a purchase decision.
And if you are thinking of upgrading a 4, 8 or 16 or 32 GB “old lady”, want to find a replacement for a lost flash drive or just buy a new one, then Kingston DataTraveler Duo is an adequate option for all cases.
Main characteristics:
Volume: 32 or 64 GB
Connection connectors: USB Type-А и Type-C
USB 3.2 Gen 1 support: there is
Guarantee: 5 years
The weight: 10 g
Dimensions: 64.05 x 21.2 x 10.4 mm
Compatibility: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, Mac OS (ver. 10.10.x +)
Linux (вер. 2.6.x +), Chrome OS, Android
Price at the time of writing this review: from 500 rubles
