(Image credit: Raspberry)
- 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 lifespan
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 features an expressive design with an aluminum enclosure 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.
Sustains 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 it maintains sustained performance even under heavy I/O activity.
Benchmarking this type of configuration proves challenging, which is why the quoted figures 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 failures, surviving tens of thousands of random power cycles under intermittently intensive workloads.
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
The device also supports SSD-style SMART health reporting to monitor its lifespan and supports TRIM operations to maintain performance over time.
It automatically enters low-power USB 3.0 states when idle, minimizing energy consumption.
The 128GB variant delivers 16,000IOPS for random 4kB reads, 21,000IOPS for random writes, and up to 75MB/s sequential write speed.
The 256GB version achieves 18,000IOPS reads, 22,000IOPS writes, and 150MB/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 delivers storage flexibility similar to SSDs or standard hard drives without sacrificing portability.
The device also features a durable enclosure that resists physical damage and a small attachment hole that allows the drive to attach to a keyring or similar accessory for safety.