Samsung USB 3.0 Mini Flash Drive FIT 128GB
Product Review: The Samsung® USB 3.0 Mini Flash Drive FIT 128GB, model MUF-128BB/AM, squeezes a lot of fast, removable, digital data storage in an ultra-compact design. The FIT package measures only 0.61″ x 0.77″ x 0.34″ and weighs only 2 grams/0.07 ounces.
To protect your data, the tiny, ruggedized and reliable metal-based package, with Samsung 5-Proof technology, is water proof, temperature proof, shock proof, magnetic proof, and X-ray proof. It comes with a 5-year warranty.
Samsung is the global market share leader in NAND flash memory revenue, followed by Toshiba® and SanDisk®.
Price on Amazon® (9/2016): $29.
Read and Write Speed
The drive uses NAND flash memory technology and offers sequential read speed of up to 130 MB/s, allowing users to download a 2.4 GB full HD video or 40 hours of mp3 music in less than 20 seconds. User benchmark tests report sequential write speed of up to 90 MB/s.
Tiny, Portable USB 3.0 Flash Drive
The tiny FIT package is designed for use in transporting data, ultra-slim notebooks, tablet PCs or in automobiles with USB ports. The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 drive is backwards compatible with USB 2.0, but read speed will be much slower, about 30 MB/s, and write speed under 30 MB/sec.
Samsung 5-Proof Technology
Samsung 5-Proof technology guarantees each drive to be
• water proof, withstand up to 72 hours in seawater
• temperature proof, survive operating temperatures from 0°C to 60°C (32°F to 140°F)
• X-ray proof, not be affected by standard airport X-ray machines
• shock proof, extreme levels of shock up to 1,500 g (gravitational force) and
• magnetic proof, can resist up to 15,000 Gauss magnetic force, which is the equivalent of a high-field MRI scanner.
A rugged flash drive has no moving parts and is much more reliable than an external hard drive. With no motor, it also uses little power when operating or idle.
User Reviews
User reviews are very positive, mostly 5 stars. The drive does not come with an end cap, because it is designed to be kept installed in a computer. The low profile eliminates the problem of accidental bumping and breaking with long bar-shaped USB drive.
There is a small hole to attach a lanyard. A lanyard is recommended to help remove the drive from the USB port and to make it easier to find if you drop it.
There is no LED to visually indicate drive activity. Users should use the USB device Safely Remove ejection feature in Windows before removing the drive, to complete writing data and prevent potential data corruption.
Some users report that the device automatically slows down temporarily when transferring a large amount of data at one time, to avoid overheating.
Users were impressed by the fast speed, large amount of data storage in a small device, and affordable price.
We give this product a 5-Star rating.
Data Backup and Data Archive
For data backup and data archiving, the flash drive may be easily stored onsite or as offline backup in a fireproof safe. Data backups should be verified when written, to detect errors. Make multiple backup copies, stored in separate locations, not in the same room. If you have 64 GB or less to backup, you can make a second backup copy on the same drive for redundancy.
Archived data should be checked periodically, monthly, quarterly, or at least once a year, to verify data integrity. Checksums or hash values including SHA256 or SHA512 may be included in the archive, using a checksum/hash generator and file verification program like ExactFile. Data stored on a flash drive might lose a bit due to bit rot, when the tiny stored charge in a bit cell is lost over time due to noise, leakage or radiation.
Once written, data retention on a flash drive can be 5-10 years or more, when stored in a low temperature, low humidity, secure archive. Note: Flash memory wears out after a limited number of write cycles, but is well-suited for data storage and backup. A flash drive is not a replacement for a Solid State Drive (SSD), designed for many write cycles with wear-leveling technology to extend the useful life of the drive. Some high-end flash drives include wear leveling.
As fewer new computers now include built-in optical drives such as DVD® and Blu-ray Disc®, and flash drive storage capacities have greatly increased, optical discs may be replaced with USB flash drives. USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 devices are widely available, making data portability and compatibility easy. But, be careful to scan for malware and use data encryption for security in case a flash drive is lost.
Note: USB 3.0 (released in 2008), also referred to as SuperSpeed USB or USB 3.1 Gen 1 (released in 2013), has a maximum data transfer speed of 5 Gbps. Connectors have a blue insert. USB 3.1 Gen 2 (released in 2013), also referred to as SuperSpeed+ USB, has a maximum data transfer speed of 10 Gbps. Older USB 2.0 (released in 2000) has a maximum data transfer speed of 480 Mbps (0.48 Gbps), but the effective rate for devices is limited to 280 Mbit/s or 35 MB/s.
Update: 2023-04-14 the Samsung FIT flash drive product line, with white plastic, has been replaced by the next generation Samsung FIT Plus® flash drive product line, with black plastic, in a slighter larger, wider package, with read speeds up to 400 MB/s
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