Toshiba’s new TransMemory line (U362) seems to be their attempt to produce a stripped down and inexpensive flash drive. There aren’t really any groundbreaking features with this line, other than the fact that it only costs between $0.63 and $0.55 per GB (16GB model and 64 GB model, respectively). While there are other flash drives available at this price or lower, this line carries the Toshiba name, which has provided the market with some of the best quality flash drives available.
Toshiba’s new TransMemory line (U362) seems to be their attempt to produce a stripped down and inexpensive flash drive. There aren’t really any groundbreaking features with this line, other than the fact that it only costs between $0.63 and $0.55 per GB (16GB model and 64 GB model, respectively). While there are other flash drives available at this price or lower, this line carries the Toshiba name, which has provided the market with some of the best quality flash drives available.
The U362 line features a retractable connector, which is becoming more and more popular these days since USB caps are so easily lost. There aren’t any security features included (a.k.a. no password protection), and the reported performance is pretty slow (120MB/s read and 10MB/s write), so this flash drive would best serve easygoing consumers looking for cheap mobile storage without any bells and whistles.
The TransMemory U362 is available for $9.99, $16.99, and $34.99 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models, respectively. The line carries a 3-year warranty.
Specifications
- Available Capacities
- 16GB (PFU016U-1BRG), 120MB/s read 10MB/s write
- 32GB (PFU032U-1BRG), 120MB/s read 20MB/s write
- 64GB (PFU064U-1BRG), 120MB/s read 20MB/s write
- Connectivity: USB 3.0
- System Requirements
- Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, 8.1
- Mac OS 10.6.6 to 10.10
- Dimensions (LxWxH): 61.9mm (2.44″) x 20.6mm (0.81″) x 10mm (0.39″)
- Weight: 10g (0.35oz)
- Warranty: 3 years
Design and Build
The TransMemory U362 is a basic flash drive, with a slightly boxy shape and a retractable connector. It has a graphite gray finish.
It has Toshiba branding on the front of the drive along with the capacity. The backside has some product information. Overall, Toshiba seems to have spent very little time on the design of the U362, which is fine since this is intended to be a cheaper model.
Performance
In this review, we have included the following comparables from our database of USB flash drive reviews:
Using our HP Z620 Workstation Testing Platform running Windows 8.1, we measured transfer speeds from the TransMemory U362 with IOMeter. When looking at sequential speeds, the U362 posted 31.7MB/s read and 8.3MB/s write. These were the lowest numbers we saw in this benchmark; the TransMemory ID had 33.2MB/s read and 18.1MB/s write while the TransMemory Flash had 101.75MB/s read and 31.93MB/s write..
When switching to random large-block transfers, the TransMemory U362 posted similarly low numbers (31.6MB/s read and 1.45MB/s write). The TransMemory ID posted 31.7MB/s read and 1.31MB/s write and the TransMemory Flash measured 80.71MB/s read with 2.11MB/s write.
Our last flash drive benchmark measures 4k random transfer performance in IOPS. The TransMemory U362 showed a decent performance, posting 1,410.9 IOPS read and 1.7 IOPS write. The TransMemory ID posted 1,366.9 IOPS read and 4.1 IOPS write.
Conclusion
The TransMemory U362 is Toshiba’s latest value drive, providing up to 64GB of storage at around $0.55 per GB. Although there are very few impressive features with this line, it does have a capless design, which is its most notable attribute. It is similar to the TransMemory ID drive in capacity, cost, and performance. The key difference between the two options is retractable cap in the U362.
In terms of overall performance, the TransMemory U362 posted expected numbers. When it is being compared to other versions of the TransMemory family, it seems like a slow device. However, this is intended to provide inexpensive storage for easy-going users. If strong performance is desired, the U362 probably isn’t the right choice.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Retractable design
Cons
- Low-end performance
The Bottom Line
Toshiba’s TransMemory U362 flash drive would be a good choice for everyday consumers looking for a basic inexpensive mobile storage solution.
Toshiba TransMemory U362 at Amazon
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