Kingston DataTraveler Flash Drives

As one of the top manufacturers of USB flash drives, it's no surprise that Kingston offers a wide variety of USB flash drives under their DataTraveler label. Not only do they have a ton of choices for the discerning consumer, they also have some exotic options like ultra-encrypted USB flash drives for the enterprise and government market, and USB 3.0 drives for those who want fast drives.

Today, we are going to take a look at Kingston's latest USB 3.0 flash drive targeted at the performance market - the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 (DTU30G3). Here are the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3's key features :

Large Capacities - Large storage capacities of 32 GB and 64 GB.

Fast - Supports faster data transfer rates of up to 150 MB/s (read) and 70 MB/s (write) for USB 3.0.

Compatible - Fully compatible with both USB 3.0 as well as USB 2.0 ports and hubs on both Windows, Mac and Linux platforms.

Stylish - Attractive solid metal capless design complements Mac products and other stylish mobile devices.

Guaranteed - With a 5-year warranty and free technical support.

As you can tell from its name, it is the third-generation model of the DataTraveler Ultimate family of performance-grade USB flash drives. Its predecessors, the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 (DTU30) and the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Gen. 2 have impressed us with their performance. We expect the G3 to do no less. Let's take a look at how it racks up against a slew of other USB flash drives!

Packaging

The Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 flash drive was packaged in a plastic clamshell. Oh, how we hate such clamshell packaging. They are great for display and theft prevention, but absolutely horrendous to open and cannot be reused. If only Kingston would go with easier-to-open blister packs, or improve on the clamshell packaging by adding easy-open tabs or pre-perforated edges.

Until that happens, just remember that rage won't open this package. Take a deep breath and count to ten. Then take the biggest pair of scissors you have and have a go at it!

Once you break open the clamshell, you will find the following items :

• the Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Generation 3 USB 3.0 flash drive,
• and, a mini-lanyard, and
• a cardboard backing contains warranty and usage information

Size Comparison

We compared the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Gen 3 with the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Gen. 2, the DataTraveler Elite 3.0 and the Kingston DataTraveler 2.0.

Without the keyring, the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 is about the same size as the DataTraveler Elite 3.0, just slightly thicker and much heavier. Despite its heft, it is actually slimmer than the DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Gen. 2.

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