We get it, the cloud isn’t for everybody. It can be a little unnerving thinking about all of your photos and videos floating around in internet space. Some people like to have a physical storage device they can see, touch and feel, and the peace of mind of knowing that they are the only ones (physically) that can get to it. That’s the beauty of an iPhone USB drive.
There’s a good chance that if your phone is over a year old, you probably have thousands of pictures and videos on there. Before you know it, your phone is completely maxed out on storage. An iPhone flash drive is one of the most convenient ways for non-cloud believers to transfer photos from their iPhone to another device. One end goes in your phone to quickly dump your photos and videos, and the other end — usually a USB 3.0, USB-C or both — connects to your computer. See, pretty simple, and 100% tangible.
These little iPhone USB drives can be especially useful if you have an iPhone, but your computer or laptop is a PC, since you don’t the ability to Airdrop your photos or video from device to device. Plus, these flash USB drives are relatively inexpensive and travel well.
No matter how advanced and protected the cloud is, the best way to keep your stored files safe is on a physical drive. It’s that simple.
Here are our recommendations for the best iPhone USB drives:
1. SanDisk 32GB iXpand USB Drive for iPhone
BEST OVERALL
The SanDisk iXpand is available in a wide variety of storage options including 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. Its flexible connector makes it protrude a little less when connected to your phone as you can fold the USB end around the back, which is kind of nice. It’s compatible with iPhone 5, 6, iPhone SE as well as iPad Mini 4, Pro 12.9 and iPad Pro 9.7.
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2. iDiskk Apple USB Drive 128GB
BEST OVERALL
This versatile iPhone USB drive has four different pin connectors to easily transfer what is on your iPhone to newer and older computers. The pins include two USB type-C connectors, USB 3.0 and a lightning connector for your iPhone. There’s a wide variety of storage options ranging from 32GB all the way up to 512GB. And there’s a wide variety of file formats it is compatible with making it an overall well-rounded iPhone USB drive choice.
3. HooToo iPhone USB Drive
PASSWORD PROTECTION
Available in both 128GB and 256GB capacity, this iPhone USB drive is MFI certified to work with your iPhone. But this flash drive goes beyond drag and dump storage. You can password protect the contents of the flash drive with iTouch encryption and your pin code. The other end is a USB 3.0, so if you’re looking to transfer photos and videos to a new MacBook, you’re going to need a USB-C dock.
4. Eatop USB 3.0 128GB USB Drive
THREE-IN-ONE
With a lighting connector for your phone, as well as a USB 3.0 and USB-C connector, you can transfer photos and pictures from your iPhone to both new and older computers. It writes relatively quickly too with 30MB of writing speed at up to 80MB of read speed (when connected to a computer). And it includes encryption software to password protect anything you store.
5. iDiskk 512GB Photo Stick for iPhone
LARGE CAPACITY
In that rare occasion when you max our the storage on your new iPhone, a large capacity iPhone USB drive such as the iDiskk 512GB can be a game changer. It encrypts your files, so the contents on your flash drive will remain safe and secure, and it has enough storage to completely wipe your phone of all its photos and videos. Big things come in small packages.
6. Babggu iPhone Flash Drive 128GB
GREAT DESIGN
Although it’s only a flash drive, this one actually sports a little style in its design. A slider moves the pin you want in and out of the body making it a rather compact drive. And it comes with a USB-C extension for newer computers. If you have a rose gold iPhone or Mac, you’ll appreciate the matching finish on the iPhone USB drive.
7. Sunany Flash Drive 128GB
MULTIPLE DEVICE COMPATIBILITY
We know this is a roundup for iPhone flash drives, but even if you decide to make the switch down the road from iPhone to Android, this flash drive has you covered. It has multiple pins including one for your iPhone, Android, USB for your PC and even a USB-C pin. And the pins slide into the body of the flash drive making it extra compact when not in use. It comes in both 128GB and 256GB storage capacity to fit your storage needs.
8. Apple MFI Certified 128GB Photo Stick for iPhone
BEST FOR KEYCHAINS
This MFI certified iPhone USB drive has read speeds up to 80MBPS, and supports all Apple devices that have a lightning port. It has a protective casing that shields whatever end is not in use. The shield has a little ring at the top which lends itself to quickly snap onto your key ring so you have this trusty iPhone USB drive whenever you need it.