14 DAY TRIAL // Someday, makers of portable storage devices and peripherals will move on to USB 3.1 technology, but for now USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are still dominant. Case in point, the HP x710w does not reach beyond the latter.
Not that we expected USB 3.1 to be anything more than underrepresented this year, and maybe in 2016 as well.
While the 10 Gbps potential performance is all well and good, there are few motherboards with that capability so far, and 5 Gbps is already sufficient for hundreds of GB to be transferred through a port at once.
Also, it bears noting that most flash drive units in the world still use USB 2.0 technology instead of 3.0, despite it being capped at 480 Mbps (60 MB).
Considering all, the HP x710w USB 3.0 Flash Drive easily qualifies as one of the best models in the world.
The HP x710w USB 3.0 Flash Drive
This device is clad in metal, which makes it more durable than the majority of its kind, which are enclosed in plastic.
Not that it matters that much unless you stomp on it or run it over with a particularly hard tire or wheel. They are too small and light to ever crash harmfully just because of gravity alone.
However, metal always looks and feels better on a product, smoother and cooler, so PNY gets points for style if nothing else.
The weight is of 6.2 grams, and the full size is a very compact 4.5 x 12.1 x 40 mm / 0.17 x 0.47 x 1.57 inches.
Thanks to the clip on the back side, it can attach to brochures and double as a paper clip in a pinch. It serves as a fashion and status statement all at once as well.
As for performance, it can reach 90 MB/s when reading and 30 MB/s when writing files (on the 64 GB drive at least).
Availability
The HP x710w USB 3.0 Flash Drives should be up for sale soon, if they aren't already, with a 2-year warranty but carrying still unspecified prices. All Windows versions from XP onwards are supported, along with Mac OS: 10.3 and above.