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It was not all that long ago that we reviewed a PNY Duo Link flash drive (which you can see here). That one featured both a USB-A and USB-C connection, which covers a wide variety of modern computers, phones, and tablets. But what about if you’re still using an iPhone (or iPad) that has a Lightning connector? Have no fear, PNY has you covered there as well with the PNY Duo Link iOS Flash Drive.
Why would you want this?
That’s a valid question – between growing phone storage capacity and cloud backups, why would you want something like the PNY Duo Link iOS Flash Drive? One, extra backups never hurt. Two, a physical device like this is going to be absolutely the quickest way to move large files (or large quantities of files) between devices.
What’s it like using it?
At this point, using a flash drive should be just about second nature. What’s great is that the first time you plug this into your phone, it pops up and asks you to install the companion app. You could probably get away without using it, but it does bring some additional utility along for the ride. Most notably, it can do a backup of your phone. Yes, your cloud backups will certainly keep you protected, but again – having a second copy isn’t the worst idea in the world, particularly if your phone has lots of important files and photos on it.
Past that app, it’s pretty easy to move files on, read files off of it, and so on, whether you’re on your phone or laptop (and the laptop doesn’t require an app). And once you’ve got those files off of your phone, if you don’t need them there, it would easy enough to clean things up off your phone and get those precious megabytes back. There is a bit of an upcharge for that Lightning connector, so if you’re not deep in the Apple ecosystem, the regular DUO Link would be the better bet. For those of us rocking the older iPhones, though, the $37.99 for the 128 GB version is a safe path to go. pny.com
