For years, the humble USB flash drive has been a staple of tech life—carrying files, bootable OS images, emergency installers, or even portable apps. But they’ve often lagged behind in speed, especially when compared to SSDs and portable NVMe drives. Enter the PNY Pro Elite V3—a USB 3.2 Gen 2 drive that sets out to redefine expectations. And in the 256GB version we tested, it very nearly does just that.
Design and build
At first glance, the Pro Elite V3 doesn’t scream “high performance”. It’s compact, minimal, and finished in matte grey with a sliding USB-A connector. There’s no cap to lose, no fiddly covers—just a solid, retractable design that feels like it can take a knock or two. PNY claims it’s shock-resistant, and we’re inclined to believe them after it survived multiple unplanned drop tests onto the office floor.
It’s not metal, but the plastic casing is dense and robust enough to instil confidence. It’s also compact enough to sit flush with most USB ports, without interfering with neighbouring cables or devices. In short: it’s well thought-out and built to last.
Performance
The headline feature here is USB 3.2 Gen 2 performance, and PNY isn’t bluffing. The company promises read speeds of up to 600MB/s and write speeds up to 500MB/s. In our testing, we consistently hit read speeds of 580-590MB/s and write speeds around 480MB/s when copying large files. That’s significantly faster than your average USB stick, and only a hair shy of some portable SSDs.
Real-world use backs this up. A 4GB 4K video file transferred in under 10 seconds. Installing a Linux ISO or loading a large application? It felt instant. Even multiple smaller files didn’t drag down performance as much as we’ve seen with rival drives, thanks to the fast NAND inside.
If you’re moving media, running portable apps, or need a quick-and-dirty external drive for field work, this little thing absolutely sings.
Compatibility and extras
The Pro Elite V3 is plug-and-play, and works seamlessly across Windows, macOS, Linux, and anything else that reads exFAT or NTFS. There’s no bundled software (a plus in our books), and no encryption out of the box—but if you want secure storage, you can easily add third-party tools.
The only slight gripe: it’s USB-A only. That’s fine for most desktops and older laptops, but if you’re rocking a modern USB-C-only setup, you’ll need an adapter.
Verdict
There are faster drives out there—just—but most of them cost considerably more and come with bulkier designs. The PNY Pro Elite V3 hits the sweet spot between price, performance, and portability. It’s fast enough for serious use, small enough to go anywhere, and affordable enough to recommend without hesitation.
For the 256GB model, you’re getting flagship-level USB performance in a device that costs less than a night out. Unless you absolutely need hardware encryption or USB-C out of the box, this is the best flash drive we’ve tested in a long time.
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