Transcend JetDrive Go 300S Lightning / USB 3.1 Flash Drive Review

TweakTown Rating: 90%

Our Verdict

Transcend's JetDrive Go 300S has proven itself in my eyes as a high performance and reliable solution for those wanting to backup their Apple iOS mobile device.

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On the go flash drives have become increasingly popular as our storage needs continue to grow quicker than smart device manufacturers can design new devices. With all this data being moved on a day to day basis, storage vendors like Transcend have taken things into their own hands producing hybrid flash drives with many different types of connection, dependent on its intended platform.

The JetDrive Go 300S is an iOS or Lightning flash drive that happens to have a Type-A USB 3.1 connection on the opposite end. Transcend marketing is throwing numbers at us that allow this drive, even in its 32GB capacity we have in the lab, to reach 130 MB/s read. Additional capacity options include a 64GB and 128GB model with color options of black or silver.

Operating system compatibility includes Windows XP through Windows 10, while the Macintosh side includes support for OS 9 and beyond. For smartphones, you're definitely going to need a Lightning connector, so that includes the iPhone 5 through the 6s Plus along with iPad 4th generation and on and iPod 5th gen and forward.

The MSRP of the 32GB Transcend JetDrive Go 300S comes in at $44.99 with a two-year warranty.

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Packaging carries a good deal of information including capacity and performance to the left. Along the bottom, we have compatibility and to the right several use cases.

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The back side gives specifications of the drive along with compatible operating systems.

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The scope of delivery is rather simple with the drive and warranty card.

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This drive has a thin aluminum body with Transcend branding. Capacity is listed at the Type-A connector end of the drive.

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Above, we have the Gen 1 USB 3.1 port, otherwise known as USB 3.0.

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To get things started, we need the JetDrive Go app from the store.

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I'm not sure what Transcend used as a platform because I haven't seen any other app laid out in this manner, but it's simple and very easy to use.

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For those wanting to back up their device, this is rather easy as you can simply choose what to backup and the destination and click backup.

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I have had a good amount of these OTG flash drive come through over the past year or so and the JetDrive Go, apart from the iKlips, is the quickest overall drive.

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Price/Performance stands out as the JetDrive Go 300S takes tops honors in this category for iOS solutions.

After receiving the 300S a few weeks back, I have been using it as a weekly backup solution for my iPhone just to get a feel for how the drive, on a daily basis, interfaces with my life. I can say I'm quite happy with the build quality as this drive has successfully made it in and out of the cab of a tractor many times being dropped in the dirt and run over by a bean drill and it's not even IP6x certified. With that said, I did lose the caps for both ends within a week of using it.

Performance, as seen in testing, made this the quickest iOS solution to come through TweakTown and adding in its price metric only strengthens its resolve as this drive its tops on that chart as well for iOS.

The application for this drive is very easy to use. I'm happy that Transcend went a different route opting to make their own app and not rebrand the Photofast app that everyone else has. Overall, while the MSRP at $44.99 for the 32GB model puts this drive a touch over 1$ per GB, and there are cheaper options on the market, with its performance taken into account, there is no better solution for iOS as of today.

Tyler's Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS Z170 Premium - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: Intel Core i5 6500 - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Memory: Klevv CRAS 16GB (4x4) DDR4 3000 - Read our review
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• OS Storage: Intel 730 480GB SSD - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Secondary Storage: Intel 750 400GB U.2 SSD - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Case: Thermaltake P5 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 1200 - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 - Buy from Amazon