SanDisk's tiny 1TB USB stick offers double the storage of a top-spec iPhone 17
SanDisk's Extreme Fit is a USB-C flash drive that ranks among the world's smallest, with a 1TB version priced at $219. It fits almost flush in a port and works with recent iPhones.
With memory and storage prices climbing sharply, SanDisk is offering a compact alternative: the Extreme Fit USB-C drive. The smallest model, with 64GB of storage, starts at around $30, while the largest 1TB version costs $219 — twice the capacity found in the highest iPhone 17 configuration.
The drive is designed to sit nearly flush inside a USB port, a style SanDisk calls 'plug-and-stay.' It measures just 0.73 by 0.54 by 0.63 inches and weighs 0.1 ounces, making it one of the smallest flash drives available.
According to SanDisk, the tiny size comes from a system-in-package (SiP) design with a vertical USB-C connector. Deepesh Singh, the company's principal engineer for systems design, says it's the smallest SiP SanDisk has produced and the first time it has built a vertical Type-C connector. A proprietary interposer circuit board lets the connector sit perpendicular to the SiP, though getting there wasn't easy — Singh says several prototypes kept breaking before the team solved the problem.
In terms of speed, the Extreme Fit isn't in NVMe territory, but it's quick for a USB stick. The 128GB through 1TB models offer read speeds up to 400 MB/s, while the entry-level 64GB drive maxes out at 300 MB/s. Write speeds generally land between 100 and 250 MB/s, which is fine for photos and small files. If you regularly move large 4K video, a dedicated SSD would be a better choice.
The drive is compatible with iPhones that have USB-C, meaning iPhone 15 and later models. For older iPhones with Lightning, a Lightning-to-USB adapter is needed. File transfers can be done through the Files app.
