There is a lot of similar terms, so people often get confused or consider the terms as same. Many misconceptions are there between the terms thumb drive and flash drive. A large group of people thinks that there is no difference between a thumb drive and a flash drive as they both perform a similar function. But let me clear it, both thumb drive and flash drive are different from each other.
Thumb Drive vs Flash Drive
The main difference between a thumb drive and a flash drive is that a thumb drive is an extremely hard drive connected by USB. The USB flash drive also connects with a USB port on your port, but it is a solid-state device that means it has no moving parts.
A thumb drive is a small solid-state drive that connects to the USB port which is also called a USB drive. In today’s generation, this technology has become the most common device to transfer files or data from a personal computer or tablet quickly with a small portable device.
A flash drive is a very solid-state, small portable, hard device place into a USB port to store and recover data. Flash drive is also a data storage device that includes flash memory with a combined USB port.
Comparison Table Between Thumb Drive and Flash Drive
| Parameter of Comparison | Thumb Drive | Flash Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | It is a solid-state that connects a tool to the USB port. It can transfer files from personal computers to small portable devices. | It is a hard solid-state device that uses flash memory for retrieval of data and storage. |
| Technology | It is a USB or pen drive, and a solid-state device used to retrieve data and storage. | Flash drive uses the flash memory, meaning a non-volatile memory chip, which can be programmed and erased before it comes into use again. |
| Storage capacity | Thumb drive has the storage capacity of 16, 32, or 64GB versions with three main USB specifications – USB 1.0, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 which allows transferring data at a very quick rate. | Flash drive is a small weighted device that has a thousand times more capacity to store data. |
| Durability | Only a few thumb drives are durable. | Flash drives are durable, and they can withstand the mechanical shock, accidentally fall, and intense pressure. |
What is Thumb Drive?
A Thumb drive is a data storage small portable device that uses flash memory to store data. This device can be erased and reprogrammed before the user uses it again. It is also called a USB drive or pen drive. A Thumb drive is a small electronic device that has a shape of a human thumb used to store and transfer data from the user computer to another USB drive.
Thumb drive uses three standard USB specifications, 1.0,2.0 and 3.0, which allow transferring files very quickly. A thumb drive can transfer the store data from the computer with the help of the connector. One of the excellent examples of this technology is the USB wifi adapter. It is a larger hard disk commonly used in the computer, a solid-state thumb drive with no moving parts.
What is Flash Drive?
A flash drive has a higher performance option than the hard disk drive or compact disks with the high storage capacity ranging from 512 GB to 1 TB. A modern flash memory drive can access like hard disks in which the control system can have full control over how the information is stored. It is a solid portable state drive that can be used as a solid substitute for CDS and HDDs.
It can be further used for store and backup data from one to another location. Flash drives have no moving parts, and they are strong enough to withstand mechanical shock, accidental fall, and intense pressure.
This is a device which has no movable parts; it contains a combined circuit chip that is used for store data. It usually has plastic or aluminium casing near the memory chip. Every computer will be alerted that the flash drive has been inserted, and the content of the device will appear on the screen.
Flash drive can also be used in an android phone or connected one to an iPad or iPhone. It can be written and rewritten to multiple numbers of times, just like the hard drives. These drives have completely replaced the floppy disk, and they have nearly replaced the CD, DVD, and BD disc for storage purposes.
Main Differences Between Thumb Drive and Flash Drive
- Both the thumb drive and flash drive are used for transferring and storage for the data.
- Thumb drives are pen drives or USB, which are used to retrieve data; on the other hand, flash drives are small integrated chips that can be electronically programmed and erased before they are used again.
- Thumb has the storage of 16, 32, or 64GB versions with three main USB specifications – USB 1.0, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 which allows transferring data at a very quick rate. On the other hand, flash drives are generally useful or come in use for digital cameras, USB flash drives, and solid-state drives.
- There are many thumb drives available in a market but only a few are long-lasting. On the other hand, flash drives are long-lasting, and they can stand the accidental fall, mechanical shock, and intense pressure.
Conclusion
As the main differences between a thumb drive and a flash drive are pointed out, we can tell that they have different sizes and features, and It is very difficult to tell which one is better.
Both thumb drive and flash drive are very useful today as more work is done on the computer. As a flash drive has more storage capacity, in my opinion, it is better than a thumb drive.
References
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4734222/
- https://arxiv.org/abs/1512.08986