HP x796w USB 3.1 Flash Drives product reviews

I find it funny when the actual results of testing show the published specs to be a work of fiction... but it really blows me away when the results are substantially better than the touted maximums. In this case, the data transfer speeds were, in most cases, well above the stated 75MB/s maximum, and closer in action to the specs stated for the larger, faster units in this range. As the testing graph shows, the results were a little erratic in places, but the drive still performed much better than expected.

I found the unit quite comfortable to hold, and the sliding design removed any need for a cap - that little extra we love to hate, because it always seems to get lost. I quite liked the locking mechanism, operated by the thumb or forefinger - depending which way up you hold it - and positioned well for a good action without getting in the way when it came time to plug or unplug the unit from your USB port. The metal shell gave it an extra layer of durability and a touch of added style.

With only 58GB of actual usable storage space, it was on par with most of the rest of the range, but far smaller than I would have liked to have seen. 6GB of space used up on "formatting" is a bit excessive by any standard acceptable these days. Not my favourite from the range, but still a fairly good unit, sure to appeal to the executive element of the market, where style trumps substance, and paying a premium is considered a signal of fiscal endowment.

Overall, while far from rubbish, it's not going to appeal to the majority market due to the higher price tag. Knocking 30-40% off the ticket would give it a lot more appeal and value for money by bringing it in range of its actual peers.