Chaintech Apogee Astro And OCZ Enyo

Chaintech Apogee Astro A101

The world of portable storage applauded when Walton Chaintech announced the “world’s smallest USB 3.0 flash drive” last winter, but finding one hasn’t been so easy. Unlike the “paper launch” products of last winter, Chaintech has actually produced a few of these, has maintained its product page, and is continuing its efforts to ramp up full-scale production. As we await retail availability, today’s test can be viewed as a preview of the final product.

Our request for a 128 GB model was met with a 64 GB part that facilitates a more rudimentary performance evaluation. We know that some competing models perform better at higher capacities due to increased parallelism in design, but the compact size of this particular model lends itself to the use of higher density—rather than a larger quantity—in the selection of appropriate ICs. Planned capacities include 128 GB, 64 GB, and 32 GB.

OCZ Enyo 128 GB

A company that advertises higher transfer speeds for its two highest-capacity models, in fitting with the idea of increased parallelism mentioned above, OCZ was more than happy to send its Enyo with a 128 GB capacity, as we requested.

Available in capacities up to 256 GB, the Enyo’s 4.7” length is approximately twice that of traditional thumb drives, while its 2.2” width approximates that of a credit card.

Pocketability is emphasized by the design’s scant 0.4” thickness, though the added cable might require a second pocket. The USB 3.0 “Micro-B” connector is also compatible with the narrower “Micro-B” connector of the previous generation, easing access to data if the correct cable is lost.

The Enyo package includes the drive, cable, information pamphlet, and decorative sticker.