Type C charging ports on Android smartphones are becoming the new norm – they allow for faster charging and faster data transfers. So if you have, or are planning to get, an Android phone with a Type C port, the Php 999.00 Transcend JetFlash 890S is a must-buy and will replace your old USB OTG drives (with micro USB male ends) as your bring-anywhere storage stuffed with old photos, see and see again movies, music that rights your mood, and work files.
The Good
It’s tiny and slips into any pocket, unlike some old USB OTG’s out there. And the “stopper” near the Type C male end is ergonomic (your thumb naturally positions itself on it) so that inserting the JetFlash 890S into an Android phone or computer’s port, as well as pulling it out, are convenient.
Any Android smartphone (we tested this on Lollipop and Marshmallow) will quickly detect the JetFlash 890S. There’s no need to download any app (unlike with an iOS external flash drive) that will serve as interface-file-browser.
It’s simple and fast to transfer files from PC to the JetFlash 890S and back. It gets detected by an Android device just as quickly as it does by a PC or Mac. File transfers from a computer to the 890S is fast due to being USB 3.1 compatible. Transfers from Android phone to the 890S is also fast because it’s Type C compatible.
You’re no longer hostage to the default internal storage allotment of your phone or the max limit of your micro SD card. 32GB is a lot of space when you’re taking about backing up your phone’s photos, videos, contacts, call and SMS history. So if you’re phone’s internal storage and micro SD card are nearly at their limit, or you don’t want them overstuffed, the JetFlash 890S is a good option. You can free up your phone’s storage of old photos, and items you rarely check, to both speed up your phone and make room for more current pics and videos and apps.
Above: We used the Cherry Mobile M1 to test the JetFlash 890S.
As per Transcend’s own estimations, the JetFlash 890S can store 15,616 (2MB JPEG) photos, or 176 hours of standard videos, or 8 hours of full HD videos, or 8,000 (4 minute, 128kb/s) songs. Naturally, it will be up to you how many files you’d like to bring along with you.
It’s media consumption / work files mini library. You can fill up the JetFlash 890S with your favorite movies, music, eBooks, etc. to kill time when on a long commute or on vacation. Alternatively, you can store it up with work-files so you can check them on the fly (on your Android phone) without having to boot up a PC or laptop.
The JetFlash 890S can be inserted into an Android device with a Type C port and is REVERSIBLE.
Fast friend-to-friend file sharing. While we’re now in the age of NFC and WiFi Direct (which are ways to transfer files from two Android phones in close proximity), it’s still more convenient and faster to copy files from Android to Android via USB OTG flash drive. You can hand over the JetFlash 890S to a friend and he can copy files (either from his Android phone or computer) that you can later access on your Android phone or computer.
The Maybe Bad
Because it’s tiny, you might lose it. Attached to someone else’s phone, that person might forget to return your JetFlash 890S to you. Attached to the side USB port of a laptop, you might overlook it since it doesn’t bulge like an old USB flash drive. So remember who borrowed it, and at whose laptop you left it with.
The small protrusions on the edges of the JetFlash 890S make for good thumb “grip”.
You might lose the cap. We suggest you don’t, because it looks great with it. It really does.
Although the JetFlash 890S has a slit that can take in a small strap to serve as keychain or visual marker, no strap comes with. Of course, you can always buy one.
The Verdict
Buy it. At Php 999.00, it’s a good-looking, sturdy, and stylish external storage for your phone and computer, which work with very fast data read/write speeds for PC (USB 3.1) and Android (Type C). The 32GB storage is nearly overkill if you don’t save a lot of photos and videos on your phone, but seems just right if you want a back up device and on-the-fly storage for both a Type C port Android and any computer.
Even if you don’t have an Android phone with a Type C port, it’s still worth getting the JetFlash 890S. First, Type C Androids are becoming the new norm. Second, it’s so cheap to get a USB OTG cable (P30 at CDR-King) to use between the 890S’s USB end and the micro USB port of old Androids. Third, the file transfer speed between a USB 3.1 flash drive and a computer is better than USB 2.0. And fourth, your future phone might have a Type C port.
The Transcend JetFlash 890S retails for Php 999.00.
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