Using a low-cost USB OTG adapter allows Android users to connect legacy flash drives to their smartphones, enabling expanded storage for file transfers and direct video recording.

Key Points

• USB On-The-Go (OTG) adapters bridge the gap between USB-A flash drives and USB-C smartphone charging ports for under $8.
• Most Android devices released in the last five to six years automatically recognize external drives as native storage via the file manager.
• Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI 7.0 or later support recording high-resolution video directly to external USB storage.
• Drives should be formatted as exFAT to avoid the 4GB file size limitations associated with the older FAT32 format.
• Performance varies based on drive speed, with older USB 2.0 hardware potentially causing latency during high-bitrate video recording.

Why it Matters

This simple hardware solution provides a cost-effective way to manage smartphone storage without relying on expensive cloud subscriptions or new device upgrades. It offers a practical, offline method for offloading large media files, which is particularly beneficial for users capturing high-resolution 4K or 8K video.