Which term is used for small, highly portable storage media that are commonly used today?

The correct answer is USB flash or thumb drive. This term refers to small, highly portable storage devices that can easily connect to computers and other electronic devices via a USB port. USB drives are known for their convenience, speed, and capacity to store data ranging from a few megabytes to several terabytes, making them ideal for transferring files and backing up data.

While external hard drives can also hold a substantial amount of data and are portable, they are generally larger, bulkier, and typically require their own power supply, distinguishing them from the more compact and easily portable USB flash drives. Floppy disks, once popular in the 1980s and 1990s, are now largely obsolete due to their limited storage capacity and compatibility with modern systems. SATA drives, referring to a type of internal hard drive interface standard, are not portable and are intended to be installed inside computers rather than used as external storage options.