Acer USB C SD 4.0 Card Reader, UHS-II Micro SD Card Reader USB C Supports Dual Card Reading, 2-in-1 Memory SD Card Reader Adapter for iPhone 15 fo...

I have two small design issues which I'll discuss in a minute, but otherwise I'm impressed. The card reader works perfectly. It comes safely in a box with instructions (not really sure why) and a warranty card, and accepts SD and microSD cards. I had no issues connecting it to my (android) phone and using it instantly; transfer speeds were fast and it seems to work flawlessly. It's small, attractive, and seems well built. The lid that covers the USB port snaps on tightly and doesn't seem like it will fall off (though it could get lost if you put it down and forget - there is no tether). As far as design goes: My first issue is that there's nothing to cover the card slots, so over time they're guaranteed to get dust and gunk in them. There is a cap to cover the USB C connector, but nothing to cover the slots. That's probably standard for card readers, but still seems like a shortfall on something that will likely get tucked into a pocket most of the time. My second issue is that I ordered this to be able to use with my phone, rather than a computer, and the reader doesn't connect securely to my phone with the case on it - that's due to my rugged case more than the card reader, and probably most people aren't using these with phones, but it would be nice if they had taken phone case thickness into account with the design.

I like that this has a metal housing that feels durable and hefty, unlike my other versions made of light plastics. The SD and microSD cards slot in securely without any jiggling or looseness. I tested using CrystalDisk 8 for read and write speeds. Unfortunately, my SD and microSD cards are not the latest and fastest versions, especially my SD card. I decided to test my microSD in both slots to confirm that both slots perform similarly, which they do. My only nitpick is that there is no graphic on the casing to indicate which way the cards slide in, so there's some trial and error. But the cards will only slide in one way; the metal contacts of the cards will always face inward. Each slot receives its own drive letter assignment, so it's possible to copy/transfer files from on card to the other. It comes with a removable protective cap that is also metallic and matches the reader, which is a nice addition. The slide in/out USB ports on other devices is convenient, but I think that's not going to be as durable or robust over time. For the build quality, materials, ease of use, consistent performance, and reasonable price, this earns a full 5 stars.

I got this to see if it would replace a pink Transcend TS-RDF5R USB 3.0 reader that I've been using since 2016. Pink is my favorite color. But, unfortunately, the color of this reader is not the beautiful pink shown in the reference photos. This is more of a mauve (for example, "opera mauve"), but it really depends on the lighting. So I suppose it's sometimes "pink", but to me the color could have been better. Device insertion is tight, yet because only a small area touches the computer it still does not feel solid and wiggles around when I'm trying to remove it. It feels like I'm about to break it every time I try to take it out... quite concerning! I can also imagine it accidentally being bumped and wrecking the reader or the computer's USB C port. If the wider plastic portion had sat flush against the computer it would have been a lot better. The cap snaps on (orientation doesn't matter), but the snap is not very satisfying compared to the Transcend; hopefully I don't lose it. There is no power or usage indicator light. For a larger data transfer it'd have been really nice to be able to look over and see at a glance whether it's done or not. This was not a promised feature, but having some kind of indicator LED is so common in other readers that it feels like a strange oversight. For example, they could have had a cute pink light shine through the white end. Due to the width (3cm empty, 4cm with an SD card), it will block an adjacent port on either side. On my laptop it overlaps half of the USB 3 port next to it (or the whole port with an SD card inserted). I don't have any super fast cards, but they were fast enough to prove the Acer a winner vs the Transcend. My fastest full sized SD card gave a 43MB/s sequential write with the Acer. My fastest overall was a microSD card, the Samsung Pro Endurance 128GB (U3, V30). With that card I was getting a nearly 61MB/s sequential write with the Acer, however the Transcend was only giving me a 36MB/s write. For a bargain-oriented card like the Samsung 32GB EVO Select microSD, they both gave a 34MB/s sequential write, so the card itself seemed to be the limiting factor. Besides speed, another thing the Acer does better than the Transcend is in keeping things cool. The Transcend would get extremely hot, to the point where I'd worry that it could be negatively impacting the card. But, I never have felt any heat buildup with the Acer.

The first reader I got was faulty but the second one works great with my Lexar SDXCII writing to my computer at max 240 MB.sec