Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader review: speed reading

Gareth Bevan
·5 min read
Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader on a black leather mat.
Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader on a black leather mat.

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Specifications
Price
Design & Handling
Performance
Verdict

Getting photos and video from an SD card can be tricky. If your computer has an SD card reader, great, but is that reader UHS-I and UHS-II compatible, and will it get the maximum speeds? But what if your computer doesn’t have an SD reader built in? Then you have the added complications of how fast is its best USB port, how fast and compatible is your external card reader, and whether will they work in harmony for the best speeds. And all this isn’t even taking into account the maximum read and write speeds of the card itself.

So you can see how this might be a headache for photographers who just want to quickly transfer and get editing. There are two common solutions, docking stations with multiple ports, and dedicated SD card readers. Anker, a company that is perhaps better known for its charging solutions, offers a range of both, but here I am taking a look at the latter, an SD (and Micro SD) card reader that promises simplicity, compatibility, and super fast speeds, but with so many options on the market, is this better than the rest?

Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader on a black leather mat
Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader on a black leather mat

Anker PowerExpand+ SD Card Reader: Specifications

Anker PowerExpand+ SD Card Reader: Price

For $30, this places the Anker PowerExpand SD card reader around the same price as similar readers from SanDisk and Lexar. Although much cheaper than the more professional aimed readers from ProGrade or SanDisk Professional. However the combined speed limits of your SD cards and computer are going to significantly affect if pricier readers are even worth considering, and for most people this reader from Anker is fast enough.

Anker PowerExpand+ SD Card Reader: Design & Handling

The design is very nice, with a minimalist gunmetal grey body that is smooth and slightly curved, and around one and a half times the length of an SD card. The cable is braided and measures 15cm (6in) with a good flex to it, but it can be a little stiff, and it wants to bounce back to being straight, which can make positioning it a little tricky.

The SD card disappears around halfway into the reader, the slot is tight enough to hold the SD card in with no danger of it dropping out unexpectedly, but there is no push lock or anything fancy like on many a camera SD slot.

One slightly strange design choice is the card goes into the reader upside down. By this, I mean the Anker logo, which is in my mind on top of the reader, but then the card’s label faces down. This is obviously done to fit the internal components in better, but I do keep trying to put the card in the wrong way up.

Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader held in two fingers
Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader held in two fingers

Anker PowerExpand+ SD Card Reader: Performance

The top speed of the reader is theoretically 312Mb/s according to its marketing, however, this proves pretty tough to test, as currently the fastest widely available SD cards have a read speed of only 300Mb/s. I am using the PNY EliteX-Pro90 with a read speed of 300Mb/s and write speed of 280Mb/s as my UHS-II test card, and a SanDisk Extreme Pro with a read speed of 200Mb/s to test the UHS-I compatibility, which are both highly rated cards, although not all cards consistently perform to their advertised speeds.

Testing was performed on an M2-equipped MacBook Pro using AmorphousDiskMark (CrystalDiskMark) and Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. I found that the Anker SD reader could achieve speeds near to the top of each card's performance. I tested the cards on a Sandisk reader as well, and got the same speeds, so this might be limited by the card performance, not the reader. However, the conclusion is that the Anker SD card reader performed admirably, and I am confident I am getting fast and consistent speeds.

Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader held in two fingers
Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader held in two fingers

Anker PowerExpand+ SD Card Reader: Verdict

Despite CFExpress being touted as the new thing, it's important to note that SD cards are still a widely used storage medium and are unlikely to be phased out anytime soon, and the overwhelming majority of cameras feature an SD slot. This makes it all the stranger that many laptop manufacturers seem in a hurry to get rid of the slot to make their devices sleeker, to the detriment of creatives.

With this in mind, Anker offers an affordable solution for those who need to add an SD card reader back to their laptops. The Anker SD card reader not only provides quick and reliable data transfer speeds but also comes in a conveniently small size that can easily slip into a laptop sleeve or bag. For anyone who has experienced the frustration of not having an SD card reader readily available, this reader serves as an excellent go-everywhere solution to SD reader-related inconveniences.

Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader on a black leather mat
Anker PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 SD 4.0 Card Reader on a black leather mat

✅ Buy this if...

  • You are looking for an affordable way to quickly get data from your SD cards.

  • You want a brand with proven reliable quality.

🚫 Don't buy this if...

  • You want a dongle that can handle more than SD cards.

  • You only use UHS-I cards and don't need the fastest speeds.