Kingston MobileLite G4 USB 3.0 Memory Card Reader FCR-MLG4

Introduction

The Kingston MobileLite G4 is a compact USB 3.0 reader/writer for SD and microSD cards. It supports UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards. It also has a dedicated microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC slot that supports UHS-I. UHS-II is the new SD Version 4.0 specification that uses a second row of pins. On full size SD cards this means a total of 17 contacts. These extra contacts are located in a second row behind the standard row of nine contacts to allow reverse compatibility.

The metal exterior of the MobileLite G4 provides a modern appearance and is substantial enough to provide some durability. Its body and plug appear to be formed from a single piece of metal.

The reader fits snugly in the USB port and cards slide smoothly and easily into and out of the reader. The result is you can insert and remove cards with one hand without touching the reader, something we were not able to do with the side-loading Transcend RDF5. When fully inserted, the SD card protrudes 5/16 inch (8mm) from the end of the reader as shown in the photo above.

The body of the G4 reader overhangs the USB plug by about 3/8-inch (10mm) to each side which could possibly block adjacent USB or other slots depending on their orientation. However, the 9mm height of the reader makes it short enough to clear most ports positioned above or below it.

Unlike most readers we tested, the G4 has no card access light. At first glace, holes on each corner might appear conceal a light, but these holes appear to be intended to attach a key chain or strap using a string or wire (not included).

Performance

The MobileLite G4 attained some of the highest sequential read speeds for many of the UHS-I SD cards tested. Sequential read speed is the most important benchmark for a card reader used in a digital photography workflow where large files will be transferred in series. Read speeds of UHS-II SD cards were not quite as fast as those seen using Lexar UHS-II readers, but still significantly faster than UHS-I.

It should be noted that only the full size slot supports UHS-II. When UHS-II microSD cards are tested, they are used in a UHS-II microSD to SD card adapter to attain the highest benchmarks. When UHS-II microSD cards are used directly in the microSD slot, they revert to UHS-I speed (up to 104MB/s).

Reader: Kingston MobileLite G4 UHS-II
Benchmark: CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64
Program settings: 1000 MB, 5 passes, random test data
Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K @ 4.40GHz
RAM: 32GB DDR3 1600

Using UHS-I cards, the highest read speed recorded using MobileLite G4 was the SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s 64GB UHS-I SDXC card which reached 98.5 MB/s read. The highest UHS-II speed was achieved using the Toshiba Exceria Pro 32GB UHS-II card which reached 248.3 MB/s read speed. UHS-II cards provide an obvious speed advantage when downloading images.

Recommendation

The MobileLite G4 is relatively inexpensive, durable and fast. It recorded some of the highest UHS-I speeds with nearly every card tested. Its metal exterior provides a solid feel and overall build quality is high. If you want a compact card reader, the MobileLite G4 should be a top consideration.

The G4 reader is compatible with Windows Vista (SP1, SP2), 7 (SP1), 8 and 8.1 as well as Max OS X v 10.6.x+ and Linux c 2.6+. The reader has a 2 year warranty. Assembled in China.

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