Kingston 64GB DataTraveler microDuo 3.0 Review by Kirk Spencer

Today we're going to review the Kingston 64GB DataTraveler microDuo 3.0. This little guy is super small and has a trick up its sleeve. The drive measures in at just over an inch. This thing is super portable, easy and light enough to attach to a key chain so you never leave it behind. This USB 3.0 drive has two tips. One of the tips is a regular USB 3.0 tip that you can plug into any old computer. The other tip is a micro USB 2.0 OTG tip which you can plug into Android 4.0+ devices which at the time of writing this is 85.7% of the Android market.

SPEED

We always enjoy seeing how fast USB 3.0 is. Some drives are definitely quicker than others, so let's take a look:

From the results of this ATTO benchmark you can see that our best read speed is just over 100 MB/s. The write speeds were between 60 and 70 MB/s. It's definitely not the fastest we've seen from Kingston, but this also isn't their HyperX line.

This result from CrystalDiskMark paints a different picture and one that is closer to our real world experience. Most of the files I want to have access to on my phone or from my phone are pictures, music and videos. Here's what we got while transferring a video file:

OTG USB

We were super excited to try out the OTG feature with this little drive. To access the micro USB OTG tip you simple pull the black and silver sections in opposite directions. The silver piece pivots and exposes the micro USB OTG tip. It's quite the design but it's not without repercussions

On the surface, I really like the design of this drive. What we noticed is that there's no nice way of plugging it in and leaving the phone on a flat surface. The best option was to hang the phone off the edge. I don't like either option. The first puts pressure on the USB port of the phone which could lead to ruining the phone's USB port. The second option leaves my phone sticking out over an edge which puts it at a higher risk of getting knocked off. I found myself going with the second option most of the time and taking extra care not to bump the phone.

The black piece can be pulled off easily enough; however, it still does not let the phone lay flat due to a bump on the silver piece. For this reason it would still need to stick out off of a surface. The good news is, you have options. A book is easy enough to use and certainly less risk that the edge of a desk.

CONCLUSION

GOOD

The drive is extremely small. It solves a problem for android users of transferring files from phone to computer or even phone to phone. It is reasonably fast read speeds.

BAD

The phone cannot lay flat without putting pressure on the USB port. The write speeds leave some room for improvement.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The drive is only $37.59 off Amazon. For the price and the awesome solution to sharing files between android phones and between phone and computer it's worth it. Don't expect the speeds you would get from a HyperX drive, but it's hard to argue that point when the cost is so low the drive is so versatile.  Based on it's design, features, quality, and performance, the Kingston 64GB DataTraveler microDuo 3.0 has earned our Value Award.  For more info and complete specs, check out their website at www.kingston.com.