Amateur Photographer verdict
The PGYTech CreateMate High-Speed Mini is a clever little device that combines a card reader with storage for spare memory cards. It’s neatly designed and works well, with fast file-transfer speeds.
- Small and easy to carry
- Quick file transfer speeds
- Clever card status indicators
- Built-in USB-C cable
- Very affordable
- Nothing to speak of
The PGYTech CreateMate High-Speed Mini Card Reader Case is a neat little device that’s both a memory card reader and a card storage case. It has independent reader slots for SD and micro-SD cards which can both be used at the same time, with each supporting UHS-II type cards. For connection to a computer, tablet or smartphone, there’s a USB-C connector. This supports USB 3.1 Gen 1 for transfer speeds up to 312MB/sec, which is as fast as SD cards can go.
PGYTech CreateMate High-Speed Mini at a glance:
- $30 / £35
- UHS-II SD and micro-SD card reader
- 1 SD and 3 micro-SD storage slots
- USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 312MB/sec)
- 60 x 63 x 19mm (excluding cable)
- Available in black or white
- pgytech.com
Press the small button that releases the hinged lid, and you’ll find both the card reader slots, and additional storage for one SD and three micro-SD cards. These storage spaces all have their own indicator switch, which you can set to black for clean cards, and red for used ones. Cards slide in and out smoothly and are held in place by grippy rubberised pads, so they won’t fall out by accident.
In addition, the two reader slots are designed so they fully enclose their cards, which means you can also store cards inside them. That makes two SD and four micro-SD cards in total.
A USB-C cable is built-in, so you’ll never have to go scrambling to find one, as with some other designs. The connector itself snaps into a slot in the housing, where it’s locked in place by a sliding switch, with the cable then forming a short loop. This design allows you to clip the device onto a bag strap or loop, giving easy access to your spare cards.
I have to say I was suspicious of this design at first, as it seems like a recipe for disaster, risking damage to the cable and possibly lost cards too. But the cable has a tough braided plastic coating and the device weighs very little, so I think it should survive just fine. At 63 x 60 x 19mm (excluding the cable), the device won’t take up much space if you prefer to keep it inside your bag.
PGYTech CreateMate High-Speed Mini key features:
- Card storage: There are three micro-SD and one SD card storage slots, but you can also store one more of each in the card reader slots
- Card status indicators: Small switches beside each card can be set to black or red, to indicate whether it’s clean or used
- Connection LED: A small status LED lights green when the device is connected to a computer
- Cameras supported: With its SD and Micro-SD slots, the device supports most current cameras – including mirrorless, DSLRs, compacts, drones, and action cameras
That USB-C connector is still a standard size, and it plugged happily into my various devices. However, the angled cable does mean you need to be judicious in your choice of ports. With my iPhone, it fits through my Peak Design Mobile case, which has a notoriously thick ‘chin’ that can cause problems with many USB devices.
Looking at transfer speeds, the CreateMate Mini is at least a match for my other USB-C card readers, delivering sustained read speeds of about 200MB/sec to my Windows 11 laptop’s internal SSD. To be clear, that’s not to say it’s incapable of ever meeting its specified speed – just that my setup doesn’t get there.
If you have a camera that uses CFexpress cards, PGYTech still has you covered, although at a price. It offers the PGYTech CreateMate CFexpress/SD Card Reader in versions for both Type A and Type B cards. This is a rather larger, chunkier ruggedised device that comes in black or green and costs $100 / £100.
PGYTech CreateMate High-Speed Mini: Our Verdict
The PGYTech CreateMate High-Speed Mini Card Reader Case is a nicely designed little device that does its job well, without any fuss. Despite being more than just a simple reader, it’s not too bulky, and not very expensive either.
Even if you just use a camera that takes SD cards, it’s really neat. But it’ll perhaps be most useful if you also use devices that employ micro-SD cards, such drones or action cameras. Either way, it’s easy to recommend.
