The Best Portable SD Card Readers (And Why You Should Own One)

Upgrade your storage without having to upgrade your phone or computer with a portable SD card reader.

One of the most significant cost factors when buying a new computer or cell phone is storage. This can be a difficult decision because knowing how much storage we need isn’t always clear and upgrading storage aftermarket isn’t always possible. Thankfully, there are ways to get around your units’ small storage size without having to spend hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars on a new computer, laptop, tablet or cell phone. SD cards can be used to transfer data, act as external storage, and double as a backup for important files, photos, videos, and music folders. For photographers, they’re also the most commonly used format for storage in DSLR cameras. To use your SD card to its fullest potential, you’ll need a portable SD card reader, which is easy to set up, simple to use, has multiple functions and is much less expensive than purchasing a new phone every time you reach your capacity on photos. Don’t delete those cute pics of your dog. Get an SD card reader instead.

Android phones typically have SD cards inside them as memory storage, making it easy to remove the SD card and use the portable SD card reader to download photos, music and videos to your computer or an external hard drive (you’ll still need a computer to make the transfer), then delete the files from the SD card and insert back into the phone to free up storage.

iPhones do not have SD cards for their internal memory, but with a portable SD card reader, an adapter can be used to connect to the iPhone and transfer files to the SD card or MicroSD card to act as external storage.

Most digital cameras use SD cards as storage, and if your camera doesn’t have WiFi capabilities, a portable SD card reader is a must-have to transfer your pictures from your camera to your computer or phone.

SD cards differ from external hard drives because they have solid-state memory and no moving parts. That makes them much smaller physically than an external hard drive, measuring only 0.4 inches thick, which is excellent news for anyone who wants to be able to travel with extra memory or not add any bulk to their computer or phone case.
While some computers and laptops come with SD card readers, not all do. The portable SD card readers we’ve included below easily connect to any USB hub and can read SD cards and in some cases Micro SD Cards. With multiple slots, some readers also allow for card-to-card transfer, the ability to read and write on two cards at the same time, and more.

Find out which portable SD card reader is best suited for your needs below.