Lexar creates a Janus device that presents two faces to USB connectors
Many tablets and phones, these days support a standard called OTG or USB On-The-Go. It's a standard that allows a USB port to flip direction, allowing USB devices to work as if they were plugged into a PC. By inserting a flash drive you can augment what storage you device includes, and it's generally easier/faster to connect up a flash drive to the PC to transfer documents you can access later on the phone or tablet.
OTG cables that convert from regular USB to the Micro-B standard used on mobile devices cost pennies, so what special does the M20 bring to this party? Lexar has cleverly redesigned this flash drive to give it a USB blade for both standards. This, of course, allow you to use it with a mobile device without the need for an OTG cable.
That's convenient, avoids misplacing the cable, and changing mode is a as simple has pushing a plastic slider across. I tested the M20 on a PC with a USB 3.0 port, and found that it can be rather snappy for what's an inexpensive product. Read speed is around 140MB/S and write speed is a decent 40MB/S. Those with a chipset that supports Turbo mode can see 166MB/S reading and about 42MB/s writing. Oddly, that's better read speed than Lexar quotes, but slower writing.
There is, however another twist in this tale, regarding the M20's performance. As quick as this device can be with a USB 3.0 enabled PC the same isn't necessarily true at the mobile end of this equation. That's because the Micro USB port is a variation USB 2.0 specification and so hobbled by the specifications of that interface. There isn't anything Lexar can do about this, because that deal was done when Micro USB was chosen as the de facto standard for mobile devices.
Being realistic this isn't a huge issue, because most people won't be moving data over the OTG connect, instead they'll be accessing music or video to playback. If it was poor at the PC end, then that would be more of a problem, but it isn't.
My only real complaint about the M20 is the sliding mechanism, which doesn't move as smoothly as we would have liked. It friction locks at either end to avoid the blade disappearing back inside on insertion, but the force needed to unlock it can be excessively high. I can see that breaking at some point in the future, as it's only plastic.
Beyond that one point this is a useful item that performs better than I'd anticipated for the price, and has a decent amount of storage capacity. Lexar also make a cheaper 16GB model and a 64GB option for those who like to carry more content.
If you have an Android tablet/phone with OTG mode that needs some extra storage space and no MicroSD card slot, then this is a cheap way to solve that immediate problem. Mark Pickavance
A handy flash storage device ideal for OTG Android users.
Overview
• Transfers files between mobile devices without cables or wi-fi
• Designed for use with On-The-Go (OTG)-enabled Android tablets and smartphones
• USB 3.0 performance (up to 120MB/S read and 55MB/s write)
• Retractable 2-in-1 design with a micro-USB and USB 3.0 connector
• Compatible with both PC and Mac systems
• Backwards compatible with USB 2.0 devices
• Three-year limited warranty