Review: Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B/SD USB 3.2 Gen 2 Card Reader
Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B/SD USB 3.2 Gen 2 card reader Media card readers play a huge role in the lives of photographers, videographers and content creators. They hold a pivotal position in the whole creative process. Data transfer can be a huge hurdle at times if it is not handled with finesse. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of potent and efficient data transfer tools. Lexar is one brand that has been known for providing hardware solutions for creatives from time to time. In this review, we will be discussing one such product from Lexar, the CFExpress Type B/SD USB 3.2 Gen 2 Card Reader.
Keep reading to know more.
Lexar Professional CFExpress Type B/SD USB 3.2 Gen 2 Card Reader
Model | RW520 | ||
Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | ||
Connector | USB Type-C | ||
Performance | Up to 1050MB/s CFexpress Type B memory card transfer speed | Up to 312MB/s (UHS-II), 170MB/s (UHS-I) SD memory card transfer speed | |
Operating Temperature | 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F) | ||
Storage Temperature | -25°C to 85°C (-13°F to 185°F) | ||
Dimensions | 98mm x 60mm x 22mm / 3.85” x 2.36” x 0.86” | ||
Weight | 128g / 0.28lbs | ||
Systems Supported | Mac OS 10.8+ | Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP | USB 2.0+ port |
Warranty | 2-year limited warranty | ||
Accessory | Includes both a USB Type-C to Type-C cable and a USB Type-A to Type-C cable |
The moment you hold this card reader in your hands, you can easily tell that Lexar put a lot of effort into differentiating from other card readers in the market that look and feel rather flimsy.
The card reader has a rubber grip at the bottom to prevent it from slipping or changing position due to movement or nudges.
The card reader has a dedicated CFexpress Type B card slot and one dedicated UHS-II SDXC card slot. The reader utilises the 10 Gb/s USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 standard which allows users to download high-resolution photographs and videos at faster speeds. This includes raw 8K videos, as per company claims.
The CFexpress Type B slot features sequential read speeds that go up to 1050 MB/s and sequential write speeds that go up to 1000 MB/s. Coming to the SDXC slot, it delivers sequential read speeds of up to 300 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 260 MB/s when working with UHS-II cards. For UHS-I cards, the speeds go up to 170MB/s.
As far as connectivity options go, When working with UHS-I media, sequential reads top out at 170 MB/s. This card reader features a USB-C interface and connects to your host system using either an included USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to USB-A cable.
The card reader is fairly easy to use and works well. The reader connects two ports in one terminal, one port is for CFExpress Type B cards and the other for SD cards. The company claims to offer users USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds to drastically increase workflow speeds but that hugely depends on the system you would be using.
During my usage, CFExpress cards worked well with decent transfer speeds while UHS-II SD cards did fluctuate in speed while transferring data.
One thing that really stood out about the Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B/SD USB 3.2 Gen 2 card reader is that the manufacturer is offering a limited 2-year warranty. Take it from someone who works with card readers on the regular, a 2-year warranty is a boon.
This is simply a great tool for photo and video professionals. I have been using other media card readers like the Transcend RDF8K2 USD 3.1 for a long time and holding the Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B/SD USB 3.2 Gen 2 card reader, I could tell that this product was far superior to any card reader I’ve used so far.
The build quality alone was enough to assure me that this product was worth the price tag of INR 11,900 (on e-commerce sites). The rubber grips at the bottom of the reader impressed me. Card readers are light in weight as it is and keeping them in place is a major problem while working. The grips aid in keeping the card reader in place.
In addition to that, if you’re someone who appreciates a well-designed product on top of functionality, you would appreciate the detailing on the Lexar LRW520U-RNBNG as it is immaculate. Apart from performance, what makes it so different from all the other card readers is definitely its build quality.
Coming to performance, the product turned out to be very reliable and easy to use, two attributes that are a must for a professional content creator. Transfer speeds are good and getting the data from the cards to the system and getting them ready for editing is all taken care of in one smooth flow.
The box also comes with accessories. You get a USB Type-C to Type-C cable and a USB Type-A to Type-C cable included in the box of content. The Lexar reader itself has a Type-C port while users have the option of using either of the two cables. This is one more thing that impressed me. While my Transcend RDF8 still uses a USB Type-A port, the Lexar LRW520U offers an updated option.
It would have been even better if it had a micro SD card slot. This is also one place where the Transcend RDF8 has an advantage. This would have put it at the very top in the card reader hierarchy in my opinion along with a minor bump in the price tag.
Nonetheless, the Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B/SD USB 3.2 Gen 2 card reader is one for the pros. The attention to detail, spotless performance and undisputable build quality all combined put it in a league of its own.
