Review – Is your iPhone or iPad running out of storage space, or do you want an easy way to transfer files back and forth from iPhone/iPad to your laptop? PNY DUO LINK is a flash drive with a built-in lightning interface and USB-A interface, so it can be plugged into your Apple device and computer. It can even be used as a charging cable. let’s see.
What is it?
PNY DUO LINK is a charging cable and flash drive, specially designed for iPhone and iPad with lightning interface. It can be used for fFree up space on your iPhone and iPad by transferring photos, videos, etc. to DUO LINK and then to your computer.
What’s in the box?
- PNY double link
- Quick start guide
Design and features
When unfolded, the length of the DUO LINK USB-A/Lightning cable is slightly more than 6 inches.
It is equipped with a plastic clip to keep the cable folded, more compact, and easy to travel and store. The cable itself feels sturdy, with a thick rubber covering and aluminum ends.
PNY DUO LINK provides 64GB or 128GB capacity. Therefore, it is more than just a cable that can be used to transfer files back and forth between mobile phones, tablets, or computers. It is also a flash drive that can save files.
I used iPhone 12 Pro Max and 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 to test PNY DUO LINK.
If you know something about the 13-inch MacBook Pro M1, you will know that it does not have a USB-A connector. For this reason, I must use a dongle to connect DUO LINK to my MB. PNY DUO LINK will not plug directly into my 11-inch iPad Pro, because it has a USB-C connector instead of a lightning connector. I think it would be more useful if PNY DUO LINK had interchangeable USB-C connectors and USB-A and Lightning connectors on both ends. This way it can be easily used with iPhones, newer iPads and MacBooks.
application
To use PNY DUO LINK on iPhone or iPad, you need to install the DUO LINK 4 application. This application is a utility for copying files to/from the internal storage of DUO LINK. It is also used to backup iPhone or iPad.
The DUO LINK 4 application has a basic file manager interface, you can use it to browse images, music, documents and video files on your mobile device. The application allows you to copy single or multiple files to transfer to/from the device and to/from DUO LINK.
There is also a backup and restore function, but please note that it will only back up photos, videos, music and contacts, nothing more. It will not back up your device settings or applications.
Please also note that flash drives cannot be used with other file manager applications on the iPhone. It will not show up as an available external storage source.
I tested DUO LINK to copy files between my iPhone and DUO LINK without any problems. I also tested playing video files stored on DUO LINK on the iPhone without any problems. Backing up contacts also works fine.
Backing up photos and videos from my iPhone to PNY DUO LINK is very slow, and the app doesn’t even tell me how much space the files need. It just started this process, and then around 40%, it crawled slowly, and it took an hour to reach 50%, at which point it collapsed due to lack of space.
what do I like
- An easy way to copy photos, music, videos and files from iPhone or iPad
- You can watch videos or listen to music directly from the device
What will i change
- Need to have a USB-C version on both ends
- Need a more powerful file manager and backup function
- Allow other file manager programs to recognize the flash memory
- You need to check if there is enough space for a full backup before starting the backup
Final thoughts
PNY DUO LINK is a well-made flash drive for iPhone and old iPads with lightning ports. It provides a set of basic functions, including the ability to charge the device when plugged into a laptop, and the ability to transfer media files between DUO LINK and a mobile device or between DUO LINK and a computer. You can also play video and music files directly from DUO LINK to your mobile device, and you can back up media files and contacts (if you have enough space!). If you are looking for the ability to back up everything on your mobile device, you need to look elsewhere.
Price: $34.99
Where to buy: Amazon
source: The samples for this review are provided by PNY.
