PNY Android OTG Adapter review
You'll need a file manager app on your phone, but this is a cheap and easy way to transfer files between devices without a PC
The PNY Android On-The-Go Adapter is a USB to micro USB adaptor for your Android phone or tablet. Taking the form of a small green Android, it provides a quick and easy way to move files from a USB stick or digital camera straight onto your Android device without the need for a PC.
It won’t be suitable for everyone, though, as due to file permission constraints in Android 4.4 KitKat, you’ll need a dedicated file manager app (such as Sony’s File Commander or Samsung’s My Files app) to move files between devices. Third-party file managers no longer work in Android 4.4, so this limits the usefulness of the adaptor if your device doesn’t have one.
However, those that do shouldn’t have any trouble fitting it into your phone or tablet’s micro USB slot because the adaptor’s Android-shaped completely head folds back to reveal the micro USB adaptor, making it easy to slot in no matter how sunken the port is on your respective device. When we tried the adaptor with an HTC Desire Eye, for example, we were able to easily move and copy files between the phone and USB stick, but HTC’s File Manager app only let us move files one at a time. Samsung’s My Files app, on the other hand, lets you move multiple files, which is much more convenient.
It’s not all bad news for non-file-manager app owners, though, because you can still view the files on your device once it’s connected. For instance, when we tested it with a Motorola Moto X (which doesn’t have a file manager), all we needed to do was fire up our Photo Gallery and the files appeared automatically along with the rest of the images on our phone. We just couldn’t transfer them to the phone’s internal storage.
The PNY Android On-The-Go adaptor won’t be good for everyone, then, but at just £5, it’s certainly a cheap and easy way to move files between your various devices. It comes recommended.