PK K’ablekey flash drive review: A unique and intuitive iPhone storage option

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TA ratings 96iPhones finally matured beyond the 16GB of minimum storage when the iPhone 7 was introduced last year. There are now options for 128GB and 256GB but that may still not be enough for some, or some may just want to move files from iPhone to other devices. That’s where gadgets like the PK K’ablekey come into play. Yes, there are similar devices on the market — you can find any number of them over on Amazon, but the PK K’ablekey does offer a few unique and intuitive options some others don’t have. Read on and find out why the PK K’ablekey is one of our Techaeris 2017 Top Pick Award winners.

Specifications

  • Content security via password
  • Easy file management
  • Supports multiple video files including MP4/MOV/MKV/WMV/AVI
  • Supports multiple photo files including JPG/PNG/BMP/RAW/NEF/TIF/TIFF/CR2/ICO
  • Supports multiple music files including AAC/AIF/AIFF/MP3/WAV/WMA/OGG/MPA/FLAC/Ac3
  • Read speed: USB 3.0, up to 120 MB/s (64GB & 32GB) and up to 100MB/s (16GB)
  • Write speed: – USB 3.0, 20 MB/s
  • 2-year warranty
  • Water resistant with orange boots on

What’s In The Box

  • PK K’ablekey
  • PK memory application
  • Metallic chip for smartphone

https://youtu.be/VmVexg12ExY

Design

I’d categorize the aesthetic design of the K’ablekey as whimsical and fun but also unique and intuitive. Its cylinder shape is a bit pudgy and I do wish it weren’t as thick as it is but it is understandable given the functions it needs to perform.The unit is made of aluminum, plastics, rubber, and of course the cable. I like the extra bit of reinforcement on the bend of the cable where your keyring will most likely rest when on a keychain. This reinforcement will help keep the cable in good shape and protect against the rubbing of the keyring on the cable itself. Pretty smart.

The orange rubber boot covers the Lightning connector and the USB-A connector and when removed are actually two separate pieces. There are also magnets on the inside of each part of the orange rubber boot which I’ll talk about in a moment. After the rubber boot is off, you’ve exposed the connectors and you can pull them apart essentially creating a Lightning cable. Both sides of the connectors also have magnets that keep everything in that cylinder shape when being stored.

Now back to the orange boots with the magnets on their ends. Included in the package is a small metallic chip. This chip has a sticky back for putting on the back of your iPhone or iPhone case. This allows you to remove the boot from the Lightning connector and stick it to the back of your phone to keep you from losing that little guy. It’s a decent solution to a problem that is likely going to happen: losing those boots. While I think it is an acceptable solution, I do think that the boots could inevitably get lost if you’re not careful enough or you don’t use the metallic chip.

Still, the overall design is nice. It’s appealing, unique, and intuitive. While it’s a bit pudgy, it is very portable and easy to take from place to place.

Ease of Use

This is a plug and play device, plugging into a PC or Mac will bring it up just as any other flash drive. You can drag and drop files over from your computer to it so there is little setup to do on the computer side. The phone side is just as easy, you’ll just have to use the PK K’ablekey app which we cover in the next section below.

Software

The PK K’ablekey app is basically a file explorer for the K’ablekey. Since iOS doesn’t offer a way to look through the files on your phone or on any external drive, there needs to be an app attached to the device. The app is basically used to access the files on your phone and the K’ablekey which allows you to either transfer files between the two or view the files on the K’ablekey within the app.

The app does offer some security if you want to keep your files private. The private section is only accessible with the password you set up, while the public section is just always open. When you don’t have the K’ablekey plugged into the phone you’ll be able to see the iPhone’s files with the app. Once you plug the K’ablekey in you can swap between the two on the upper left-hand corner. The app breaks your files down into Video, Photo, Music, and Docs.

The nice thing is, you can load up some movies on the PK K’ablekey and plug it into your phone on a flight and just use the in-app video player to watch them. No need to move the files to the iPhone and I found that super convenient. Overall the app is simple to use, easy to setup and very convenient.

https://youtu.be/AQkicTaNKjE

Performance

PK says you’ll get 120 MB/s with the 32/64GB K’ablekey and 100 MB/s with the 16GB. I didn’t test transfer speed with software but I can tell you a 2.5GB movie transferred over USB 3.0 from a PC external hard drive to the K’ablekey took just under 45 seconds. Keep in mind, your transfer speeds may vary depending on device and USB port. The K’ablekey also functions as a Lightning charge cable so you can charge your iPhone while it’s plugged into your computer. Overall this is a handy performing gadget and probably the best performing iPhone storage device I’ve used.

PK K'ablekey
Fits with a case on

Price/Value

Pricing starts at $64.09USD for the 16GB version and goes on up to $106.83USD for the 64GB version which may be on the pricey side for some. A 32GB version is also available. There are other devices like this on the market but I like the looks and the software much better on the K’ablekey. I do think the pricing could be a little less aggressive, perhaps starting at $59.99USD, but you’ll have to decide if the value is there for you.

Wrap Up

The PK K’ablekey is a great way to give yourself extra portable iPhone to computer storage in a very unique and iintuitive little (pudgy) package.

*We were sent a sample of the PK K’ablekey for the purposes of this review.
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