Ulanzi DC04 4-in-1 Card Reader SD/microSD/CFexpress A and B, USB-C, Black

The Ulanzi DC04 is a memory card reader with four slots — SD, microSD (TF), CFexpress Type A and CFexpress Type B — and it reads three of them at the same time. Over USB 3.2 Gen 2 it offers a theoretical 240 MB/s on SD and microSD, 700 MB/s on CFexpress Type A and 800 MB/s on CFexpress Type B, so a gigabyte of footage moves across in about four seconds. The aluminium alloy body carries the heat of a long transfer away, the supplied cable has a USB-C end with a slip-on USB-A adapter, and no drivers are needed on Windows, macOS or Linux.

Four slots, three cards at once

One body carries four card slots: SD, microSD (TF), CFexpress Type A and CFexpress Type B. Three of them work together — microSD, SD and one of the CFexpress cards. You no longer swap cards one after another; a whole shoot comes off in a single connection. Type A and Type B are not read at the same time; insert both and Type A takes priority.

Up to 800 MB/s, depending on the card

Each slot has its own ceiling. SD and microSD run at a theoretical 240 MB/s, CFexpress Type A at 700 MB/s and CFexpress Type B at 800 MB/s. A gigabyte of data therefore takes about four seconds. Real speed always depends on the card you use, on the computer at the other end and on the files being copied.

The figures the maker measured

Ulanzi also publishes its own lab results. CFexpress Type B: read from 800 MB/s, write from 700 MB/s. Type A: read from 700 MB/s, write from 600 MB/s. microSD 4.0: read from 200 MB/s, write from 150 MB/s. SD 3.0: read from 160 MB/s, write from 90 MB/s. Each figure names the test card, so you know what it was measured with.

USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB-C and USB-A

The reader connects to the computer over a USB-C port and transfers on USB 3.2 Gen 2. The box holds a cable whose USB-C end carries a slip-on USB-A adapter, so one piece serves an older laptop and a new tablet alike. With a phone or a tablet, the connected device has to support OTG.

Plug in and go, no drivers

There is no software to install. Windows, macOS and Linux mount the reader on their own and the card shows up as an ordinary drive. Two indicator lamps on the edge tell you what is happening: one lights when power is connected, the other when the computer link is up.

A power input for demanding cards

Next to the host port sits a second USB-C connector that works as a power input — 5 V and 3 A maximum. When the computer cannot supply enough current and a card fails to appear or a write does not finish, feeding power into this input settles the transfer.

The aluminium body sheds heat

The shell is aluminium alloy with lengthwise ribs. Metal spreads the heat of a long transfer over the whole surface and carries it away, so speed does not fall off as the reader warms up. It also feels solid and takes ordinary life in a camera bag.

Silicone sleeve and pocket size

The body measures 104 × 63 × 13 millimetres and weighs a hundred grams — it sits in your palm, in a camera bag pocket or in the side pocket of a backpack. A silicone sleeve is in the box; it guards the reader against scuffs and small knocks and leaves the slots and connectors open.