60W Pocket Cloud is a microSD card reader with 60W USB PD passthrough for your smartphone that works with Android (USB-C) and iOS (USB-C or Lightning) mobile devices, as well as other hosts with a spare USB port.
Once upon a time, smartphone manufacturers would include a microSD card socket in their devices, but those have now become harder to find. If your device’s spare storage is getting dangerously low, you’d need to either purchase cloud storage or connect a microSD card reader to the USB-C port of your phone. The latter works, except you can’t charge your phone when it’s connected. Conner’s 60W Pocket Cloud brings back microSD card storage support to mobile devices, while still allowing USD PD charging during use.
60W Pocket Cloud specifications:
- Chipset – Vinpower iVP309 flash controller chip with 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), SD 3.0 UHS-I, SDCX SD card interface, USB PD support
- Storage – MicroSD card slot up to 2TB, up to 104 MB/s data transfers
- Host interface
- USB Type-C male port or USB Type-C female port via cable
- Lightning supported via an optional USB-C to Lightning cable
- Power Supply
- 5V via a USB port on the host OR
- Up to 60W USD PD charging via USB Type-C passthrough
- OS support – Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS; Linux is likely supported since it’s mostly a USB card reader
- Dimensions – About 50 x 30 x 8 mm
- Weight – 10 grams
- Certifications – MFI certified
Android smartphones must come with an OTG-capable USB-C port for the device to work. When connected over USB-C, the 60W Pocket Cloud can be powered through the host’s battery/power supply or an external USB power supply. When connected over Lightning, a USB power supply is required since Lightning iPhones don’t power accessories. It also works with laptops, mini PCs, single board computers, and other compatible host computers as a card reader with USB PD passthrough.
Besides the hardware itself, Pocket Cloud is supported by Vinpower’s BackupBOT mobile app for Android and iOS, which allows users to back up part of their files (e.g., photos and videos only) or the entire data on their smartphone, play music or videos from the attached “Storage+ USB drive”, or directly save photos or videos to the microSD card.
When I first saw the 60W Pocket Cloud, I thought it was ridiculous, since it just looked like a USB Type-C microSD card reader. However, support for USD PD passthrough made it a bit more interesting, and the mobile app could also be useful. It still doesn’t feel like a sturdy and convenient solution for permanent storage, as it might break or at least become loose when stored in a pocket. You’ll decide.
Conner launched the 60W Pocket Cloud on Kickstarter with a lowly 7,000 HKD ($895 US) funding target. Pledge starts at $19 for the “Starter Pack” reward with the device only, and no cables. The cables can be added for $5 each if needed, and there are also bundles for a lower price per unit. Shipping costs are not included, but are estimated to be between $5 and $15, depending on the destination country. Deliveries are scheduled to start by April 2026.
Thanks to TLS for the tip.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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