The PQI i-mini is, in my opinion, a novelty drive. While it is extremely tiny and quite sturdy, it only delivers part of the advantage of a USB 3.0 drive. While read speeds of 80 MB/s are well beyond what USB 2.0 can deliver, which would justify picking the i-mini up, its write performance falls quite short. The drive may manage around 10 MB/s when writing data to the flash, but you may end up waiting quite some time while moving large files around. While USB 2.0 alternatives, like the Patriot Autobahn, are unable to offer similar read speed, their performance is more balanced and costs less. If size is all you are looking for, you may be better off with that alternative. Go for a slightly bulkier drive if performance is a factor, like the PQI Tiffy that delivers much more speed in a very compact unit while also offering the advantage of having an activity LED.

In the end, PQI has created a cool, little drive, but it only delivers on half the promise through its advertised USB 3.0 interface, as users do expect such a drive to deliver not only better read but also better write speed, especially at the price this unit is selling for.