Ambipolar carrier transport properties in different phases of a liquid-crystalline photoconductor, 2-(4-octylphenyl)–6-n-butoxynaphthalene, were investigated by a time-of-flight technique. Carrier mobilities were increased stepwise when phase transition took place as the temperature decreased. The smecticEphase in the range of 55–125&hthinsp;°C exhibited nondispersive ambipolar carrier transport with an anomalous high carrier mobility of1.0×10−2 cm2/V&hthinsp;s,while the smecticAphase between 125 and 129&hthinsp;°C had similar carrier transport with a smaller mobility of4×10−4 cm2/V&hthinsp;s.In contrast to the crystalline phase, structural defects in the smecticEphase, which were obvious under microscopic observation with polarized illumination, did not deteriorate the carrier transport properties. ©1998 American Institute of Physics.