Most microSD playing cards are quick sufficient for enhancing cupboard space and making easy file transfers, however some present just a little extra worth than others. Should you’ve received a tool that also accepts microSD playing cards — whether or not it’s a gaming handheld, a touch cam, a drone or an Android pill — we’ve scoured the market and put greater than a dozen prime contenders by means of a lot of benchmark exams. You’ll find our prime suggestions under, alongside some normal buying recommendation earlier than you seize one.
Desk of contents
-
Finest microSD playing cards of 2025
-
What to search for in a microSD card
-
How we check microSD playing cards
-
Different notable microSD playing cards
-
Latest updates
Finest microSD playing cards of 2025
What to search for in a microSD card
Capability
The very first thing to determine when shopping for a microSD card is how a lot cupboard space you want. Fashionable playing cards are normally accessible in sizes starting from 32GB to 512GB, with a number of fashions now accessible in 1TB or 1.5TB capacities as effectively. The primary 2TB playing cards from main manufacturers have began to reach in current months as effectively, which is thrilling, however these are nonetheless pretty uncommon (and really costly) by comparability.
For many, a 128GB or 256GB mannequin ought to be a candy spot between value and cupboard space. However for those who want extra room — say, for stashing a bunch of video games on a Steam Deck — a 512GB card or higher may make extra sense and sometimes gives a greater cost-per-GB ratio. Today, yow will discover an honest 128GB card for round $15 or much less, 256GB card for lower than $30 and a strong 512GB card for lower than $40 (with quicker fashions priced just a little larger). There’s a starker improve if you go as much as 1TB playing cards, which frequently value nearer to $100, although we’ve seen some fall into the $70 to $80 vary inside the final yr. The primary wave of 2TB playing cards are an excellent larger leap: the 2TB SanDisk Excessive, for instance, is priced at $200.
Word {that a} microSD card’s efficiency might differ relying on what capability you purchase. SanDisk says its 128GB Excessive card delivers sequential write speeds as much as 90 MB/s, for instance, whereas the higher-capacity fashions in the identical line provide as much as 130 MB/s.
After we discuss microSD playing cards at the moment, we normally confer with playing cards that use the microSDXC (eXtended Capability) customary, which have a capability between 32GB and 2TB. Your machine must help this for it to work with a microSDXC card. This can virtually by no means be a difficulty today, however some older gadgets (a Nintendo 3DS, for example) are solely suitable with microSDHC (Excessive Capability) playing cards, which vary from 2GB to 32GB.
Learn and write speeds
MicroSD playing cards are primarily judged on their learn and write speeds, that are normally measured in megabytes per second (MB/s). Usually, most microSD playing cards have quicker learn speeds than write speeds.
These metrics can then be damaged down into sequential and random efficiency. Sequential learn and write speeds matter if you’re attempting to entry or save lengthy, fixed streams of knowledge, corresponding to opening a big video or copying an enormous batch of recordsdata from a PC. If you wish to use a microSD card for media storage, that is notably necessary. Random efficiency, in the meantime, is about how rapidly a card can learn and write small recordsdata scattered all through the machine.
Since random learn/write speeds are a lot decrease than sequential ones, storage machine makers have a tendency to not promote them as loudly. However they’re necessary for those who use a card with a gaming machine or a single-board pc just like the Raspberry Pi, the place it typically has to quickly save and entry small bits of knowledge in random areas.
Pace scores
Should you take a look at a microSD card, you’ll see a buffet of numbers, letters and symbols. Most of those confer with the cardboard’s pace class and efficiency scores, that are decided by the SD Affiliation.
A card’s Video Pace Class, or V-rating, particulars its minimal sequential write pace, which is particularly necessary when recording video from a digicam. It ranges from V6 to V90. Many of the playing cards we examined had a V30 ranking, so that they have a sequential write pace of no less than 30 MB/s. This ought to be sufficient to help as much as 4K video at decrease bitrates. Increased-rated V60 and V90 playing cards are normally higher for capturing 8K, however they arrive at a a lot larger value.
The UHS Pace Class, or U-rating, additionally refers to a card’s minimal sequential write pace. It is available in two varieties: U3, which mandates a minimal of 30 MB/s, and U1, which is rated for 10 MB/s.
The older Pace Class ranking overlaps with the opposite two methods. It’s signified by a C image and goes from Class 2 to Class 10, with the quantity (once more) indicating minimal sequential write pace. This ranking is much less related these days, however you should still see a “C10” brand on some playing cards.
The Software Efficiency spec, marked by an A logo, is an indicator of random learn/write speeds. That is measured in IOPS, or enter/output operations per second, slightly than MB/s. There are two classes right here: A1 playing cards provide a minimal random learn pace of 1,500 IOPS and a minimal random write pace of 500 IOPS, whereas A2 playing cards bump these as much as 4,000 IOPS and a couple of,000 IOPS, respectively. Each scores additionally assure sequential write speeds of no less than 10 MB/s.
To maintain it easy, most individuals ought to search for a card with V30, U3 and A2 scores. It’s completely potential to get a strong card with out these: A U1 card is likely to be price it for those who simply want an inexpensive, high-capacity possibility, for instance. V60 and V90 playing cards are price a glance for those who’re critical about capturing high-resolution photographs and video as effectively. However total, playing cards with the certifications above ought to present the very best mix of value and efficiency at the moment.
It’s necessary to emphasise that these scores are baselines. Most V30 playing cards provide considerably larger write speeds than 30 MB/s, for example, and a few A1 playing cards can outperform some A2 fashions in observe. The speeds marketed by producers aren’t all the time 100% correct, both: Typically the cardboard can be slower in real-world use, different instances it could truly be a bit quicker.
UHS bus speeds
The opposite spec to notice is the cardboard’s bus interface. Most microSD playing cards accessible at the moment are UHS-I, which have a theoretical most pace of 104 MB/s. There are additionally UHS-II playing cards, which have an additional row of pins on the again and may attain as much as 312 MB/s. (A UHS-III customary technically exists as effectively however hasn’t seen huge adoption.) These are labeled on the cardboard with a Roman numeral I or II.
UHS-II playing cards are normally those with these larger V60 or V90 scores. Should you shoot plenty of 4K to 8K video or continuously use burst mode to seize extremely high-res photographs, the efficiency beneficial properties of UHS-II card can prevent time.
Nevertheless, these are rather more costly than UHS-I playing cards: This 128GB Lexar Skilled Gold mannequin, for example, is a relative cut price at $40. Whereas that is lower than many UHS-II fashions we’ve seen up to now, it is nonetheless greater than double the everyday value of our prime decide talked about under. You want a tool that’s suitable with the UHS-II interface to see any advantages, too, and inventory for UHS-II playing cards is usually spottier. For now, the upper speeds aren’t definitely worth the value premium for most individuals, so we caught principally to UHS-I playing cards with our suggestions.
Absolutely the quickest microSD playing cards you should buy proper now, although, are based mostly on a unique interface known as SD Categorical. This has technically been round for a number of years and now consists of its personal subset of pace lessons, however the gist is that it is a lot quicker than UHS-I or UHS-II: SanDisk’s lately launched microSD Categorical card, which is the primary commercially accessible mannequin we’ve examined, advertises sequential learn speeds as much as 880MB/s. For context, that’s faster than some older SSDs.
It’s a considerable improve that — spoiler alert — has largely held up in our testing, however nearly zero in style gadgets natively help SD Categorical proper now, and once more, SanDisk’s card prices rather more than the very best UHS-I choices. It’s nonetheless potential to make the most of the boosted efficiency with a devoted SD Categorical card reader, however that provides much more to the ultimate value. It’s additionally price noting that SD Categorical playing cards should not backwards suitable with UHS-II (or UHS-III), so for those who attempt to plug one into a tool with a UHS-II slot, it’ll be restricted to UHS-I speeds. Nonetheless, the tech ought to have loads of attraction if extra devices that help the interface do arrive. In addition to SanDisk, Samsung has stated it plans to launch an SD Categorical card as effectively.
A word on card readers and reaching marketed speeds
Whereas the UHS-I interface has a theoretical most of 104 MB/s, some UHS-I playing cards can exceed that pace by means of proprietary extensions. Nevertheless, you want a suitable card reader and host machine to make the most of that additional efficiency. Should you discover a UHS-I card promoting speeds larger than 104 MB/s, that is what’s happening. You’ll be able to see these limits in motion with a Nintendo Change or Steam Deck: Each of these gaming gadgets help the UHS-I interface however don’t transcend its official pace, flattening any sequential beneficial properties some playing cards might have elsewhere. (Variations in random learn and write speeds can nonetheless matter, although.) The identical factor will occur for those who plug a extra highly effective UHS-II or SD Categorical card into a tool that doesn’t settle for these interfaces.
The takeaway: Your microSD card will solely be as quick because the slowest hyperlink in your chain.
Guarantee
Many microSD playing cards are designed to be sturdy, with safety from water, excessive temperatures, X-rays and drops. Nonetheless, in case of disaster, an extended guarantee is all the time good to have. Many producers provide lifetime or 10-year restricted warranties, although we’ve observed that “endurance” playing cards marketed to resist extra hours of writing are normally coated for a shorter time period. For instance, Samsung’s Professional Endurance, a mannequin aimed toward safety cameras and different monitoring gadgets, comes with a five-year guarantee.
Avoiding counterfeits
The reminiscence card market has had a specific drawback with scammers promoting pretend merchandise. To protect towards this, solely purchase from a recognized model and a good retailer corresponding to Finest Purchase, B&H Photograph or Adorama. Should you store at Amazon, solely purchase if the shipper and vendor is Amazon.com. (That stated, a handful of customers have reported receiving counterfeits even from Amazon straight up to now.) Keep in mind: If a value appears too good to be true, it most likely is. Be cautious of any retailer providing considerably a cheaper price than others.
When you obtain a card, test its packaging for any irregularities. You’ll be able to run benchmark exams like CrystalDiskMark or BlackMagic Disk Pace Check to confirm its speeds aren’t drastically decrease than what’s marketed (or potential, given its specs). You can even use software program that’s designed to confirm the true capability and efficiency of your card, corresponding to H2testw and FakeFlashTest.
How we check microSD playing cards
We have put shut to twenty microSD playing cards by means of a sequence of exams to confirm their sequential and random efficiency. These included benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, BlackMagic Disk Pace Check, ATTO Disk Benchmark and AJA System Check, in addition to just a few “real-world” exams. We copied and pasted a small folder of photographs about 1.15GB in measurement to and from every card, then did the identical with a bigger 12.2GB folder containing a number of file sorts and subfolders, timing the method every time. We additionally checked how every card carried out on the Steam Deck, downloading video games of various sizes — together with Stardew Valley, Aperture Desk Job, Steel Gear Rising: Revengeance and Apex Legends — then timing how lengthy it took to launch every sport and cargo save recordsdata.
The place relevant, we used a Kingston USB 3.2 UHS-II reader to check every card on each Home windows 11 and macOS Sonoma. Nevertheless, if a card may very well be bundled with (or is particularly marketed to make use of) a proprietary reader, we primarily examined with that, since we determine that’s the one most patrons will find yourself utilizing. For Home windows testing, we used an Alienware gaming PC with an Intel Core i9-10900F, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. For macOS, we used a 2021 16-inch MacBook Professional with an Apple M1 Professional chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. If a reader couldn’t join over USB-C, we used CalDigit’s TS4 dock to check the corresponding card on the MacBook.
We examined the 128GB model of every card wherever potential, although for just a few playing cards — SanDisk’s Excessive and Samsung’s Professional Plus and Professional Final — we have been solely in a position to check higher-capacity fashions. We additionally reformatted every card earlier than testing with the SD Affiliation’s Reminiscence Card Formatter software.
Different notable microSD playing cards
Samsung Professional Final
The Samsung Professional Final was the closest competitor to the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus throughout our benchmark exams, however it’s tangible worse when it comes to sequential write speeds, sometimes prices extra and doesn’t provide a 1TB possibility. The Samsung Professional Plus is a bit slower for sequential reads, however it’s shut sufficient in any other case and normally simpler to seek out at a cheaper price.
Kingston Canvas Go Plus
The Kingston Canvas Go Plus is a tremendous card and value shopping for over the Samsung Evo Choose if the 2 are ever accessible for a similar value, however its sequential write speeds lagged effectively behind the Lexar Silver Plus and, to a barely lesser extent, Samsung Professional Plus.
Delkin Gadgets Energy
We’ve not used it ourselves, however for those who’re keen to pay for a extra highly effective UHS-II card constructed for heavy-duty video recording, the Delkin Gadgets Energy has examined effectively elsewhere and will ship considerably quicker sequential write speeds than our picks above. It’s one of many few UHS-II playing cards we may truly discover in inventory, however it prices a ton, with a 128GB mannequin usually priced round $80.
SanDisk Excessive
The SanDisk Excessive successfully matched the Professional Plus in just a few of our sequential exams, however that was partly as a consequence of us solely having the ability to safe the 256GB mannequin, which is higher-rated than the 128GB model. It’s a tremendous alternative for those who see it on sale at a good vendor, however it’s broadly slower than our prime decide and sometimes prices extra.
SanDisk GamePlay
The SanDisk GamePlay performs equally to the SanDisk Excessive however prices bit additional as of our newest replace. We couldn’t get it to succeed in its marketed speeds with the corporate’s personal “Professional” card reader or different third-party choices, so it fell in need of our prime picks.
SanDisk Pokémon
The SanDisk Pokémon does outperform its marketed learn and write speeds, however not by sufficient to outpace the Lexar Silver Plus or Samsung Professional Plus. It basically expenses additional for having an image of Pikachu (or Gengar, or Snorlax) on a product you’ll by no means take a look at.
Lexar Skilled 1066x
The Lexar Skilled 1066x is one other OK different to the Samsung Professional Plus if our predominant picks are unavailable, however its sequential reads and random speeds aren’t on par with both Samsung’s card or Lexar’s personal Silver Plus. That stated, it’s price getting over the Samsung Evo Choose for those who see it for a cheaper price, as its sequential write speeds are a lot quicker. It additionally comes with a lifetime restricted guarantee.
SanDisk Excessive Professional
The SanDisk Excessive Professional is a detailed analog to the Samsung Professional Final however, as of this writing, is both unavailable at most trusted retailers or priced too excessive by comparability. The Lexar Skilled Silver Plus has quicker sequential write speeds as effectively.
PNY Elite-X
The PNY Elite-X typically goes for reasonable and wasn’t too far off the random learn/write efficiency of Samsung’s Professional Plus in CrystalDiskMark, however its sequential speeds have been effectively behind our prime picks.
Latest updates
February 2025: We’ve up to date this information with a brand new prime decide: the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus. The Samsung Professional Plus, our earlier suggestion, stays as a runner-up. We’ve additionally added SanDisk’s lately launched microSD Categorical card as a decide for individuals who need absolutely the quickest card potential, albeit with heavy caveats. This is likely one of the first microSD playing cards to make use of the SD Categorical bus interface, so we’ve included extra particulars on what that entails in our “what to search for in a microSD card” part. Lastly, we’ve eliminated our write-up for SanDisk’s Apex Legends card, because it seems to have been discontinued, and included testing notes for a few the corporate’s newer releases.
November 2024: We have checked again with this information to make sure our suggestions are nonetheless correct and made mild edits for readability.
August 2024: We’ve up to date this information to notice the lately launched 1TB fashions for 3 of our prime picks: the Samsung Professional Plus, the Kingston Canvas Go Plus and the Samsung Evo Choose. We’ve additionally made certain all pricing particulars are as updated as they are often.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/equipment/best-microsd-card-130038282.html?src=rss
