The perfect microSD playing cards in 2025

[ad_1] Most microSD playing cards are quick sufficient for enhancing cupboard space and making easy file transfers, however some present a little bit extra worth than others. Should you’ve obtained a tool that also accepts microSD playing cards — whether or not it’s an older gaming handheld, the brand new Nintendo Swap 2, a touch cam, a drone or an Android pill — we’ve scoured the market and put shut to twenty high contenders via numerous benchmark checks. You'll find our suggestions for the most effective microSD playing cards beneath, alongside some basic purchasing recommendation before you purchase.

Desk of contents Greatest microSD playing cards of 2025 <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none object-cover" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/j7wZPPCbD7rnipTLAWI8Zw--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-02/dc4ed350-edbd-11ef-addf-64a1f3340c3a" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Lexar

Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Pace courses: U3, V30, A2, Class 10 | Guarantee: Lifetime restricted

A very good UHS-I card is fast sufficient for most individuals’s wants, and the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus is the most effective worth of those we’ve examined. Paired with Lexar’s USB card reader, it persistently delivered quicker sequential reads and writes than another UHS-I mannequin throughout our benchmark checks. It’s rated for learn speeds as much as 205 MB/s and write speeds as much as 150 MB/s, each of that are comparatively excessive to start with, however we discovered the latter to achieve into the 180-190 MB/s vary in artificial benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, ATTO and AJA.

Our 12GB check folder wrote to the cardboard in 76 seconds on common, which was roughly 30 seconds faster than the Samsung Professional Plus and Samsung Professional Final, our two earlier high picks. It successfully tied the Professional Final to steer all UHS-I playing cards we’ve tried in studying that check file again to our PC. (That one averaged about 67 seconds, in the event you’re retaining rating at dwelling.) Each Samsung playing cards and some others beat the Silver Plus in some random efficiency benchmarks, although it was nonetheless loads aggressive in that regard. Both means, it has all of the requisite rankings — U3, V30, A2 — and it’s greater than speedy sufficient for working with 4K movies or transferring recordsdata between units with out main delays (as long as you may have a reader and/or host gadget that may allow these max speeds).

The cardboard itself is waterproof with an IPX7 ranking, and Lexar backs it with a lifetime guarantee. Sizes vary from 128GB to a spacious 1TB. The non-obligatory reader — which you should purchase individually or as a part of a bundle — is a bit massive, but it surely conveniently contains each USB-A and USB-C ports, so that you shouldn’t want any dongles to attach it to a cellphone or PC.

What places the Silver Plus excessive is its worth. On the time of writing, a 128GB mannequin is obtainable for $15, whereas the 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants have been going for about $22, $40 and $85, respectively. These aren’t the most affordable costs we’ve ever seen, and the maths will change a bit if you want to think about a card reader, however they both undercut or match rivals just like the Professional Plus, Professional Final or SanDisk Excessive regardless of the Silver Plus being the extra performant card general. So, to recap: It’s quick, it’s sturdy and it’s fairly reasonably priced. That’s the recipe for a simple advice.

Professionals Quickest sequential learn/write efficiency of any UHS-I card we have testedCheaper than many slower alternativesHas a 1TB optionLifetime restricted guarantee Cons Wants USB reader to achieve most speeds (as anticipated) $40 at Amazon (512GB) <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none object-cover" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/JrKEV4Jmr_pLQZzQdH2pkA--~B/aD03MDQ7dz0xMjUxO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-05/99c23d10-f035-11ed-b1ed-27471e15edf2" loading="lazy" height="704" width="1251"/> Picture by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Pace courses: U3, V30, A2, Class 10 | Guarantee: 10-year restricted

Storage costs are inclined to fluctuate, nonetheless, and the Samsung Professional Plus — our former “finest for many” choose — remains to be price contemplating in the event you see it obtainable for a number of {dollars} lower than the Silver Plus within the capability you need. Its sequential learn and (particularly) write efficiency was slower than Lexar’s card throughout the board however nonetheless on par with or higher than almost each different UHS-I card we’ve examined. Its random reads and writes have been typically second to the pricier Samsung Professional Final, however solely by a little bit, so it’s well-suited for a transportable recreation console or another setup the place it’d be requested to entry tiny bits of information scattered all through a tool. It’s held up completely positive in our long-term testing as properly. That stated, the Silver Plus is the higher card when it’s in the identical worth vary, plus Samsung’s has a shorter 10-year guarantee.

Should you do find yourself grabbing one, although, ensure you get the most recent mannequin with learn speeds rated at 180MB/s. An older-generation mannequin with slower sequential reads and random efficiency should be hanging round at some on-line retailers, so keep away from that one. Samsung additionally sells Sonic the Hedgehog-themed variations of the Professional Plus with equivalent efficiency rankings, however these normally price a couple of dollars additional.

Professionals Fast sequential and random speedsReadily obtainable at trusted retailersHas a 1TB possibility Cons Slower than our high choose, particularly with sequential write performance10-year guarantee is not the longest $20 at Amazon <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none object-cover" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/c92sIuIUWYGwUfGt_Aa1Og--~B/aD03MDQ7dz0xMjUxO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-05/5cecb3b0-f036-11ed-9a76-057ae66e2add" loading="lazy" height="704" width="1251"/> Picture by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Storage capability: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB ("new era" mannequin solely) | Pace courses: U3, V30, A2, Class 10 / (64GB) U1, V10, A1, Class 10 | Guarantee: 10-year restricted

The Samsung Evo Choose is a transparent step behind our high picks, notably in the case of sequential write speeds (just below 70 MB/s on CrystalDiskMark). So we don’t suggest it for any form of digicam. Nonetheless, it’s completely usable for easy storage enlargement, and its sequential and random learn speeds have been nonetheless respectable in our benchmarks.

Most significantly, it’s normally cheap: We have beforehand seen the 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB fashions fall as little as $13, $18, $33 and $70, respectively. The latter two capacities might be notably positive values in the event you simply desire a big chunk of house from a good model on a budget. That stated, you need to nonetheless seize the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus or Samsung Professional Plus as a substitute if both one is wherever shut in worth.

Professionals Typically discountedAcceptable efficiency if worth is chief concernHas a 1TB possibility Cons Slower than different high picks, notably in sequential write and random efficiency benchmarks10-year guarantee is not the longest $13 at Amazon <img alt="Image for the large product module" class="mx-auto my-0 size-full bg-white @xl/p:transition-transform @xl/p:duration-300 @xl/p:ease-in-out @xl/p:group-hover:scale-110 @xl/p:motion-reduce:group-hover:transition-none object-cover" src="https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/SJgYQb4A.g4fDZtLkoW.kw--~B/Zmk9c3RyaW07aD03MjA7dz0xMjgwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-02/d3cf80f0-edc0-11ef-bf3e-58ab43b4a17a" loading="lazy" height="720" width="1280"/> Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB | Pace courses: U3, A1, Class 10 | Guarantee: Lifetime restricted

Let’s be clear about this: Until you propose to personal a Nintendo Swap 2 within the close to future, you virtually definitely don't want the SanDisk microSD Specific Card, or another microSD Specific card, simply but. Apart from Nintendo’s new handheld, units that natively help this normal are exceedingly unusual proper now, and this explicit card is very costly, beginning at $56 for 128GB.

As a result of microSD Specific units aren’t widespread but, you will seemingly want to purchase a appropriate adapter to see the improved speeds on a pc, which tacks much more onto the underside line. The SanDisk reader we used for testing, for instance, prices a whopping $112. The reader we used for Lexar’s Play Professional, one other new Specific card, prices $100. At that time, you’re higher off shopping for a transportable SSD in the event you simply need to stash and transfer recordsdata. To additional that time, SanDisk’s card is just obtainable in 128GB or 256GB capacities.

Just a few different Specific playing cards will provide extra room for much less money, however most of these have been both simply launched or aren’t but obtainable; we plan to check them for a future replace. Plus, even in the event you do get a Swap 2, the costs at the moment are in all probability as costly as they’ll ever get. It additionally stays to be seen if the console will even enable for vital efficiency variations between playing cards. So in the event you can maintain out, you need to.

Right here’s hoping the Swap 2 does lead microSD Specific to develop into extra broadly accepted although, as a result of this factor is miles quicker than any conventional card in the marketplace. Sequential reads checked in just below 900 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark and ATTO, which was in step with SanDisk’s 880 MB/s ranking and a good methods above the Lexar Play Professional. Sequential writes topped out round 650 MB/s, proper as marketed. These write speeds solely apply to the 256GB mannequin we examined, although; SanDisk says they will peak at 480 MB/s with the 128GB variant.

Sustained efficiency isn’t all the time on par with these most speeds: With our bigger check file, we seen that write speeds would begin round 530 MB/s then dip nearer to 210 MB/s till the switch was full. Positive sufficient, SanDisk advertises minimal sustained write speeds of 210 MB/s for the 256GB mannequin and 100 MB/s for the 128GB model. (Lexar’s microSD Specific card behaved equally, seemingly as a result of these playing cards’ tiny frames can solely deal with a lot earlier than they should throttle issues down.) Nonetheless, this was fast sufficient to maneuver the 12GB file to the cardboard in 52 seconds on common. It took a mere 20 seconds to learn the file again to our PC. The write check with our smaller 1.15GB check folder, in the meantime, averaged simply 4.5 seconds.

All of it provides as much as a card that is at the least twice as quick as the most effective UHS-I fashions we’ve examined by way of sequential learn and write speeds, with three or 4 occasions the efficiency in some circumstances (notably with the 256GB mannequin). The gulf in random reads and writes was related, and in some benchmarks even larger.

That stated, solely these with a Swap 2 pre-order in place, money to burn and/or a deep curiosity in new applied sciences ought to think about the SanDisk microSD Specific Card proper now. It's a real leap ahead, however you’ll should pay for it.

Professionals Simply the quickest microSD card we have examined, by any metricLifetime restricted warrantyCompatible with Nintendo Swap 2 Cons Units that help microSD Specific apart from Swap 2 are extraordinarily limitedExpensive, and requires a dear reader to attain full efficiency on most devicesOnly obtainable in 128GB or 256GB $54 at SanDisk Different notable microSD playing cards <img class="caas-img caas-lazy has-preview has-width" alt="A red microSD Express card sits on top of a small black microSD card reader, on top of a brown wooden table, next to a white stone drink coaster." src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XVQexZItVCUxyZRu39sXtg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-05/891fc760-3b02-11f0-bd7f-bb5f7d107717" height="576" width="960"/><img alt="A red microSD Express card sits on top of a small black microSD card reader, on top of a brown wooden table, next to a white stone drink coaster." src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XVQexZItVCUxyZRu39sXtg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-05/891fc760-3b02-11f0-bd7f-bb5f7d107717" height="576" width="960" class="caas-img has-width"/> The Lexar Play Professional on high of Lexar's RW540 microSD Specific card reader. (Jeff Dunn for Engadget)

Lexar Play Professional microSD Specific Card The Lexar Play Professional is the second microSD Specific card we’ve examined, and you'll consider it as a "1A" choose subsequent to SanDisk's mannequin. It doesn’t are available a 128GB configuration, however the 256GB mannequin is less expensive at $50, plus it’s obtainable in 512GB and 1TB capacities. It’s quicker in the case of sequential writes, measuring round 720 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark and 700 MB/s in ATTO. It additionally managed to put in writing our bigger check file in roughly 35 seconds in sure runs, which was notably faster than the SanDisk card.

Nonetheless, its sequential reads have been fairly definitively slower — even when they’re nonetheless much better than the remainder of the market — and people are extra vital for decreasing load occasions with the Swap 2 in principle. The improved sequential writes have been additionally considerably inconsistent: Generally it’d take nearer to 50 seconds to complete our real-world check, bouncing between the low-200 MB/s vary and the high-400 MB/s vary alongside the way in which. At that time, it is solely marginally quicker than the SanDisk card. Random speeds, in the meantime, weren't massively completely different, so each needs to be equally adept at retaining bigger video games like Mario Kart World operating easy.

In the long run, the Swap 2 is the one actual cause to purchase a microSD Specific card proper now, and we will’t say for certain how completely different fashions will carry out on that system simply but. The “finest” possibility could find yourself being whichever one is most cost-effective. However, the Play Professional is price grabbing in the event you should purchase an Specific card at the moment and wish greater than 256GB of house.

Samsung Professional Final The Samsung Professional Final was the closest competitor to the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus throughout our benchmark checks, but it surely's tangibly worse by way of sequential write speeds, sometimes prices extra and doesn’t provide a 1TB possibility. The Samsung Professional Plus is a bit slower for sequential reads, but it surely’s shut sufficient in any other case and normally simpler to search out at a lower cost.

Lexar Skilled Gold We have not used it ourselves, however in the event you’re prepared to pay for a extra highly effective UHS-II card constructed for heavy-duty video recording, the Lexar Skilled Gold has examined properly elsewhere and will ship considerably quicker sequential write speeds than our UHS-I picks above. It’s one of many few UHS-II playing cards we may really discover in inventory, but it surely’s expensive, with a 128GB mannequin usually priced within the $35 to $40 vary.

SanDisk Excessive The SanDisk Excessive successfully matched the Professional Plus in a couple of of our sequential checks, however that was partly because of us solely with the ability to safe the 256GB mannequin, which is higher-rated than the 128GB model. It’s a positive selection in the event you see it on sale at a good vendor, but it surely’s broadly slower than our high choose and infrequently prices extra.

SanDisk GamePlay The SanDisk GamePlay performs equally to the SanDisk Excessive however prices a great bit additional as of our newest replace. We couldn’t get it to achieve its marketed speeds with the corporate’s personal “Professional” card reader or different third-party choices, so it fell in need of our high 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 prices additional for having an image of Pikachu (or Gengar, or Snorlax) on a product you’ll by no means take a look at.

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 properly.

PNY XLR8 Gaming The PNY XLR8 is an reasonably priced card that comes with as much as 512GB of house. Its sequential and random writes speeds checked in a little bit bit above these of Samsung’s Evo Choose, plus it comes with a lifetime guarantee. However its sequential reads have been a lot, a lot slower, placing it out of competition.

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. Just like the XLR8, it’s additionally barely above the Evo Choose in write speeds. However its sequential reads have been too far behind all of our high picks, and it not seems to be obtainable in capacities above 256GB.

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. Trendy playing cards are generally obtainable in sizes starting from 32GB to 512GB, with a number of fashions now obtainable in 1TB or 1.5TB capacities as properly. The primary 2TB playing cards from main manufacturers have began to reach in latest months as properly, which is thrilling, however these are nonetheless pretty uncommon (and really costly) by comparability.

For many, a 128GB or 256GB mannequin needs to be a candy spot between worth and cupboard space. However in the event you want extra room — say, for stashing a bunch of video games on a Steam Deck — a 512GB card or larger may make extra sense and infrequently supplies a greater cost-per-GB ratio. Nowadays, you will discover an honest 128GB card for round $15, a great 256GB card for lower than $30 and a stable 512GB card for round $40 (with quicker fashions priced a little bit larger). There’s a starker enhance once you go as much as 1TB playing cards, which regularly price nearer to $100, although we’ve seen some fall into the $70 to $80 vary extra continuously over the past yr. The primary wave of 2TB playing cards are an excellent larger leap: the 2TB SanDisk Excessive, for instance, now has a listing worth just below $250.

Word {that a} microSD card’s efficiency could 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.

Once we discuss microSD playing cards at the moment, we typically seek advice from playing cards that use the microSDXC (eXtended Capability) normal, which have a capability between 32GB and 2TB. Your gadget must help this for it to work with a microSDXC card. This may virtually by no means be a problem as of late, however some older units (a Nintendo 3DS, as an illustration) are solely appropriate 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). Typically, 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 once you’re making an attempt to entry (learn) or save (write) lengthy, fixed streams of information, similar to opening a big video or copying a giant batch of recordsdata from a PC. If you wish to use a microSD card for media storage, that is notably vital. Random efficiency, in the meantime, is about how shortly a card can learn and write small recordsdata scattered all through the gadget.

Since random learn/write speeds are a lot decrease than sequential ones, storage gadget makers have a tendency to not promote them as loudly. However they’re vital in the event you use a card with a gaming gadget or a single-board pc just like the Raspberry Pi, the place it typically has to quickly save and entry small bits of information in random areas.

Pace rankings Should you take a look at a microSD card, you’ll see a buffet of numbers, letters and symbols. Most of those seek advice from the cardboard’s velocity class and efficiency rankings, that are decided by the SD Affiliation.

A card’s Video Pace Class, or V-rating, particulars its minimal sequential write velocity, which is very vital when recording video from a digicam. It ranges from V6 to V90. A lot of the playing cards we examined had a V30 ranking, in order that they have a sequential write velocity of at the least 30 MB/s. This needs 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 price.

The UHS Pace Class, or U-rating, additionally refers to a card’s minimal sequential write velocity. 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 velocity. This ranking is much less related these days, however you should still see a “C10” emblem 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, fairly than MB/s. There are two classes right here: A1 playing cards provide a minimal random learn velocity of 1,500 IOPS and a minimal random write velocity of 500 IOPS, whereas A2 playing cards bump these as much as 4,000 IOPS and a couple of,000 IOPS, respectively. Each rankings additionally assure sequential write speeds of at the least 10 MB/s.

To maintain it easy, most individuals ought to search for a card with V30, U3 and A2 rankings. It’s completely potential to get a stable card with out these: A U1 card could be price it in the event you simply want an inexpensive, high-capacity possibility, for instance. V60 and V90 playing cards are price a glance in the event you’re severe about taking pictures high-resolution pictures and video as properly. However general, playing cards with the certifications above ought to present the most effective mix of worth and efficiency at the moment.

It’s vital to emphasise that these rankings are baselines. Most V30 playing cards provide considerably larger write speeds than 30 MB/s, as an illustration, and a few A1 playing cards can outperform some A2 fashions in observe. The speeds marketed by producers aren’t all the time one hundred pc correct, both: Generally the cardboard can be slower in real-world use, different occasions it might really be a bit quicker.

Samsung

UHS bus speeds The opposite spec to notice is the cardboard’s bus interface. Most microSD playing cards obtainable at the moment are UHS-I, which has a theoretical most velocity 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 normal technically exists as properly however hasn’t seen large adoption.) These are labeled on the cardboard with a Roman numeral I or II.

UHS-II playing cards are sometimes those with these larger V60 or V90 rankings. Should you shoot a number of 4K to 8K video or continuously use burst mode to seize extremely high-res pictures, the efficiency positive aspects of a great UHS-II card can prevent time.

Nonetheless, these are far more costly than UHS-I playing cards: This 128GB Lexar Skilled Gold mannequin, as an illustration, is a relative cut price at $35. Whereas that is lower than many UHS-II fashions we’ve seen up to now, it is nonetheless greater than double the frequent road worth of our high choose above. You want a tool that’s appropriate 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 worth premium for most individuals, so we caught principally to UHS-I playing cards with our suggestions.

Not like conventional UHS-I playing cards, a microSD Specific card just like the SanDisk mannequin on the precise comes with a second row of pins to allow its improved efficiency. (Jeff Dunn for Engadget)

microSD Specific and the Nintendo Swap 2 Absolutely the quickest microSD playing cards you should purchase, nonetheless, are based mostly on a special interface known as SD Specific. This has technically been round for a number of years and now contains its personal subset of velocity courses, however the gist is that it is a lot quicker than UHS-I or UHS-II: SanDisk’s lately launched microSD Specific card, one of many first commercially obtainable fashions, advertises sequential learn speeds as much as 880MB/s. That’s faster than some older SSDs.

It’s a considerable improve that has largely held up in our testing, however only a few in style units natively help SD Specific at the moment. The primary main exception is the Nintendo Swap 2, which is just appropriate with the newer normal, because it’s wanted to maintain up with the efficiency calls for of recent handheld video games.

Apart from SanDisk, producers like Samsung, Lexar and PNY have already launched microSD Specific playing cards to go along with the console. The presumption is that having such a preferred gadget embrace the tech will solely additional its adoption and drive costs down.

But it surely’s nonetheless early days, and proper now all microSD Specific playing cards price far more than the most effective UHS-I and even UHS-II choices. Past the Swap 2, it’s potential to make the most of these playing cards’ superior speeds with a devoted SD Specific card reader, however that provides much more to the ultimate price. It’s additionally price noting that SD Specific playing cards aren't backwards appropriate with UHS-II (or UHS-III), so in the event you attempt to plug one into a tool with a UHS-II slot, it’ll be restricted to UHS-I speeds. Nonetheless, they’re a should for Nintendo followers going ahead, and the tech ought to have loads of enchantment if extra devices that help the interface do arrive.

A be aware 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 velocity via proprietary extensions. Nonetheless, you want a appropriate card reader and host gadget 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 may see these limits in motion with an authentic Nintendo Swap or Steam Deck: Each of these gaming units help the UHS-I interface however don’t transcend its official velocity, flattening any sequential positive aspects some playing cards could have elsewhere. (Variations in random learn and write speeds can nonetheless matter, although.) The identical factor will occur in the event you plug a extra highly effective UHS-II or SD Specific 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, a protracted guarantee is all the time good to have. Many producers provide lifetime or 10-year restricted warranties, although we’ve seen that “endurance” playing cards marketed to face up to extra hours of writing are normally lined for a shorter time frame. For instance, Samsung's Professional Endurance, a mannequin aimed toward safety cameras and different monitoring units, comes with a five-year guarantee.

Avoiding counterfeits The reminiscence card market has had a selected downside with scammers promoting pretend merchandise. To protect in opposition to this, solely purchase from a recognized model and a good retailer similar to Greatest Purchase, B&H Picture 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 instantly up to now, so train warning.) Keep in mind: If a worth appears too good to be true, it in all probability is. Be cautious of any retailer providing a considerably lower cost than everybody else.

When you obtain a card, test its packaging for any irregularities. You may run benchmark checks like CrystalDiskMark or BlackMagic Disk Pace Take a look at to confirm its speeds aren’t drastically decrease than what’s marketed (or potential, given its specs). You too can use software program that’s designed to confirm the true capability and efficiency of your card, similar to H2testw and FakeFlashTest.

Just a few of the microSD card readers we have used for testing. (Jeff Dunn for Engadget)

How we check microSD playing cards We have put about 20 microSD playing cards via a sequence of checks to confirm their sequential and random efficiency. These included benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, BlackMagic Disk Pace Take a look at, ATTO Disk Benchmark and AJA System Take a look at, in addition to a couple of “real-world” checks. We copied and pasted a small folder of pictures 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 varieties 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 recreation and cargo save recordsdata. We do a number of runs of every check to confirm our findings and account for potential outliers.

The place relevant, we used a Kingston USB 3.2 UHS-II reader to check every card on each Home windows 11 and macOS Sequoia. Nonetheless, if a card might 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 each time we may, although we have been solely in a position to check higher-capacity fashions for a couple of choices. We additionally reformatted every card earlier than testing with the SD Affiliation’s Reminiscence Card Formatter instrument.

Current updates Might 2025: We’ve up to date this information to make sure our recommendation is correct and to mirror the brand new Nintendo Swap 2’s use of microSD Specific playing cards. We’ve additionally added testing notes for the Lexar Play Professional microSD Specific card and the extra normal PNY XLR8. We’ve eliminated mentions of some playing cards which have seemingly been discontinued, together with the unique Kingston Canvas Go Plus, the Lexar Skilled 1066x and the 2021 Samsung Evo Choose. We plan to check extra new microSD Specific playing cards for a future replace, plus a couple of different latest releases from Kingston, SanDisk, Lexar and PNY.

February 2025: We’ve up to date this information with a brand new high choose: the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus. The Samsung Professional Plus, our earlier advice, stays as a runner-up. We’ve additionally added SanDisk’s lately launched microSD Specific card as a choose 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 Specific 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 more moderen releases.

November 2024: We have checked again with this information to make sure our suggestions are nonetheless correct and made gentle edits for readability.

August 2024: We’ve up to date this information to notice the lately launched 1TB fashions for 3 of our high 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.