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The perfect microSD playing cards in 2026

Most microSD playing cards are quick sufficient for stashing photographs, recording video and transferring recordsdata, however some will get you a bit of extra bang on your buck than others. Should you’re seeking to increase the storage of your Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, GoPro or another machine that also accepts microSD playing cards, we may also help. We’ve completely researched the market and several other playing cards via a collection of benchmark exams. Listed below are the most effective that we’ve examined, together with some common recommendation on what to search for when shopping for a brand new card.

Desk of contents

Finest microSD playing cards of 2026

Lexar

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

UHS-I card is fast sufficient for most individuals’s wants, and the Lexar Professional 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 exams. 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 take a look at 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 prime picks. It successfully tied the Professional Final to guide all UHS-I playing cards we’ve tried in studying that take a look at file again to our PC. (That one averaged about 67 seconds, in case you’re holding rating at dwelling.) Each Samsung playing cards and some others beat the Silver Plus in some random efficiency benchmarks, although it was nonetheless a lot aggressive in that regard. Both method, it has all of the requisite scores — 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’ve got a reader and/or host machine 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 optional reader — which you should purchase individually or as a part of a bundle — is a bit giant, 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 telephone or PC.

The Silver Plus’ pricing has normally been the factor that is put it excessive. For many of the previous a number of months, the 128GB model bought for round $15, whereas the 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants have gone for about $23, $40 and $80, respectively. These aren’t the most cost effective costs we’ve ever seen, and the mathematics will change a bit if it is advisable think about a card reader, however they’ve both undercut or matched opponents just like the Professional Plus, Professional Final or SanDisk Excessive regardless of the Silver Plus being the extra performant card total. So, to recap: It’s quick, it’s sturdy and it’s usually fairly reasonably priced. That’s the recipe for a straightforward suggestion.

Execs

  • Quickest sequential learn/write efficiency of any UHS-I card we have examined
  • Has been cheaper than many slower options
  • Has a 1TB choice
  • Lifetime restricted guarantee
Cons

  • Wants USB reader to achieve most speeds (as anticipated)

$40 at Amazon (512GB)

Image for the large product module

Picture by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

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

Storage costs are likely to fluctuate, nevertheless, particularly with the driving reminiscence and storage demand extra towards information facilities . As of our most up-to-date replace, the — our former “finest for many” choose — is now obtainable for lower than the Silver Plus in most capacities, and it’s nonetheless effectively price contemplating when that’s the case. 

Its sequential learn and (particularly) write efficiency was slower than Lexar’s card throughout the board however nonetheless on par with or higher than practically each different UHS-I card we’ve examined. Its random reads and writes had been typically second to the pricier , however solely by a bit of, 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 superb in our long-term testing as effectively. That stated, the Silver Plus is the higher card when it’s in the identical value 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 still be hanging round at some on-line retailers, so keep away from that one. Samsung additionally sells a Sonic the Hedgehog-themed version of the Professional Plus with similar efficiency scores, however that normally prices a couple of bucks additional. 

Execs

  • Fast sequential and random speeds
  • Available at trusted retailers
  • Has a 1TB choice
Cons

  • Slower than our prime choose, particularly with sequential write efficiency
  • 10-year guarantee is not the longest

$17 at Amazon

Image for the large product module

Picture by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

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

The Samsung Evo Select is a transparent step behind our prime picks, notably relating to sequential write speeds (slightly below 70 MB/s on CrystalDiskMark). So we don’t advocate it for any kind of digital camera. Nonetheless, it’s completely usable for easy storage enlargement, and its sequential and random learn speeds had 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 $67, respectively. The latter two capacities could possibly be notably superb values in case you simply desire a large chunk of house from a good model on a budget. That stated, you must nonetheless seize the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus or Samsung Professional Plus as a substitute if both one is wherever shut in value.

Execs

  • Typically discounted
  • Acceptable efficiency if value is chief concern
  • Has a 1TB choice
Cons

  • Slower than different prime picks, notably in sequential write and random efficiency benchmarks
  • 10-year guarantee is not the longest

$15 at Amazon

Finest microSD Categorical playing cards for the Nintendo Change 2

A collection of microSD Express cards rest on the back of a Nintendo Switch 2 gaming console.

Jeff Dunn for Engadget

Learn our full information to the best microSD Express cards for the Nintendo Switch 2

Let’s be clear about this: Except you propose to personal a Nintendo Switch 2 within the close to future, you do not want a high-speed microSD Categorical card simply but. Nintendo’s gaming handheld is the one fashionable machine that natively helps this customary proper now, and microSD Categorical playing cards themselves are extremely costly in comparison with extra conventional choices.

Nonetheless, in case you do need to enhance a Change 2’s storage, they’re your solely selection. Thankfully, figuring out precisely which mannequin to purchase for the console is fairly easy: Get whichever one you could find in inventory, within the capability you need, at a value you may abdomen.

We benchmarked a number of microSD Categorical playing cards for a separate Switch 2 guide, and for essentially the most half, the efficiency variations between them weren’t nice sufficient to justify paying additional for any specific mannequin. Loading instances weren’t fairly similar with each take a look at we ran, however the playing cards had been extraordinarily shut in most video games and customary eventualities. The few instances when there was a notable hole — fast-traveling to a very resource-heavy area in Cyberpunk 2077, for example — the gulf between the slowest and quickest card was solely ever about 4 or 5 seconds at most. That’s not nothing, but it surely’s additionally not one thing most individuals are prone to fret over until they’ve a stopwatch helpful.

Two microSD cards, one mostly black and one mostly red, rest on top of a brown wooden stand above a white window ledge.

The SanDisk microSD Categorical Card and Lexar Play Professional. (Jeff Dunn for Engadget)

The one time you’d discover a significant pace distinction is in case you switch video games to your Categorical card from the Change 2’s inside storage (and vice versa). In that case, the SanDisk microSD Express Card and Lexar Play Pro had been typically the quickest, whereas PNY’s microSD Express Flash Memory Card had notably gradual write speeds.

Shifting Mario Kart World to the SanDisk and Lexar fashions, for instance, took round 4 minutes and 35 seconds on common; with the PNY card, it took a bit of over seven minutes. That stated, the PNY mannequin was the quickest when it got here to transferring video games again to the system storage. Walmart’s Onn microSD Express Card was considerably slower to maneuver video games from the cardboard to system storage, but it surely’s additionally essentially the most reasonably priced card we’ve seen by a good way. Both method, most individuals aren’t continuously shuffling their video games backwards and forwards like this. Efficiency in precise video games is extra necessary, and in that regard the outcomes had been persistently a lot tighter.

What issues most is getting essentially the most house on your finances. Sadly, inventory for all microSD Categorical playing cards has been spotty for the reason that Change 2’s launch. To your comfort, we’ll checklist out the entire fashions we’ve examined to this point and their respective checklist costs beneath. Notice that some lower-capacity variations — the 128GB SanDisk card, for one — promote slower speeds than their extra spacious counterparts.

  • SanDisk microSD Categorical Card: 128GB ($64), 256GB ($78), 512GB ($128)

  • Lexar Play Professional: 256GB ($60), 512GB ($120), 1TB ($220)

  • PNY microSD Categorical Flash Reminiscence Card: 128GB ($48), 256GB ($62), 512GB ($124)

  • Samsung microSD Categorical Card for Nintendo Change 2: 256GB ($60)

  • Samsung P9 Categorical: 256GB ($55), 512GB ($100)

  • GameStop Categorical microSD Card for Nintendo Change 2: 256GB ($60), 512GB ($100), 1TB ($190)

  • Walmart Onn microSDXC Categorical Card: 256GB ($47), 512GB ($85)

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.

The Lexar Play Professional on prime of Lexar’s RW540 microSD Categorical card reader. (Jeff Dunn for Engadget)

Broadly talking, we advocate getting no less than 256GB of storage, as Change 2 video games are likely to have a lot bigger file sizes than video games for Nintendo’s earlier handheld. However we additionally advocate holding off upgrading for so long as you may, if solely as a result of all of those playing cards ought to (tariff shenanigans apart) come down in value as time goes on.

There’s no level in shopping for a microSD Categorical card for something apart from the Change 2, however we did run the fashions above via our normal PC benchmarks as effectively. Unsurprisingly, they’re miles quicker than any conventional card available on the market.

With the 256GB SanDisk card, for example, sequential learn speeds checked in slightly below 900 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark and ATTO, whereas sequential writes topped out round 650 MB/s. Sustained writes speeds had been slower (round 210 MB/s), however that was nonetheless quick sufficient to maneuver our 12GB take a look at 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 take a look at with our smaller 1.15GB take a look at folder, in the meantime, averaged simply 4.5 seconds.

All of it provides as much as efficiency that is no less than twice as quick as the most effective UHS-I fashions we’ve examined by way of sequential reads and writes, with three or 4 instances the speeds in some circumstances. The gulf in random reads and writes is analogous, and in some benchmarks even higher. However you want a dear SD card reader to even see these will increase on a PC, so solely these with a Change 2 in hand or critical money to burn ought to think about certainly one of these items.

Different notable microSD playing cards

Samsung Professional Final

The Samsung Pro Ultimate was the closest competitor to the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus throughout our benchmark exams, but it surely’s tangibly worse by way of sequential write speeds, usually prices extra and doesn’t provide a 1TB choice. 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 cheaper price.

Lexar Skilled Gold

We’ve not used it ourselves, however in case you’re prepared to pay for a extra highly effective UHS-II card constructed for heavy-duty video recording, the Lexar Professional Gold has tested well 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 Extreme 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 superb selection in case you see it on sale at a good vendor, but it surely’s broadly slower than our prime choose and infrequently prices extra.

SanDisk GamePlay

The SanDisk GamePlay performs equally to the SanDisk Excessive however prices a superb 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 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 prices additional for having an image of Pikachu (or Gengar, or Snorlax) on a product you’ll by no means have a look at.

SanDisk Excessive Professional

The SanDisk Extreme Pro is an in depth 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 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 bit of bit above these of Samsung’s Evo Choose, plus it comes with a lifetime guarantee. However its sequential reads had been a lot, a lot slower, placing it out of competition.

PNY Elite-X

The PNY Elite-X usually 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 had been too far behind all of our prime 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 space for storing 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 effectively. The primary 2TB cards from major brands have began to reach as effectively, which is thrilling, however these are nonetheless pretty uncommon (and really costly) by comparability.

For a lot of, a 128GB or 256GB mannequin ought to be a candy spot between value and space for storing. However in case you 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 infrequently offers a greater cost-per-GB ratio.

Pricing and inventory ranges are in all places as of our most up-to-date replace because of ongoing AI-driven shortages, however you may usually nonetheless discover a respectable 128GB card for round $15, a superb 256GB card for lower than $30 and a strong 512GB card for round $40 (with quicker fashions priced a bit of increased). There’s a starker enhance while you go as much as 1TB playing cards, which frequently price nearer to $100, although we’ve seen some fall into the $70 to $80 vary over the past 12 months. The primary 2TB playing cards are an even bigger leap: the 2TB SanDisk Extreme, for instance, at present has an inventory value round $290, which is method up from what we noticed in 2025.

Notice {that a} microSD card’s efficiency might differ relying on what capability you purchase. SanDisk says its 128GB Extreme 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 speak about microSD playing cards as we speak, we principally consult with playing cards that use the microSDXC (eXtended Capacity) standard, which have a capability between 32GB and 2TB. Your machine must help this for it to work with a microSDXC card. It will virtually by no means be a problem lately, however some older units (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 while you’re making an attempt to entry (learn) or save (write) lengthy, fixed streams of information, similar 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 shortly 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 in case you use a card with a gaming machine or a single-board laptop just like the Raspberry Pi, the place it usually has to quickly save and entry small bits of information in random areas.

Velocity scores

Should you have a look at a microSD card, you’ll see a buffet of numbers, letters and symbols. Most of those consult with the cardboard’s speed class and efficiency scores, that are decided by the SD Association.

A card’s Video Velocity Class, or V-rating, particulars its minimal sequential write pace, which is very necessary when recording video from a digital camera. 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 pace of no less than 30 MB/s. This ought to be sufficient to help as much as 4K video at decrease bitrates. Greater-rated V60 and V90 playing cards are normally higher for capturing 8K, however they arrive at a a lot increased price.

The UHS Velocity 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 Velocity Class ranking overlaps with the opposite two programs. 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 Utility Efficiency spec, marked by an An emblem, is an indicator of random learn/write speeds. That is measured in IOPS, or enter/output operations per second, reasonably 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 attainable to get a strong card with out these: A U1 card could be price it in case you simply want an inexpensive, high-capacity choice, for instance. V60 and V90 playing cards are price a glance in case you’re critical about taking pictures high-resolution photographs and video as effectively. However total, playing cards with the certifications above ought to present the most effective mix of value and efficiency as we speak.

It’s necessary to emphasise that these scores are baselines. Most V30 playing cards provide considerably increased 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: Generally the cardboard shall be slower in real-world use, different instances it could really be a bit quicker.

The Samsung Pro Plus microSD card.

Samsung

UHS bus speeds

The opposite spec to notice is the cardboard’s bus interface. Most microSD playing cards obtainable as we speak are UHS-I, which has 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 broad adoption.) These are labeled on the cardboard with a Roman numeral I or II.

UHS-II playing cards are usually those with these increased V60 or V90 scores. Should you shoot a lot of 4K to 8K video or ceaselessly use burst mode to seize extremely high-res photographs, the efficiency beneficial properties of a superb UHS-II card can prevent time.

Nonetheless, these are usually far more costly than UHS-I playing cards: This 128GB Lexar Professional Gold mannequin, for example, 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 widespread road value of our prime choose above. 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 commonly spottier. For now, the upper speeds aren’t well worth the value premium for most individuals, so we caught principally to UHS-I playing cards with our suggestions.

Unlike traditional UHS-I cards, a microSD Express card like the SanDisk model on the right comes with a second row of pins to enable its improved performance.

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

microSD Categorical and the Nintendo Change 2

Absolutely the quickest microSD playing cards you should purchase, nevertheless, are based mostly on a distinct interface known as SD Express. This has technically been around for a number of years and now includes its personal subset of speed classes, however the gist is that it is a lot quicker than UHS-I or UHS-II: SanDisk’s lately launched microSD Express 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 fashionable units natively help SD Categorical as we speak. The primary main exception is the Nintendo Switch 2, which is only compatible with the newer customary, because it’s wanted to maintain up with the efficiency calls for of recent handheld video games.

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

However it’s nonetheless early days, and proper now all microSD Categorical playing cards price far more than the most effective UHS-I and even UHS-II choices. Past the Change 2, it’s attainable to benefit from these playing cards’ superior speeds with a devoted SD Categorical card reader, however that provides much more to the ultimate price. It’s additionally price noting that SD Categorical playing cards usually are not backwards suitable with UHS-II (or UHS-III), so in case 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 attraction if extra devices that help the interface do arrive.

For extra on how the primary wave of Categorical playing cards carry out on the Change 2, we have put collectively a dedicated buying guide only for Nintendo’s console.

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 pace via proprietary extensions. Nonetheless, you want a suitable card reader and host machine to benefit from that additional efficiency. Should you discover a UHS-I card promoting speeds increased than 104 MB/s, that is what’s occurring. You may see these limits in motion with an unique Nintendo Change or Steam Deck: Both of those gaming units 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 in case you 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, a protracted 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 face up to extra hours of writing are normally lined for a shorter time period. For instance, Samsung’s Pro Endurance, a mannequin geared 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 identified model and a good retailer similar to Finest 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 straight up to now, so train warning.) Keep in mind: If a value appears too good to be true, it in all probability is. Be cautious of any retailer providing a considerably cheaper price than everybody else.

When you obtain a card, examine its packaging for any irregularities. You may run benchmark exams like CrystalDiskMark or BlackMagic Disk Speed Test to confirm its speeds aren’t drastically decrease than what’s marketed (or attainable, 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.

A few of the microSD card readers we've used for testing.

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

How we take a look at microSD playing cards

We have put about 20 microSD playing cards via a collection of exams to confirm their sequential and random efficiency. These included benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, BlackMagic Disk Speed Test, ATTO Disk Benchmark and AJA System Test, 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, Metal 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 take a look at 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 could possibly 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 consumers 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 at any time when we may, although we had been solely capable of take a look at higher-capacity fashions for just a few choices. We additionally reformatted every card earlier than testing with the SD Affiliation’s Memory Card Formatter tool.

For microSD Categorical playing cards, we ran every mannequin via a collection of exams particular to the Change 2, since that’s the solely fashionable machine that really helps the tech. You may learn extra about that course of in our separate shopping for information linked above.

Latest updates

December 2025: We’ve examined the Samsung P9 Categorical microSD Categorical card and famous it in our Change 2 part above. We’ve additionally made just a few edits to spotlight current value will increase and inventory shortages pushed by the continued AI growth.

November 2025: We’ve examined Walmart’s Onn microSD Categorical Card and edited our notes on the most effective playing cards for the Nintendo Change 2 accordingly.

September 2025: We’ve fleshed out our recommendation on shopping for a microSD Categorical card for the Nintendo Change 2.

Might 2025: We’ve up to date this information to make sure our recommendation is correct and to replicate the brand new Nintendo Change 2’s use of microSD Categorical playing cards. We’ve additionally added testing notes for the Lexar Play Professional microSD Categorical card and the extra customary 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 Categorical playing cards for a future replace.

February 2025: We’ve up to date this information with a brand new prime choose: 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 choose for many who need absolutely the quickest card attainable, 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 more moderen 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.

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ASUS RT-AX55 AX1800 Twin Band WiFi ...

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- 31% Sceptre 22 inch 75Hz 1080P LED Moni...
Original price was: $104.36.Current price is: $71.97.

Sceptre 22 inch 75Hz 1080P LED Moni...

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- 36% NETGEAR Nighthawk Professional Gami...
Original price was: $279.51.Current price is: $179.17.

NETGEAR Nighthawk Professional Gami...

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- 33% NZXT H9 Move Twin-Chamber ATX Mid-T...
Original price was: $239.96.Current price is: $159.97.

NZXT H9 Move Twin-Chamber ATX Mid-T...

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