The very best microSD playing cards in 2026


Most microSD playing cards are quick sufficient for stashing images, recording video and transferring information, however some will get you a bit extra bang in your buck than others. In the event you’re wanting to increase the storage of your Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, GoPro or another gadget that also accepts microSD playing cards, we can assist. We’ve totally researched the market and several other playing cards by means of a collection of benchmark assessments. Right here are the finest that we’ve examined, together with some normal recommendation on what to search for when shopping for a brand new card.

Desk of contents

Finest microSD playing cards of 2026

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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 Professional Silver Plus is the finest worth of the ones 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 assessments. It’s rated for learn accelerates to 205 MB/s and write accelerates to 150 MB/s, each of which are comparatively excessive to start with, however we discovered the latter to attain into the 180-190 MB/s vary in artificial benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, ATTO and AJA.

Our 12GB check folder wrote to the card 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 lead 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 holding rating at house.) 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 method, it has all the requisite scores — U3, V30, A2 — and it’s greater than speedy sufficient for working with 4K movies or transferring information between units with out main delays (as long as you have got a reader and/or host gadget that may allow these max speeds).

The cardboard itself is waterproof with an IPX7 score, 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 massive, however it conveniently consists of each USB-A and USB-C ports, so that you shouldn’t want any dongles to join it to a telephone or PC.

The Silver Plus’ pricing has often been the factor that is put it over the prime. 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 least expensive costs we’ve ever seen, and the math will change a bit in the event you want to think about a card reader, however they’ve both undercut or matched rivals 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 typically moderately inexpensive. That’s the recipe for a simple suggestion.

Professionals

  • 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 attain most speeds (as anticipated)

$40 at Amazon (512GB)

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Photograph by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

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

Storage costs have a tendency 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 accessible for lower than the Silver Plus in most capacities, and it’s nonetheless properly value 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 usually second to the pricier , however solely by a bit, so it’s well-suited for a transportable sport console or another setup the place it’d be requested to entry tiny bits of knowledge 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.

In the event you do find yourself grabbing one, although, be sure to get the latest 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 a Sonic the Hedgehog-themed version of the Professional Plus with an identical efficiency scores, however that often prices a couple of bucks additional. 

Professionals

  • 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

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Photograph 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 Select is a transparent step behind our prime picks, notably when it comes to sequential write speeds (just below 70 MB/s on CrystalDiskMark). So we don’t suggest it for any form 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 often 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 positive values in the event you simply desire a big chunk of area from a good model on the low cost. That stated, it is best to nonetheless seize the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus or Samsung Professional Plus as an alternative if both one is wherever shut in worth.

Professionals

  • Typically discounted
  • Acceptable efficiency if worth 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 Specific playing cards for the Nintendo Swap 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: Until you propose to personal a Nintendo Switch 2 in the close to future, you do not want a high-speed microSD Specific card simply but. Nintendo’s gaming handheld is the solely common gadget that natively helps this commonplace proper now, and microSD Specific playing cards themselves are extremely costly in contrast to extra conventional choices.

Nonetheless, in the event you do need to improve a Swap 2’s storage, they’re your solely selection. Luckily, figuring out precisely which mannequin to purchase for the console is fairly easy: Get whichever one you could find in inventory, in the capability you need, at a worth you may abdomen.

We benchmarked a number of microSD Specific playing cards for a separate Switch 2 guide, and for the most half, the efficiency variations between them weren’t nice sufficient to justify paying additional for any specific mannequin. Loading occasions weren’t fairly an identical with each check we ran, however the playing cards had been extraordinarily shut in most video games and customary eventualities. The few occasions when there was a notable hole — fast-traveling to a very resource-heavy area in Cyberpunk 2077, as an example — the gulf between the slowest and quickest card was solely ever about 4 or 5 seconds at most. That’s not nothing, however it’s additionally not one thing most individuals are probably 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 Specific Card and Lexar Play Professional. (Jeff Dunn for Engadget)

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

Transferring 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 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 transfer video games from the card to system storage, however it’s additionally the most inexpensive card we’ve seen by a good way. Both method, most individuals aren’t consistently shuffling their video games backwards and forwards like this. Efficiency in precise video games is extra vital, and in that regard the outcomes had been persistently a lot tighter.

What issues most is getting the most area in your price range. Sadly, inventory for all microSD Specific playing cards has been spotty since the Swap 2’s launch. In your comfort, we’ll checklist out all of the fashions we’ve examined to date 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 Specific Card: 128GB ($64), 256GB ($78), 512GB ($128)

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

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

  • Samsung microSD Specific Card for Nintendo Swap 2: 256GB ($60)

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

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

  • Walmart Onn microSDXC Specific 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 Specific card reader. (Jeff Dunn for Engadget)

Broadly talking, we suggest getting not less than 256GB of storage, as Swap 2 video games have a tendency to have a lot bigger file sizes than video games for Nintendo’s earlier handheld. However we additionally suggest 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 worth as time goes on.

There’s no level in shopping for a microSD Specific card for something moreover the Swap 2, however we did run the fashions above by means of our typical PC benchmarks as properly. Unsurprisingly, they are miles quicker than any conventional card on the market.

With the 256GB SanDisk card, as an example, sequential learn speeds checked in just 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 transfer our 12GB check file to the card 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 up to efficiency that is not less than twice as quick as the finest UHS-I fashions we’ve examined when it comes to sequential reads and writes, with three or 4 occasions the speeds in some instances. The gulf in random reads and writes is comparable, and in some benchmarks even better. However you want a dear SD card reader to even see these will increase on a PC, so solely these with a Swap 2 in hand or critical money to burn ought to think about one in every of this stuff.

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 assessments, however it’s tangibly worse when it comes to sequential write speeds, sometimes prices extra and doesn’t provide a 1TB choice. The Samsung Professional Plus is a bit slower for sequential reads, however it’s shut sufficient in any other case and often simpler to discover 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 Professional Gold has tested well elsewhere and may ship considerably quicker sequential write speeds than our UHS-I picks above. It’s one in every of the few UHS-II playing cards we may truly discover in inventory, however it’s expensive, with a 128GB mannequin usually priced in the $35 to $40 vary.

SanDisk Excessive

The SanDisk Extreme successfully matched the Professional Plus in a couple of of our sequential assessments, however that was partly due to us solely having 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, however it’s broadly slower than our prime choose and sometimes 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 attain its marketed speeds with the firm’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 primarily 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 properly.

PNY XLR8 Gaming

The PNY XLR8 is an inexpensive card that comes with up to 512GB of area. Its sequential and random writes speeds checked in a bit 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 rivalry.

PNY Elite-X

The PNY Elite-X typically goes for affordable and wasn’t too far off the random learn/write efficiency of Samsung’s Professional Plus in CrystalDiskMark. 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 now not seems to be accessible 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. Fashionable playing cards are generally accessible in sizes ranging from 32GB to 512GB, with a number of fashions now accessible in 1TB or 1.5TB capacities as properly. The primary 2TB cards from major brands have began to arrive as properly, 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 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 better may make extra sense and sometimes gives a greater cost-per-GB ratio.

Pricing and inventory ranges are throughout the place as of our most up-to-date replace thanks to ongoing AI-driven shortages, however you may sometimes nonetheless discover a first rate 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 bit larger). There’s a starker improve whenever you go up to 1TB playing cards, which regularly price nearer to $100, although we’ve seen some fall into the $70 to $80 vary over the final yr. The primary 2TB playing cards are an even bigger leap: the 2TB SanDisk Extreme, for instance, presently has an inventory worth 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 accelerates to 90 MB/s, for instance, whereas the higher-capacity fashions in the identical line provide up to 130 MB/s.

Once we speak about microSD playing cards right now, we principally refer to playing cards that use the microSDXC (eXtended Capacity) standard, which have a capability between 32GB and 2TB. Your gadget wants to assist this for it to work with a microSDXC card. This will nearly by no means be a difficulty nowadays, however some older units (a Nintendo 3DS, as an example) 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, which are often 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 whenever you’re making an attempt to entry (learn) or save (write) lengthy, fixed streams of knowledge, akin to opening a big video or copying a giant batch of information from a PC. If you need to use a microSD card for media storage, this is notably vital. Random efficiency, in the meantime, is about how rapidly a card can learn and write small information scattered all through the gadget.

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

Pace scores

In the event you have a look at a microSD card, you’ll see a buffet of numbers, letters and symbols. Most of those refer to the card’s speed class and efficiency scores, which are decided by the SD Association.

A card’s Video Pace Class, or V-rating, details its minimal sequential write velocity, which is particularly vital when recording video from a digital camera. It ranges from V6 to V90. Most of the playing cards we examined had a V30 score, in order that they have a sequential write velocity of not less than 30 MB/s. This ought to be sufficient to assist up to 4K video at decrease bitrates. Larger-rated V60 and V90 playing cards are often 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 score overlaps with the different two techniques. 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 score 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. This 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 velocity of 1,500 IOPS and a minimal random write velocity of 500 IOPS, whereas A2 playing cards bump these up to 4,000 IOPS and a couple of,000 IOPS, respectively. Each scores additionally assure sequential write speeds of not 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 doable to get a stable card with out these: A U1 card could be value it in the event you simply want an inexpensive, high-capacity choice, for instance. V60 and V90 playing cards are value a glance in the event you’re critical about capturing high-resolution images and video as properly. However general, playing cards with the certifications above ought to present the finest mix of worth and efficiency right now.

It’s vital to emphasize that these scores are baselines. Most V30 playing cards provide considerably larger write speeds than 30 MB/s, as an example, and a few A1 playing cards can outperform some A2 fashions in follow. The speeds marketed by producers aren’t at all times 100% correct, both: Typically the card will probably be slower in real-world use, different occasions it might truly be a bit quicker.

The Samsung Pro Plus microSD card.

Samsung

UHS bus speeds

The opposite spec to notice is the card’s bus interface. Most microSD playing cards accessible right now 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 up to 312 MB/s. (A UHS-III commonplace technically exists as properly however hasn’t seen vast adoption.) These are labeled on the card with a Roman numeral I or II.

UHS-II playing cards are sometimes the ones with these larger V60 or V90 scores. In the event you shoot plenty of 4K to 8K video or steadily use burst mode to seize extremely high-res images, the efficiency good points of a great UHS-II card can prevent time.

Nevertheless, these are sometimes way more costly than UHS-I playing cards: This 128GB Lexar Professional Gold mannequin, as an example, is a relative discount at $35. Whereas that is lower than many UHS-II fashions we’ve seen in the previous, it is nonetheless greater than double the frequent road worth of our prime 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 typically spottier. For now, the larger speeds aren’t value the worth 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 Specific card like the SanDisk mannequin on the proper 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, nevertheless, are primarily based on a special interface referred to 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 just lately launched microSD Express card, one in every of the first commercially accessible fashions, advertises sequential learn accelerates to 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 common units natively assist SD Specific right now. The primary main exception is the Nintendo Switch 2, which is only compatible with the newer commonplace, because it’s wanted to sustain with the efficiency calls for of latest handheld video games.

In addition to SanDisk, producers like Samsung, Lexar and PNY have already launched microSD Specific playing cards to go together with the console. The presumption is that having such a well-liked gadget embrace the tech will solely additional its adoption and drive costs down.

However it’s nonetheless early days, and proper now all microSD Specific playing cards price way more than the finest UHS-I and even UHS-II choices. Past the Swap 2, it’s doable to benefit from these playing cards’ superior speeds with a devoted SD Specific card reader, however that provides much more to the closing price. It’s additionally value noting that SD Specific playing cards are not 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 attraction if extra devices that assist the interface do arrive.

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

A notice 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 by means of proprietary extensions. Nevertheless, you want a appropriate card reader and host gadget to benefit from that additional efficiency. In the event you discover a UHS-I card promoting speeds larger than 104 MB/s, this is what’s going on. You may see these limits in motion with an unique Nintendo Swap or Steam Deck: Both of those gaming units assist the UHS-I interface however don’t transcend its official velocity, flattening any sequential good points some playing cards might 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 as 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 at all times 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 often lined for a shorter time period. For instance, Samsung’s Pro 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 specific drawback with scammers promoting pretend merchandise. To protect towards this, solely purchase from a identified model and a good retailer akin to Finest Purchase, B&H Photograph or Adorama. In the event 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 in the previous, 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, verify its packaging for any irregularities. You may run benchmark assessments like CrystalDiskMark or BlackMagic Disk Speed Test to verify its speeds aren’t drastically decrease than what’s marketed (or doable, given its specs). You can even use software program that’s designed to verify the true capability and efficiency of your card, akin to H2testw and FakeFlashTest.

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

A number of 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 by means of a collection of assessments to verify their sequential and random efficiency. These included benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, BlackMagic Disk Speed Test, ATTO Disk Benchmark and AJA System Test, in addition to a couple of “real-world” assessments. We copied and pasted a small folder of images 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 course of 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 sport and cargo save information. We do a number of runs of every check to verify 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. Nevertheless, if a card could possibly be bundled with (or is particularly marketed to use) 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 each time we may, although we had been solely ready to check higher-capacity fashions for a couple of choices. We additionally reformatted every card before testing with the SD Affiliation’s Memory Card Formatter tool.

For microSD Specific playing cards, we ran every mannequin by means of a collection of assessments particular to the Swap 2, since that is the solely common gadget that truly helps the tech. You may learn extra about that course of in our separate shopping for information linked above.

Current updates

December 2025: We’ve examined the Samsung P9 Specific microSD Specific card and famous it in our Swap 2 part above. We’ve additionally made a couple of edits to spotlight latest worth will increase and inventory shortages pushed by the ongoing AI increase.

November 2025: We’ve examined Walmart’s Onn microSD Specific Card and edited our notes on the finest playing cards for the Nintendo Swap 2 accordingly.

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

Might 2025: We’ve up to date this information to guarantee our recommendation is correct and to mirror the 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 commonplace 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.

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 just lately launched microSD Specific card as a choose for many who need the absolute quickest card doable, albeit with heavy caveats. This is one in every of the first microSD playing cards to use the SD Specific bus interface, so we’ve included extra details 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 firm’s more moderen releases.

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

August 2024: We’ve up to date this information to notice the just 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 details are as up to date as they are often.




Disclaimer: This article is sourced from external platforms. OverBeta has not independently verified the information. Readers are advised to verify details before relying on them.

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