What’s more, this card comes into its own on random read/write speed tests. Here, we saw the fastest performance we’ve seen from a microSD card, reaching speeds of over 12MB/sec. Other cards from Lexar, Kingston and Samsung are catching up, but this is still the speed king for app and game performance. Given that it’s only slightly more expensive than the basic Ultima Pro, that makes it one of the top options for smartphone or Switch use.

Best microSD card 2023: Boost your capacity with our top picks

Up to 200MB/s read speeds, engineered with proprietary technology to reach speeds beyond UHS-I 104MB/s, require compatible devices capable of reaching such speeds. Write speed up to 140MB/s. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device, interface, usage conditions and other factors. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes. X = 150KB/sec. [64-128GB] Up to 200MB/s read speed. Write speed up to 90MB/s. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes. X = 150KB/sec. [32GB] Up to 100MB/s read speed. Write speed up to 90MB/s. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes. X = 150KB/sec. These standards cover the speed of the interface between the microSD card and your device (or memory card reader), as this can also limit the maximum speed of data transfers between the two. UHS-I has a maximum speed of 104MB/sec, and you’ll usually see a Roman numeral “I” beneath the U1 logo. UHS-II takes that up to 156MB/sec (with data transferring in both directions) or 312MB/sec (with data transferring in only one direction). In other words, it’s a steal for smartphone and tablet users or anyone wanting more storage for their Switch, and still a good option for your average DSLR or compact camera. Unless you find the Ultima Pro Premium High Speed even cheaper, buy away.Rated UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30) 2, the SanDisk Extreme PRO SD UHS-I card lets you capture sequential burst mode shots without missing a beat.

SanDisk Extreme PRO 32 GB up to 300MB/s UHS-II Class 10 U3

Get faster app performance for an outstanding smartphone experience thanks to the SanDisk Extreme PRO microSD card’s A2 5 Specification. Capture fast-action photos or shoot 4K UHD video 2 with write speeds of up to 140MB/s. 8 The SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC UHS-I Card lets you shoot more and faster. One final thing we need to make clear is that speeds will depend on your microSD card reader. The reader built into your average laptop might not be capable of reading from or writing to the fastest cards at their full speed, and we’ve found huge variations in external readers, even those bundled with high-performance cards. If you’re investing in one of the faster microSD cards, grab the matching adaptor from the same manufacturer, or from a credible manufacturer like Lexar, SanDisk, Kingston or Integral. That goes double for UHS-II cards. What if I’m buying for an action camera or dashcam? For 64GB-1TB ONLY: A2 performance is 4000 read IOPS, 2000 write IOPS. For 32GB: A1 performance is 1500 read IOPS, 500 write IOPS. Results may vary based on host device, app type and other factors.With shot speeds up to 140MB/s 6 the card is perfect for capturing the action as it happens, without missing a beat. The Integral Ultima Pro might be cheap, but it’s still capable of respectable speeds. We logged its sequential read speeds at 96.1MB/sec and its sequential write speeds at 87.4MB/sec, although it came in slightly slower on our random read/write tests. UHS Speed Class 3 designates a performance option designed to support 4K UHD video recording with enabled UHS host devices. UHS Video Speed Class 30 (V30), sustained video capture rate of 30MB/s, designates a performance option designed to support real-time video recording with UHS enabled host devices. See www.sdcard.org/consumers/speed. As a result, those hunting for the perfect balance of price and performance don’t need to look any further, and spending just a little more will get you your card bundled with Samsung’s excellent 160MB/sec USB card reader. What more could you want? UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) designates a performance option designed to support real-time video recording with UHS-enabled host devices. Video Speed Class 30 (V30), sustained video capture rate of 30MB/s, designates a performance option designed to support real-time video recording with UHS-enabled host devices. See www.sdcard.org/consumers/speed.

SanDisk Extreme PRO 32GB SDHC Memory Card up to 95MB/s, UHS-1

The latest UHS-III standard is faster still, with speeds of up to 624MB/sec in both directions simultaneously, while the SD Express standard takes this up to a staggering 985MB/sec. However, neither standard seems to have taken off yet, either in terms of cards or the readers and devices to support them. Should I always buy the fastest card I can afford? Compatible device required. Full HD (1920x1080) and 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) support may vary based upon host device, file attributes and other factors. See www.sandisk.com/HD Sometimes speed is what you need. The SanDisk Extreme PRO SD UHS-I card delivers the performance to capture stunning, uninterrupted 4K UHD video 1. For 256GB-1TB: Up to 200MB/s read speeds, engineered with proprietary technology to reach speeds beyond UHS-I 104MB/s, require compatible devices capable of reaching such speeds. Up to 140MB/s write speeds. For 64GB-128GB: Up to 200MB/s read speeds, engineered with proprietary technology to reach speeds beyond UHS-I 104MB/s, require compatible devices capable of reaching such speeds. Up to 90MB/s write speeds. For 32GB: Up to 100MB/s read speeds; up to 90MB/s write speeds. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device interface, usage conditions and other factors. 1MB=1,000,000 bytes. With the right card reader, the Professional High-Speed version of the Ultima Pro can be a serious speed demon. With Integral’s own high-speed card reader, we were disappointed with its 99MB/sec and 88MB/sec sequential read/write speeds, but in a third-party high-speed reader, we saw read performance leap to 173MB/sec, with sequential write speeds of 139MB/sec. That write speed is the fastest we’ve seen from a UHS-I card.Often, fast sequential speeds come at the expense of random read/write speeds, but the A2-class 1066x is an exception; it’s not as speedy as the Integral Ultima Pro Professional High-Speed card below, but it’s faster than the SanDisk Extreme Pro and Samsung Evo Plus on this count, making it a fine all-round performer. If you’re looking for a card that can run apps or cover video on your mid-range or high-end smartphone, you won’t get much better than this.