Most microSD playing cards are quick sufficient for stashing pictures, recording video and transferring information, however some will get you a bit extra bang in your buck than others. If you happen to’re trying to enhance the storage of your Nintendo Change 2, Steam Deck, GoPro or another machine that also accepts microSD playing cards, we can assist. We’ve completely researched the market and a number of other playing cards via a set of benchmark checks: Listed below are the most effective that we’ve examined, together with some basic recommendation on what to search for when shopping for a brand new card.
Desk of contents
Greatest microSD playing cards of 2025
Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Velocity lessons: U3, V30, A2, Class 10 | Guarantee: Lifetime restricted
A great 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 succeed in 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, when you’re preserving rating at house.) 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 approach, it has all of the requisite rankings — U3, V30, A2 — and it’s greater than speedy sufficient for working with 4K movies or shifting information between gadgets with out main delays (as long as you may have 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 optionally available reader — which you should purchase individually or as a part of a bundle — is a bit giant, however it conveniently consists of each USB-A and USB-C ports, so that you shouldn’t want any dongles to attach it to a telephone or PC.
What places the Silver Plus excessive is its value. On the time of writing, a 128GB mannequin is on the market for $15, whereas the 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants had been going 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 to think about a card reader, however they both undercut or match 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 fairly reasonably priced. That’s the recipe for a simple advice.
- Quickest sequential learn/write efficiency of any UHS-I card we have examined
- Cheaper than many slower options
- Has a 1TB choice
- Lifetime restricted guarantee
- Wants USB reader to succeed in most speeds (as anticipated)
Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Velocity lessons: U3, V30, A2, Class 10 | Guarantee: 10-year restricted
Storage costs are likely to fluctuate, nonetheless, and the Samsung Professional Plus — our former “finest for many” choose — continues to be value contemplating when 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 practically each different UHS-I card we’ve examined. Its random reads and writes had been usually second to the pricier Samsung Professional Final, however solely by a 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 knowledge scattered all through a tool. It’s held up completely advantageous in our long-term testing as properly. 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.
If you happen to do find yourself grabbing one, although, be sure to 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 an identical efficiency rankings, however these often price a couple of dollars further.
- Fast sequential and random speeds
- Available at trusted retailers
- Has a 1TB choice
- Slower than our high choose, particularly with sequential write efficiency
- 10-year guarantee is not the longest
Storage capability: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (“new era” mannequin solely) | Velocity lessons: 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, significantly 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 growth, 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 significantly advantageous values when you simply desire a large chunk of house from a good model on a budget. That stated, it’s best to nonetheless seize the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus or Samsung Professional Plus as a substitute if both one is anyplace shut in value.
- Typically discounted
- Acceptable efficiency if value is chief concern
- Has a 1TB choice
- Slower than different high picks, significantly in sequential write and random efficiency benchmarks
- 10-year guarantee is not the longest
Greatest microSD Specific playing cards for the Nintendo Change 2
Learn our full information to the finest microSD Specific playing cards for the Nintendo Change 2
Let’s be clear about this: Except you propose to personal a Nintendo Change 2 within the close to future, you don’t want a high-speed microSD Specific card simply but. Nintendo’s gaming handheld is the one fashionable machine that natively helps this commonplace proper now, and microSD Specific playing cards themselves are extremely costly in comparison with extra conventional choices.
Nonetheless, when you do need to improve a Change 2’s storage, they’re your solely selection. Happily, figuring out precisely which mannequin to purchase for the console is fairly simple: Get whichever one you’ll find in inventory, within the capability you need, at a value you may abdomen.
We benchmarked a number of microSD Specific playing cards for a separate Change 2 information, and for probably the most half, the efficiency variations between them weren’t nice sufficient to justify paying a lot further for any explicit 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. When there was a spot — 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 3 seconds at most. That’s not nothing, however it’s not one thing you’re prone to fret over until you may have a stopwatch useful.
The SanDisk microSD Specific Card and Lexar Play Professional.
(Jeff Dunn for Engadget)
The one time you’d discover a serious pace distinction is when you switch video games to your Specific card from the Change 2’s inner storage (and vice versa). In that case, the SanDisk microSD Specific Card and Lexar Play Professional had been usually the quickest, whereas PNY’s microSD Specific Flash Reminiscence Card had significantly sluggish 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 shifting video games again to the system storage. Both approach, 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 probably the most house in your funds. Sadly, inventory for all microSD Specific playing cards has been spotty for the reason that Change 2’s launch. To your comfort, we’ll record out the entire fashions we’ve seen at retailers to this point and their respective record costs under. The one one we haven’t examined is the Walmart Onn mannequin, which occurs to be probably the most reasonably priced (however has additionally been out of inventory for a lot of the previous a number of months). Observe that some lower-capacity variations — the 128GB SanDisk card, for one — promote slower speeds than their extra spacious counterparts.
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Samsung microSD Specific Card for Nintendo Change 2: 256GB ($60)
The Lexar Play Professional on high of Lexar’s RW540 microSD Specific card reader.
(Jeff Dunn for Engadget)
Broadly talking, we advocate getting not 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 Specific card for something apart from the Change 2, however we did run the fashions above via our standard PC benchmarks as properly. Unsurprisingly, they’re miles quicker than any conventional card in the marketplace.
With the 256GB SanDisk card, as an 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 check 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 efficiency that is not less than twice as quick as the most effective 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 analogous, and in some benchmarks even larger. However you want an expensive 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 take into account certainly one of this stuff.
Different notable microSD playing cards
Samsung Professional Final
The Samsung Professional Final was the closest competitor to the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus throughout our benchmark checks, however it’s tangibly worse when it comes to sequential write speeds, usually 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 search out at a lower cost.
Lexar Skilled Gold
We’ve not used it ourselves, however when 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 might really discover in inventory, however it’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 advantageous selection when you see it on sale at a good vendor, however it’s broadly slower than our high choose and sometimes prices extra.
SanDisk GamePlay
The SanDisk GamePlay performs equally to the SanDisk Excessive however prices bit further as of our newest replace. We couldn’t get it to succeed in its marketed speeds with the corporate’s personal “Professional” card reader or different third-party choices, so it fell wanting 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 primarily expenses further 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 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 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 competition.
PNY Elite-X
The PNY Elite-X usually goes for affordable 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 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 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 properly. The primary 2TB playing cards from main manufacturers have began to reach 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 value and space for storing. However when you want extra room — say, for stashing a bunch of video games on a Steam Deck — a 512GB card or larger might make extra sense and sometimes gives a greater cost-per-GB ratio. As of late, you’ll find an honest 128GB card for round $15, 256GB card for lower than $30 and a stable 512GB card for round $40 (with quicker fashions priced a bit increased). There’s a starker improve whenever 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 extra continuously over the past 12 months. The primary 2TB playing cards are an even bigger leap: the 2TB SanDisk Excessive, for instance, now has an inventory value round $200, which is down a bit from its unique MSRP however nonetheless removed from low cost.
Observe {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 right this moment, we usually check with playing cards that use the microSDXC (eXtended Capability) commonplace, which have a capability between 32GB and 2TB. Your machine must help this for it to work with a microSDXC card. It will nearly by no means be a problem lately, however some older gadgets (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, that are often 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 whenever you’re attempting to entry (learn) or save (write) lengthy, fixed streams of knowledge, comparable to opening a big video or copying a giant batch of information from a PC. If you wish to use a microSD card for media storage, that is significantly necessary. Random efficiency, in the meantime, is about how rapidly a card can learn and write small information 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 when 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 knowledge in random places.
Velocity rankings
If you happen to have a look at a microSD card, you’ll see a buffet of numbers, letters and symbols. Most of those check with the cardboard’s pace class and efficiency rankings, that are decided by the SD Affiliation.
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 not less than 30 MB/s. This ought to be sufficient to help as much as 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 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, slightly than MB/s. There are two classes right here: A1 playing cards provide a minimal random learn pace of 1,500 IOPS and a minimal random write pace of 500 IOPS, whereas A2 playing cards bump these as much as 4,000 IOPS and a pair of,000 IOPS, respectively. Each rankings 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 rankings. It’s completely doable to get a stable card with out these: A U1 card may be value it when you simply want an inexpensive, high-capacity choice, for instance. V60 and V90 playing cards are value a glance when you’re critical about taking pictures high-resolution pictures and video as properly. However total, playing cards with the certifications above ought to present the most effective mix of value and efficiency right this moment.
It’s necessary to emphasise that these rankings are baselines. Most V30 playing cards provide considerably increased write speeds than 30 MB/s, as an example, and a few A1 playing cards can outperform some A2 fashions in apply. The speeds marketed by producers aren’t all the time one hundred pc correct, both: Generally the cardboard shall be slower in real-world use, different occasions it could really be a bit quicker.
UHS bus speeds
The opposite spec to notice is the cardboard’s bus interface. Most microSD playing cards obtainable right this moment 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 might attain as much as 312 MB/s. (A UHS-III commonplace technically exists as properly however hasn’t seen huge 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 rankings. If you happen to shoot a number of 4K to 8K video or continuously use burst mode to seize extremely high-res pictures, the efficiency positive aspects of UHS-II card can prevent time.
Nevertheless, these are usually far more costly than UHS-I playing cards: This 128GB Lexar Skilled Gold mannequin, as an 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 frequent avenue value 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 commonly spottier. For now, the upper speeds aren’t well worth the value premium for most individuals, so we caught largely to UHS-I playing cards with our suggestions.
In contrast to conventional UHS-I playing cards, a microSD Specific card just like the SanDisk mannequin on the appropriate comes with a second row of pins to allow its improved efficiency.
(Jeff Dunn for Engadget)
microSD Specific and the Nintendo Change 2
Absolutely the quickest microSD playing cards you should purchase, nonetheless, are primarily based on a distinct interface referred to as SD Specific. This has technically been round for a number of years and now consists of its personal subset of pace lessons, however the gist is that it is a lot quicker than UHS-I or UHS-II: SanDisk’s not too long ago 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 fashionable gadgets natively help SD Specific right this moment. The primary main exception is the Nintendo Change 2, which is solely appropriate with the newer commonplace, because it’s wanted to maintain up with the efficiency calls for of recent 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 preferred machine 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 Change 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 ultimate price. It’s additionally value noting that SD Specific playing cards usually are not backwards appropriate with UHS-II (or UHS-III), so when 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 Specific playing cards carry out on the Change 2, we have put collectively a devoted shopping for information only for Nintendo’s console.
A observe 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. Nevertheless, you want a appropriate card reader and host machine to benefit from that further efficiency. If you happen to discover a UHS-I card promoting speeds increased than 104 MB/s, that is what’s occurring. You’ll be able to see these limits in motion with an unique Nintendo Change or Steam Deck: Each of these gaming gadgets help the UHS-I interface however don’t transcend its official pace, flattening any sequential positive aspects some playing cards could have elsewhere. (Variations in random learn and write speeds can nonetheless matter, although.) The identical factor will occur when 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, an extended 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 often lined for a shorter time frame. For instance, Samsung’s Professional Endurance, a mannequin geared toward safety cameras and different monitoring gadgets, comes with a five-year guarantee.
Avoiding counterfeits
The reminiscence card market has had a selected downside with scammers promoting faux merchandise. To protect in opposition to this, solely purchase from a identified model and a good retailer comparable to Greatest Purchase, B&H Photograph or Adorama. If you happen to 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.) Bear in mind: If a value appears too good to be true, it most likely 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’ll be able to run benchmark checks like CrystalDiskMark or BlackMagic Disk Velocity Check to confirm its speeds aren’t drastically decrease than what’s marketed (or doable, given its specs). It’s also possible to use software program that’s designed to confirm the true capability and efficiency of your card, comparable 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 collection of checks to confirm their sequential and random efficiency. These included benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, BlackMagic Disk Velocity Check, ATTO Disk Benchmark and AJA System Check, in addition to a couple of “real-world” checks. We copied and pasted a small folder of pictures about 1.15GB in dimension 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 information. 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. Nevertheless, 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 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 at any time when we might, although we had been solely capable of 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 software.
For microSD Specific playing cards, we ran every mannequin via a collection of checks particular to the Change 2, since that’s the solely fashionable machine that truly helps the tech. You’ll be able to learn extra about that course of in our separate shopping for information linked above.
Latest updates
September 2025: We’ve fleshed out our recommendation on shopping for a microSD Specific card for the Nintendo Change 2. We plan on testing a couple of newer releases from Kingston, SanDisk, Lexar and PNY in a future replace.
Might 2025: We’ve up to date this information to make sure our recommendation is correct and to mirror the brand new Nintendo Change 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 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 not too long ago launched microSD Specific card as a choose for many who need absolutely the quickest card doable, albeit with heavy caveats. This is without doubt 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 newer releases.
November 2024: We have checked again with this information to make sure our suggestions are nonetheless correct and made mild edits for readability.
August 2024: We’ve up to date this information to notice the not too long ago 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.