Over the past year, microSD cards have become faster and more affordable, while offering more storage capacity than ever. While there are plenty of options on the market, not all microSD cards are created equally. It’s important to make sure you choose the best microSD card for your use and budget.
Here are some of our favorite microSD picks for 2021.
Best overall microSD card
When choosing the number-one microSD card on the market, we had a lot of options to consider. But ultimately the SanDisk Extreme microSDXC took top honors when we weighed the most crucial benchmarks of speed, flexibility, and reliability.
SanDisk Extreme microSDXC
SanDisk is one of the leading brands in memory for good reason, and that’s especially true of cards in the Extreme UHS-I series. They’re shockproof, waterproof, temperature-proof, and x-ray-proof, so regardless of how you use your microSD cards, you’re covered.
In particular, the SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSD is unbelievably fast—the “UHS” stands for Ultra High Speed—with write speeds up to 90MB/s and read speeds of 160MB/s. Use it in your drone, your action camera, or your phone for fast and reliable performance. With available capacities up to 1TB, you’ll have plenty of space to record and store your photos, videos, and more with this great piece of tech.
Best drone microSD cards
Need a new microSD card for your drone? Consider one of the following.
Lexar High-Performance 633x microSD
Lexar’s High-Performance 633x microSD card is an excellent choice for drone photographers and videographers because it’s speedy and dependable. With available capacities of up to 512GB, pilots can comfortably capture aerial footage in Full HD (1080p) or UHD (4K). Files transfer up to 100MB/s with Lexar’s class 10 UHS-I technology, so you can copy your footage in a fraction of the time it takes to charge up your drone.
SanDisk Ultra microSDXC
SanDisk is once again a front-runner with another powerful, yet affordable, microSD card. With minimum write speeds of 10MB/s, read speeds of up to 120MB/s, a capacity of 512GB, and the same durability features mentioned above, the SanDisk Ultra UHS-I Class 10 A1 is one of the best drone microSD cards on the market.
Best GoPro microSD cards
Did you just get a new GoPro and need the right microSD for your video-recording adventures? Take a look at these two options.
Lexar High SILVER Professional 1066x microSDXD UHS-1
This card is from the Lexar Professional line, and it’s designed for power users who ask a lot from their memory cards. With strong durability specifications on your side, you’ll feel confident that it can stand up to the same extreme conditions as your GoPro. With write speeds of up to 120MB/s and read speeds of up to 160MB/s, this 256GB card has all the capacity you need for HD and 4K video, timelapses, and more.
PNY Technologies 512GB Pro Elite microSDXC U3
PNY is another solid name in the memory-card field, and the company offers one of the best microSD cards for GoPros and other action cameras with the 512GB Pro Elite microSDXC. This high-speed, high-capacity, and ultra-affordable memory card can crunch 4K Ultra HD video and HD photography quickly and easily, with write speeds of up to 90MB/s and read speeds of up to 100MB/s. Plus, with a lower price point than many competitors, this PNY card can be a great companion to your GoPro.
Best specialty microSD cards
For the gamers and smartphone users who need an extra dose of physical storage, the following two cards come highly recommended:
SanDisk microSDXC for the Nintendo Switch
Gamers who want to make the most of their Nintendo Switch will appreciate this fantastic and fast SanDisk 256GB microSD. It’s designed specifically for use with the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite, and it even features the adorable star power-up icon from the Super Mario Bros franchise. Plus, with 256GB of space, this microSD card allows you to store more digital games, screenshots, and other data on your Switch.
Kingston Canvas Select Plus MicroSDXC for Android
Android users with memory expansion slots will appreciate this two pack of 64GB microSD cards designed with app performance in mind. Class 10 UHS-I speeds of up to 100MB/s read and 10MB/s write mean you’ll be able to reliably shoot photos and videos, listen to music, play games, and more with your Android smartphone or tablet.
Do you need some help finding the right microSD (or other memory card) for your needs? Get in touch and our customer service team can help!
Featured Image by Shutterstock.
