The best microSD cards you can buy: Expert tested
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We invest significantly in smartphones, drones, action cameras, DSLRs, and similar devices. However, when it comes to the storage cards that these devices rely on for storing photos and videos, many of us suddenly settle for a low-cost option from a no-name brand.
I hate being the bearer of bad news, but the microSD card you choose for your device can make or break your experience. That's why I've spent countless hours sifting through the myriad of options available to identify what I believe are the best cards on the market. These are the storage cards I personally use in all my devices, and you can trust that they've never let me down -- because if they did, they simply wouldn't be on this list!
Also: What do all those microSD and SD card numbers and letters mean?
What is the best microSD card right now?
Over the years, I've conducted hands-on testing on numerous microSD cards, evaluating features like capacity, price, performance, and durability. My extensive use of dozens of microSD cards across a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, drones, and action cameras, has given me a comprehensive understanding of their performance in real-world scenarios, and the downfall of trusting poor quality or counterfeit cards.
Based on this extensive testing, here are my top picks for the best microSD cards, with the SanDisk Extreme microSDXC standing out as the best overall choice for its consistent quality, performance, and reasonable price.
The best microSD cards of 2025
Tell me you need a microSD card, and chances are, this is the one I'll recommend. I've been using SanDisk microSD cards in smartphones, tablets, action cams, dashcams and drones for years now, and I've not had one let me down.
Quality doesn't have to come at a price, either—you can pick up a 2TB card for just over $200, with a 1TB card costing only $92.
This is consistently one of the highest-rated microSD cards in online reviews. But be careful as there are a lot of poor quality counterfeits and clones out there.
SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-I tech specs: Capacity: From 32GB to 2TB | Offload speed: Up to 240MB/s | Write speed: Up to 140MB/s | Performance rating: 4K and 5K UHD-ready with UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30) | In-app performance rating: A2 (up to 4000 read IOPS, 2000 write IOPS)
Lexar, a brand I've trusted for well over a decade, has released a new microSD card -- the Lexar Professional Silver Plus microSDXC. The storage card combines professional-grade performance and reliability at a budget-friendly price, and I recently put it to the test.
The card is rated with a video class speed of V30 and a UHS speed rating of U3, meaning it can achieve a minimum of 30 MB/s. It also boasts an Application Performance Rating of A2, indicating it can handle 4000 IOPS minimum random reads, 2000 IOPS minimum random writes, and 10 MB/s minimum sustained sequential writes.
In terms of performance, this card is perfect for 4K video capture in H.265 format, which is more than enough for most people's needs. It's solid and reliable, and it comes with a great warranty and free recovery software in case you accidentally delete important footage.
Review: Lexar Professional Silver Plus microSDXC
For a new card, the user reviews on online stores are very positive, indeed, which means this card is a winner.
Lexar Professional Silver Plus microSDXC Memory Card tech specs: Capacity: From 128GB to 1TB | Offload speed: Up to 205MB/s | Write speed: Up to 150MB/s | Performance rating: 4K and 5K UHD-ready with UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30)
This is the card I recommend to those who either are in love with the Amazon Basics brand, or who are scared to buy another brand for fear of getting a counterfeit card.
I've used these cards a lot in applications where speed is not a concern -- such as dashcams -- and they've all performed as advertised.
Reviews on outlets such as Amazon are highly positive, with buyers being surprised that something on the Amazon Basics brand can be so good.
Amazon Basics Micro SDXC Memory Card tech specs: Capacity: From 32GB to 512GB | Offload speed: Up to 100MB/s | Write speed: Up to 60MB/s | Performance rating: 4K and 5K UHD-ready with UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30)
If you're going to be doing a lot of writing to a microSD card, these are the cards for you as they are designed to offer up to 16 years -- an incredible 140,160 hours -- of continuous recording time for the 256GB version, while offering read and write speeds of up to 100 megabytes per second (MB/s) and 40 MB/s, respectively.
Review: Samsung PRO Endurance MicroSDXC Card
I've read countless reviews on Reddit and Amazon for these cards, and the claims of high endurance seem to translate into real-world usage.
Samsung PRO Endurance MicroSDXC Card tech specs: Capacity: From 32GB to 256GB | Offload speed: Up to 100MB/s | Write speed: Up to 40MB/s | Performance rating: 4K and 5K UHD-ready with UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30)
It's impossible to cover storage media for cameras without including Lexar, as it's one of those brands that's been around since the dawn of storage-- great performance, an excellent limited lifetime warranty, and another brand that's not let me down.
Another brand of microSD cards that has tens of hundreds of positive reviews on outlets and Reddit.
Lexar Professional microSDXC UHS-I microSD Card tech specs: Capacity: From 64GB to 1TB | Offload speed: Up to 160MB/s | Write speed: Up to 130MB/s | Performance rating: 4K and 5K UHD-ready with UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30) | In-app performance rating: A2 (up to 4000 read IOPS, 2000 write IOPS)
While the speeds offered by plain old microSD cards are good enough for most things gaming puts extra pressures on hardware, hence the need for faster cards that can leverage the sort of data bandwidth that PCI Express/NVMe interfaces has to offer.
PNY has come out with microSD Express cards that are up to 4.4x faster than standard UHS-I microSD cards. This means that this tiny card offers up to 890MB/s read speeds and up to 550MB/s write speeds. But fear not, because microSD Express cards are backward compatible with UHS-I and UHS-II host devices at the relevant speeds. These are perfect for the
Note that you'll need a specific microSD Express card reader to get the highest possible speeds from microSD Express cards when using a card reader.
PNY microSD Express microSD Card tech specs: Capacity: From 128GB and 256GB | Offload speed: Up to 890MB/s | Write speed: Up to 550MB/s | Performance rating: 4K and 5K UHD-ready with UHS Speed Class 3 (U3), Video Speed Class 30 (V30), and microSD Express compatible. | In-app performance rating: A1 (up to 1500 read IOPS, 500 write IOPS)
What is the best microSD card?
ZDNET's pick for the best overall microSD card is the SanDisk Extreme, but narrowing down the best microSD card isn't an easy task. That's because you can have different cards for different applications. For example, one person might favor performance, while another might want high endurance, and another be budget conscious.
Thankfully, there are numerous options for extra storage that can range from just a few dollars to over a hundred, with different storage offerings and read and write speeds.
Brand | Price | Capacity | Read speed (MB/s) | Write speed (MB/s) |
SanDisk Extreme | $11 to $230 | 32GB - 2TB | 190 | 130 |
Lexar Professional Silver Plus | $27 to $80 | 128GB - 1TB | 205 | 150 |
Amazon Basics | $11 to $70 | 128GB - 1TB | 100 | 60 |
Samsung PRO Endurance | $19 to $29 | 32GB - 256GB | 100 | 40 |
Lexar Professional | $16 to $112 | 64GB - 1TB | 160 | 130 |
PNY microSD Express cards | $45 to $70 | 128GB - 256GB | 890 | 550 |
*MSRP at the time of writing. Please note that actual prices may vary depending on available sales, deals, discounts, and coupons.
Which is the right microSD card for you?
ZDNET's pick for the best overall microSD card is the SanDisk Extreme, but narrowing down the best microSD card isn't an easy task. Check out our other top picks and see how they compare to each other, and to your needs.
Choose this microSD card brand… | If you… |
SanDisk Extreme | Want a fantastic all-rounder suitable for most applications. |
Lexar Professional Silver Plus | Want a professional, pro-grade card without the eye-watering cost. |
Amazon Basics | Are worried about counterfeit cards with more prominent brands. |
Samsung PRO Endurance | Are recording 24/7/365 to the card with CCTV or use it in a body cam or dash cam. |
Lexar Professional | Are a professional and you want a brand that's been around for ages and a limited lifetime warranty. |
PNY microSD Express | These cards are aimed at devices -- such as the Nintendo Switch 2 -- that support microSD Express standard which is 4.4x faster than standard UHS-I microSD cards. |
How we test microSD cards
ZDNET only recommends products we ourselves have tested or researched, a process that's The process is rooted in rigorous testing, real-world application, and decades of expertise. While there are countless microSD cards available on the market, not every card is built the same.
Here are some other factors I considered when testing and curating my top selections.
- Real-world use: When I test microSD cards, I use them in a variety of systems from cameras and drones to CCTV systems under both easy and harsh conditions, to get a feel for how they actually work in the real world. This hands-on approach ensures that the cards recommended are not only fast on paper but also dependable in real-world applications.
- Brand trust: I've been a photographer and videographer for a couple of decades, and a drone operator for close to ten years, and during that time I've had the chance to use all these microSD cards in real-world situations. These are the brands of cards that I use and trust.
- Benchmarks: I'm also quite a nerd, and have carried out both real world and synthetic benchmarks on these storage cards. For benchmarking I use AmorphousDiskMark and BlackMagic Disk Speed Test.
FAQs on microSD cards
What's the difference between an SD card and a microSD card?
The main difference between an SD card and a microSD card is size. SD cards are larger, measuring 32mm x 24mm x 2.1mm, while microSD cards measure 15mm x 11mm x 1mm.
Both types of cards come in similar capacity ranges and performance classes.
Due to their larger size, SD cards are commonly used in devices with more space to accommodate them, such as digital cameras, camcorders, and older laptops. These devices often have dedicated SD card slots, making the larger form factor a non-issue.
microSD cards on the other hand are ideal for smaller, more portable devices like smartphones, tablets, drones, action cameras, and even some gaming consoles. Their small footprint allows manufacturers to save space in compact devices while still providing expandable storage.
Should you always go for the biggest microSD card you can buy?
No. In fact, I've seen people run into troubles and lose a lot of data doing this, not so much because of the microSD card, but because of their own bad practices. A terabyte microSD card can hold a lot of data, but that can lead to problem if you don't regularly empty it and one day your camera falls into the sea or your drone flies away never to be seen again.
This is why I prefer having a handful of smaller cards. This way I change them regularly, and if the worst happens and I do lose data, the loss is limited.
The other reason is money -- you usually pay a premium for the highest capacity cards, and the sweet spot in terms of price versus capacity is usually somewhere in the middle.
What is microSD Express?
microSD Express is a next-generation flash memory card standard that focuses on performance. These cards are capable of up to 880 MB/s and write speeds of up to 650 MB/s, and hitting sustained write speeds around 210 MB/s, a huge improvement over traditional microSD cards, which rely on older UHS-I or UHS-II interfaces.
microSD Express cards are backward compatible with devices that support microSD UHS-I, although they will operate at reduced speeds in such devices. The most mainstream device to support microSD Express is the new Nintendo Switch 2, which require these high-speed cards.
How robust are microSD cards?
Very robust!
I've been using microSD cards for closer to two decades now, and they're incredibly durable. MicroSD cards are built to withstand extreme weather conditions, and are temperature-proof, waterproof, drop-proof, shockproof, and even X-ray proof.
How do you spot a counterfeit microSD card?
It can be hard to do this. The way many find out is that their card either dies or doesn't have anywhere near the stated capacity.
Other, more subtle giveaways include the printing on the card being poor quality, blurry, or even containing typos. The packaging itself also usually feels cheap.
Windows users can also use software tools to check the validity of their microSD cards, tools such as h2testw, USB Flash Drive Tester, and ChipGenius.
Another way it to carry out a speed check test using a tool such as BlackMagic Disk Speed Test or CrystalDiskMark and checking your results against the specs on the card's packaging or the internet. If they are dramatically different -- say by 20% or more -- then you could have a fake card (or something is wrong with your test system or card reader).
The best way to avoid counterfeits is to buy from a reputable outlet.
Other microSD cards worth considering
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