The Best SD Cards of 2023

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

Update, 05/22/2023: We’ve reviewed our recommendations and person updated our best for Nintendo Switch recommendation.

What to Look For successful an SD Card successful 2023

The astir important factor to see erstwhile buying an SD card is retention capacity. Of course, this depends connected what you’ll beryllium utilizing the paper for. For example, photographers, videographers, and avid gamers usually necessitate larger-capacity cards.

Most representation paper models travel successful respective retention options, but immoderate max retired astatine 256GB oregon adjacent smaller sizes. That said, the maximum capableness SD paper your instrumentality is compatible with is precise important to support successful mind. There’s nary usage spending connected a higher capableness if your instrumentality can’t usage it! Check your device’s manual earlier going up with your purchase.

But what’s the usage of a 1TB representation paper if everything reads and writes slowly? Speed should beryllium your adjacent criterion for choosing a representation card. For photographers, constitute speeds are precise important arsenic they find however accelerated you tin shoot, particularly successful burst mode.

For astir different usage cases, work velocity is the fig to look retired for, truthful you cognize however agelong it’ll instrumentality for a crippled oregon programme to load disconnected the card. Manufacturers connection these work and constitute speeds connected the packaging—that said, these labels are often best-case scenarios, and real-world results are somewhat slower.

There are a fewer much method features to recognize astir SD cards. They travel successful Ultra High-Speed (UHS) categories that bespeak the minimum information transportation rates. For example, U1 writes up to 10MB/s portion U3 writes up to 30MB/s. But it goes beyond that. U3 is important for 4K storage, acknowledgment to the accelerated constitute speed, portion U1 is compatible with little resolutions.

There are besides Video Speed Classes similar V30, V60, and V90, wherever V30 denotes 4K enactment and V60 and V60 spell up to 8K but astatine antithetic speeds (60MB/s and 90MB/s, respectively). As you tin already tell, the U and V ratings overlap, with U3 and V30 having akin video capabilities.

Our SD paper selections are based connected the requirements for each usage case, specified arsenic speed, durability, and video classes. So, let’s get to it.

Best SD Card Overall: Transcend 700S Memory Card

Transcend

The Transcend 700S Memory Card is our favourite SD paper due to the fact that of the cleanable blend of terms and performance. Thanks to its UHS Speed Class 3 rating, it tin scope quoted work speeds of 285MB/s and constitute speeds of 180MB/s. This velocity means you tin instrumentality rapid-fire inactive photography effortlessly.

It besides supports Video Speed Class 90 (V90) for high-resolution 4K and 8K video portion costing little than akin options connected this list. The paper is built to withstand harsh conditions similar humidity, shocks, X-rays, somesthesia extremes, and static currents.

As a plus, Transcend offers free, exclusive betterment software, truthful you tin hunt heavy wrong the paper for traces of erased files. The large downside is that it lone comes successful 32GB and 64GB models, which is hardly capable for photographers and videographers.

Best Budget SD Card: SanDisk Extreme Pro Card

SanDisk

The SanDisk Extreme Pro Card is our go-to prime for a large SD paper connected a budget. Despite costing importantly little than different options connected this list, it boasts a beauteous accelerated quoted work velocity of up to 170MB/s, minimizing the clip it takes to transportation files from the paper to a computer. Plus, it’s rated UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30), making it suitable for 4K UHD video recording.

The paper is not lone astir work speeds, though. It features awesome quoted constitute speeds of 90MB/s, allowing you to sprout successful burst mode with less processing clip delays. While those quoted speeds are great, you’ll request proprietary technology, specified arsenic SanDisk’s SD UHS-I Card Reader, to execute them. Otherwise, you’re stuck astatine astir 90MB/s work and 80MB/s constitute speeds. While this is inactive great, it’s a shame you don’t get the advertised velocity retired of the box.

Still, if you’re connected a choky budget, the 64GB version of the SanDisk Extreme Pro should supply you with capable worth for money. And if you spell for the 128GB oregon 256GB models, you prevention adjacent much per gigabyte of retention space.

Finally, determination are besides 512GB and 1TB options for those who request a batch of storage, but these size cards are not successful the fund range.

Best SD Card for Photography: Lexar Professional 2000x Card

Lexar

For nonrecreational photographers, you can’t spell incorrect with the Lexar Professional 2000x Card. It’s susceptible of work speeds up to 300MB/s, acknowledgment to its enactment for UHS-II technology. Of course, it’s backward compatible with UHS-I devices, but you won’t execute akin speeds since UHS-II is physically much susceptible of faster information transfer.

This SD card’s constitute speeds tin scope 260MB/s, which should grip sequential burst mode and RAW shooting effortlessly. If you similar to seizure immoderate footage alongside photos, the card’s got you covered, too. It boasts a U3 rating, allowing you to sprout 4K video.

The Lexar Professional paper is rather costly compared to astir options connected this list. But if you’ve got a request for velocity and tendency the 4K support, this paper is for you. For the mean user, corroborate that your camera and paper reader are compatible with UHS-II earlier buying them.

The different downside is that it maxes retired astatine 256GB, truthful you’ll person to backmost up your photos a small much than if you had a larger capacity.

Best SD Card for GoPro: SanDisk Extreme Pro Memory Card

SanDisk

Every videographer knows however large the GoPro’s versatility is, particularly for those who similar to seizure footage connected the go. Pair that with the SanDisk Extreme Pro Memory Card, and you person a lucifer made successful heaven. For video recording, it’s rated successful the V90 velocity people and UHS velocity people 3 (U3), susceptible of delivering 4K and adjacent 8K video recording.

Like the Lexar card, the SanDisk has a quoted work velocity of up to 300MB/s and constitute speeds of up to 260MB/s for continuous burst shooting with high-resolution stills successful JPEG and RAW formats. Plus, the paper is built to lucifer the GoPro’s toughness. It’s waterproof, shockproof, temperature-proof, and X-ray-proof, truthful your caput is astatine remainder successful the vigor of the action.

The SanDisk is large but costs conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic the Lexar Professional card, and the retention maxes retired astatine 256GB, which mightiness not beryllium capable retention for each your needs.

Best SD Card for Steam Deck: SanDisk Extreme Pro Micro Memory Card

SanDisk

SanDisk is good known for its prime successful the representation paper space, truthful it’s nary astonishment that it makes a 3rd quality connected this list. The SanDisk Extreme Pro Micro Memory Card is our prime for prime pairing for the Steam Deck. It supports U3 and V30 velocity classes for UHS and video, respectively. It lives up to the “Extreme” badge with its quality to past harsh conditions.

The micro SD got the motion implicit our different considerations acknowledgment to its accelerated 170MB/s work velocity which translates to real-world usage. The paper has been shown to outpace the Steam Deck’s 512GB SSD by a fewer milliseconds erstwhile launching games by RPS. While that’s not a lot, it should compression retired each imaginable fraction of crippled load times.

The lone existent downside of this paper is that it’s rather expensive, but the terms is justified considering the performance.

Best SD Card for Raspberry Pi: Silicon Power 3D NAND MicroSD Card

Silicon Power

Even though astir Raspberry Pi devices trust wholly connected outer representation for their retention needs, a 32GB paper is much than sufficient. And our prime for the class goes to the Silicon Power 3D NAND MicroSD Card.

It’s rated astatine UHS Speed 1 and loads apps consistently faster than astir akin options connected Raspberry Pi 4. It has besides been shown to execute considerably good connected assorted tests.

While this is not a accepted feature, the Silicon Power microSD has a mostly achromatic aboveground that should travel successful useful for scribbling labels for recognition erstwhile you person galore of them.

As acold arsenic downsides go, the lone existent occupation present is that its footwear clip is comparatively slow. That’s not a atrocious occupation erstwhile the different velocity metrics travel retired connected top.

Best SD Card for Switch: Sandisk Extreme PLUS MicroSDXC UHS-I

SanDisk

While it surely isn’t the astir budget-friendly MicroSD card, the SanDisk Extreme PLUS MicroSDXC is the retention upgrade your Nintendo Switch needs. Even erstwhile tested against the interior storage, this paper feels impressively quick.

The Extreme PLUS has an A2 rating, which means it is designed to store applications with optimized work and constitute performance. On the Switch, precocious work velocity is much beneficial arsenic it impacts loading times. With a maximum of 200MB/s work and 140MB/s constitute speed, this paper tin shave a sizeable magnitude disconnected your hold to commencement gaming.

You tin take from a scope of retention capacities betwixt 128GB and 1TB. The largest size costs implicit a 100 dollars, but the outlay whitethorn beryllium worthy it for the imaginable show improvement. Still, the 128GB and 256GB models are affordable and volition beryllium capable abstraction for astir Switch players.

You don’t get the beauteous Zelda oregon Super Mario branding of some different widely-recommended SanDisk MicroSD cards, but does that truly substance if the paper is hidden 99% of the time?

Frequently Asked Questions