Micro SD cards

16.10.03 - Have you ever wondered what a micro SD card is or where they are used or, more importantly, which card is best for a specific device?

As I am currently upgrading my cards (smartphone and camera) to 128gb size, thought I would let you know what i have reviewed.

Micro SD cards come with a case to enable use in devices that can't use the micro card itself.
As i want to interchange usage, I always buy the micro card that comes with the case.

My preferred method of use is extract the micro card from the camera or smartphone, place it in the case and then insert in the computer card slot, to back up data. 

Most cameras and smartphones allow for storage size of 128gb now and some allow for 200gb. But the 200gb cards are still quite a bit more expensive for high speed read/write.

Understanding read/write speed is important for certain applications on cameras and smartphones.
It is getting a little complicated and I will try to simplify in this blog item.

A Few Specifics:
1. Faster speed is better but more expensive
2. Read speed is always faster than write speed
3. Most manufacturers present read speed and not write speed
4. Write speed is important for HD and 4K (coming soon) video
5. Higher read speed helps when transferring data to your computer
6. The quality manufacturers are: SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston, Toshiba and Lexar 
7. Class 10 should be the only type SD card you buy

MicroSD card Specs:
1. MicroSDXC (XC - extended capacity) are cards above 32gb
2. MicroSDXC UHS-I (ultra high speed or U1) writes at higher than a Class 10 minimum speed and reads up to a maximum of 104MB/s (MB/s - characters per second)
3. U3 (UHS-III) and V30 refer to video speeds that cannot be used on current equipment but are the highest available today and will be supported in new devices 
4. Refer to the pic (click to enlarge) or check this link for rated speeds of various manufacturers

In my opinion, you are best advised to buy a UHS-I microSD card. 
SanDisk Ultra is a tried/true 128gb product and it has approx 80 read and 60 write ... which will work very well for everything you do on a smartphone or camera (even 60fps 1080p video).
If you are interested in the best price (and can wait for delivery), eBay has the 128gb for $15 (including delivery).
A good alternative is the Samsung Evo+ 128gb ($16 on eBay) which has 80 read and 20 write speeds.

But, check your user manual to ensure it handles 128gb and UHS-I type cards.