One of the best microSD playing cards in 2025

Most microSD playing cards are quick sufficient for enhancing space for storing and making easy file transfers, however some present just a little extra worth than others. For those who’ve bought a tool that also accepts microSD playing cards — whether or not it’s an older gaming handheld, the brand new Nintendo Swap 2, an motion digicam, a drone or an Android pill — we’ve scoured the market and put shut to twenty high contenders by a variety of benchmark checks. You will discover our suggestions for the most effective microSD playing cards under, alongside some common buying recommendation before you purchase.

Desk of contents

Finest microSD playing cards of 2025

Lexar

Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Pace courses: U3, V30, A2, Class 10 | Guarantee: Lifetime restricted

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 constantly delivered quicker sequential reads and writes than every other 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 take a look at 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 guide all UHS-I playing cards we’ve tried in studying that take a look at file again to our PC. (That one averaged about 67 seconds, in the event you’re conserving rating at dwelling.) Each Samsung playing cards and some others beat the Silver Plus in some random efficiency benchmarks, although it was nonetheless lots aggressive in that regard. Both approach, it has all of the requisite scores — 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 might have a reader and/or host system that may allow these max speeds).

The cardboard itself is waterproof with an IPX7 score, and Lexar backs it with a lifetime guarantee. Sizes vary from 128GB to a spacious 1TB. The non-compulsory reader — which you should purchase individually or as a part of a bundle — is a bit massive, but it surely 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 $13, whereas the 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants have been going for about $23, $41 and $82, respectively. These aren’t the most affordable costs we’ve ever seen, and the mathematics will change a bit if it’s good 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 general. So, to recap: It’s quick, it’s sturdy and it’s moderately reasonably priced. That’s the recipe for a simple suggestion.

Execs

• Quickest sequential learn/write efficiency of any UHS-I card we have examined
• Cheaper than many slower alternate options
• Has a 1TB possibility
• Lifetime restricted guarantee

Cons

• Wants USB reader to succeed in most speeds (as anticipated)

$40 at Amazon (512GB)

Photograph by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Pace courses: U3, V30, A2, Class 10 | Guarantee: 10-year restricted

Storage costs are likely to fluctuate, nonetheless, and the Samsung Professional Plus — our former “greatest for many” decide — remains to be price contemplating in the event 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 almost each different UHS-I card we’ve examined. Its random reads and writes have been usually second to the pricier Samsung Professional Final, however solely by just a little, so it’s well-suited for a conveyable sport console or every other setup the place it’d be requested to entry tiny bits of information scattered all through a tool. It’s held up completely high quality in our long-term testing as nicely. 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.

For those who 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 similar efficiency scores, however these normally value a couple of dollars additional. 

Execs

• Fast sequential and random speeds
• Available at trusted retailers
• Has a 1TB possibility

Cons

• Slower than our high decide, particularly with sequential write efficiency
• 10-year guarantee is not the longest

$20 at Amazon

Photograph by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Storage capability: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (“new era” mannequin solely) | Pace courses: 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 in the case of sequential write speeds (just below 70 MB/s on CrystalDiskMark). So we don’t suggest it for any kind of digicam. Nonetheless, it’s completely usable for easy storage growth, and its sequential and random learn speeds have been nonetheless respectable in our benchmarks.

Most significantly, it’s normally 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 may very well be significantly high quality values in the event you simply desire a big chunk of house from a good model on a budget. That stated, it is best to nonetheless seize the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus or Samsung Professional Plus as an alternative if both one is anyplace shut in value.

Execs

• Usually discounted
• Acceptable efficiency if value is chief concern
• Has a 1TB possibility

Cons

• Slower than different high picks, significantly in sequential write and random efficiency benchmarks
• 10-year guarantee is not the longest

$13 at Amazon

Finest microSD Specific playing cards for the Nintendo Swap 2

Learn our full information to the greatest microSD Specific playing cards for the Nintendo Swap 2

Let’s be clear about this: Except you intend to personal a Nintendo Swap 2 within the close to future, you do not want a high-speed microSD Specific card simply but. Nintendo’s gaming handheld is the one widespread system that natively helps this customary proper now, and microSD Specific playing cards themselves are extremely costly in comparison with extra conventional choices.

Nonetheless, in the event you do need to enhance a Swap 2’s storage, they’re your solely alternative. Happily, figuring out precisely which mannequin to purchase for the console is fairly easy: Get whichever one you will discover in inventory, within the capability you need, at a value you possibly can abdomen.

We benchmarked a number of microSD Specific playing cards for a separate Swap 2 information, and for probably the most half, the efficiency variations between them weren’t nice sufficient to justify paying a lot additional for any explicit mannequin. Loading occasions weren’t fairly similar with each take a look at we ran, however the playing cards have been extraordinarily shut in most video games. When there was a spot — fast-traveling to a very resource-heavy area in Cyberpunk 2077, for example — the gulf between the slowest and quickest card was solely ever about 3 seconds at most. That’s not nothing, but it surely’s not one thing you’re prone to fret over until you might have a stopwatch useful.

The one time you’d discover a significant velocity distinction is in the event you switch video games to your Specific card from the Swap 2’s inside storage (and vice versa). In that case, the SanDisk microSD Specific Card and Lexar Play Professional have been usually the quickest, whereas PNY’s microSD Specific Flash Reminiscence Card had significantly sluggish write speeds.

Shifting 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 just a little 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 continually shuffling their video games backwards and forwards like this. Efficiency in precise video games is extra essential, and in that regard the outcomes have been constantly a lot tighter.

What issues most is getting probably the most house to your price range. Sadly, inventory for all microSD Specific playing cards has been spotty because the Swap 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 additionally occurs to be probably the most reasonably priced. Additionally be aware that some lower-capacity variations — the 128GB SanDisk card, for one — promote slower speeds than their extra spacious counterparts.

• SanDisk microSD Specific Card: 128GB ($60), 256GB ($73), 512GB ($125)

• Lexar Play Professional: 256GB ($60), 512GB ($120), 1TB ($220)

• PNY microSD Specific Flash Reminiscence Card: 128GB ($47), 256GB ($61)

• Samsung microSD Specific Card for Nintendo Swap 2: 256GB ($60)

• GameStop Specific microSD Card for Nintendo Swap 2: 256GB ($60), 512GB ($100), 1TB ($190)

• Walmart Onn microSDXC Specific Card: 256GB ($36), 512GB ($66)

Broadly talking, we suggest getting a minimum of 256GB of storage, as Swap 2 video games are likely to have a lot bigger file sizes than video games for Nintendo’s earlier handheld. However we additionally suggest holding off upgrading for so long as you possibly can, 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 in addition to the Swap 2, however we did run the fashions above by our regular PC benchmarks as nicely. Unsurprisingly, they’re miles quicker than any conventional card available on the market.

With the 256GB SanDisk card, for example, sequential learn speeds checked in just below 900 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark and ATTO, whereas sequential writes topped out round 650 MB/s. Sustained writes speeds have been slower (round 210 MB/s), however that was nonetheless quick sufficient to maneuver our 12GB take a look at 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 take a look at with our smaller 1.15GB take a look at folder, in the meantime, averaged simply 4.5 seconds.

All of it provides as much as efficiency that is a minimum of 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 circumstances. The gulf in random reads and writes is comparable, and in some benchmarks even higher. However you want an expensive SD card reader to even see these will increase on a PC, so solely these with a Swap 2 in hand or critical money to burn ought to take into account considered one of these items.

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, but it surely’s tangibly worse when it comes to sequential write speeds, usually prices extra and doesn’t provide a 1TB possibility. The Samsung Professional Plus is a bit slower for sequential reads, but it surely’s shut sufficient in any other case and normally simpler to seek out at a cheaper price.

Lexar Skilled Gold

We have not used it ourselves, however in the event 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 nicely elsewhere and may 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, but it surely’s dear, with a 128GB mannequin usually priced within the $35 to $40 vary.

SanDisk Excessive

The SanDisk Excessive successfully matched the Professional Plus in a number 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 high quality alternative in the event you see it on sale at a good vendor, but it surely’s broadly slower than our high decide and infrequently prices extra.

SanDisk GamePlay

The SanDisk GamePlay performs equally to the SanDisk Excessive however prices a great bit additional 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 in need of 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 additional for having an image of Pikachu (or Gengar, or Snorlax) on a product you’ll by no means take a look at.

SanDisk Excessive Professional

The SanDisk Excessive Professional is an in depth 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 nicely.

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 just a little bit above these of Samsung’s Evo Choose, plus it comes with a lifetime guarantee. However its sequential reads have 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 have 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. Fashionable 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 nicely. The primary 2TB playing cards from main manufacturers have began to reach as nicely, which is thrilling, however these are nonetheless pretty uncommon (and really costly) by comparability.

For a lot of, a 128GB or 256GB mannequin needs to be a candy spot between value and space for storing. However in the event you want extra room — say, for stashing a bunch of video games on a Steam Deck — a 512GB card or higher might make extra sense and infrequently gives a greater cost-per-GB ratio. Lately, you will discover a good 128GB card for round $15, a great 256GB card for lower than $30 and a stable 512GB card for round $40 (with quicker fashions priced just a little increased). There’s a starker enhance if you go as much as 1TB playing cards, which regularly value nearer to $100, although we’ve seen some fall into the $70 to $80 vary extra continuously over the past yr. The primary 2TB playing cards are an even bigger leap: the 2TB SanDisk Excessive, for instance, now has a listing value round $200, which is down a bit from its unique MSRP however nonetheless removed from low-cost.

Word {that a} microSD card’s efficiency might 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 speak about microSD playing cards in the present day, we usually confer with playing cards that use the microSDXC (eXtended Capability) customary, which have a capability between 32GB and 2TB. Your system must help this for it to work with a microSDXC card. This can virtually by no means be a difficulty lately, however some older gadgets (a Nintendo 3DS, for example) are solely suitable 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 normally 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 if you’re making an attempt to entry (learn) or save (write) lengthy, fixed streams of information, equivalent 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 essential. Random efficiency, in the meantime, is about how rapidly a card can learn and write small information scattered all through the system.

Since random learn/write speeds are a lot decrease than sequential ones, storage system makers have a tendency to not promote them as loudly. However they’re essential in the event you use a card with a gaming system or a single-board pc just like the Raspberry Pi, the place it usually has to quickly save and entry small bits of information in random places.

Pace scores

For those who take a look at a microSD card, you’ll see a buffet of numbers, letters and symbols. Most of those confer with the cardboard’s velocity class and efficiency scores, that are decided by the SD Affiliation.

A card’s Video Pace Class, or V-rating, particulars its minimal sequential write velocity, which is very essential when recording video from a digicam. It ranges from V6 to V90. A lot of the playing cards we examined had a V30 score, so that they have a sequential write velocity of a minimum of 30 MB/s. This needs to be sufficient to help as much as 4K video at decrease bitrates. Greater-rated V60 and V90 playing cards are normally higher for capturing 8K, however they arrive at a a lot increased value.

The UHS Pace Class, or U-rating, additionally refers to a card’s minimal sequential write velocity. 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 Pace Class score overlaps with the opposite two methods. It’s signified by a C image and goes from Class 2 to Class 10, with the quantity (once more) indicating minimal sequential write velocity. This score is much less related these days, however you should still see a “C10” emblem on some playing cards.

The Software Efficiency spec, marked by an A logo, is an indicator of random learn/write speeds. That is measured in IOPS, or enter/output operations per second, moderately than MB/s. There are two classes right here: A1 playing cards provide a minimal random learn velocity of 1,500 IOPS and a minimal random write velocity of 500 IOPS, whereas A2 playing cards bump these as much as 4,000 IOPS and a couple of,000 IOPS, respectively. Each scores additionally assure sequential write speeds of a minimum of 10 MB/s.

To maintain it easy, most individuals ought to search for a card with V30, U3 and A2 scores. It’s completely doable to get a stable card with out these: A U1 card is likely to be price it in the event you simply want an inexpensive, high-capacity possibility, for instance. V60 and V90 playing cards are price a glance in the event you’re critical about taking pictures high-resolution photographs and video as nicely. However general, playing cards with the certifications above ought to present the most effective mix of value and efficiency in the present day.

It’s essential to emphasise that these scores are baselines. Most V30 playing cards provide considerably increased write speeds than 30 MB/s, for example, and a few A1 playing cards can outperform some A2 fashions in follow. The speeds marketed by producers aren’t all the time 100% 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 in the present day are UHS-I, which has a theoretical most velocity 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 customary technically exists as nicely 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 scores. For those who shoot plenty of 4K to 8K video or continuously use burst mode to seize extremely high-res photographs, the efficiency features of a great UHS-II card can prevent time.

Nonetheless, these are usually way more costly than UHS-I playing cards: This 128GB Lexar Skilled Gold mannequin, for example, is a relative cut price at $35. Whereas that is lower than many UHS-II fashions we’ve seen previously, it is nonetheless greater than double the frequent road value of our high decide above. You want a tool that’s suitable 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 principally to UHS-I playing cards with our suggestions.

microSD Specific and the Nintendo Swap 2

Absolutely the quickest microSD playing cards you should purchase, nonetheless, are primarily based on a special interface known as SD Specific. This has technically been round for a number of years and now consists of its personal subset of velocity courses, however the gist is that it is a lot quicker than UHS-I or UHS-II: SanDisk’s lately 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 widespread gadgets natively help SD Specific in the present day. The primary main exception is the Nintendo Swap 2, which is solely suitable with the newer customary, because it’s wanted to maintain up with the efficiency calls for of latest handheld video games.

Moreover SanDisk, producers like Samsung, Lexar and PNY have already launched microSD Specific playing cards to go along with the console. The presumption is that having such a well-liked system 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 value way more than the most effective UHS-I and even UHS-II choices. Past the Swap 2, it’s doable to make the most of these playing cards’ superior speeds with a devoted SD Specific card reader, however that provides much more to the ultimate value. It’s additionally price noting that SD Specific playing cards aren’t backwards suitable with UHS-II (or UHS-III), so in the event 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 enchantment if extra devices that help the interface do arrive.

For extra on how the primary wave of Specific playing cards carry out on the Swap 2, we have put collectively a devoted shopping for information only for Nintendo’s console.

A be aware 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 velocity by proprietary extensions. Nonetheless, you want a suitable card reader and host system to make the most of that additional efficiency. For those who discover a UHS-I card promoting speeds increased than 104 MB/s, that is what’s occurring. You possibly can see these limits in motion with an unique Nintendo Swap or Steam Deck: Each of these gaming gadgets help the UHS-I interface however don’t transcend its official velocity, flattening any sequential features some playing cards might have elsewhere. (Variations in random learn and write speeds can nonetheless matter, although.) The identical factor will occur in the event 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 normally lined for a shorter time frame. For instance, Samsung’s Professional Endurance, a mannequin aimed toward safety cameras and different monitoring gadgets, comes with a five-year guarantee.

Avoiding counterfeits

The reminiscence card market has had a selected drawback with scammers promoting faux merchandise. To protect in opposition to this, solely purchase from a recognized model and a good retailer equivalent to Finest Purchase, B&H Photograph or Adorama. For those who 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 immediately previously, 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 cheaper price than everybody else.

When you obtain a card, test its packaging for any irregularities. You possibly can run benchmark checks like CrystalDiskMark or BlackMagic Disk Pace Take a look at 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, equivalent to H2testw and FakeFlashTest.

How we take a look at microSD playing cards

We have put about 20 microSD playing cards by a collection of checks to confirm their sequential and random efficiency. These included benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, BlackMagic Disk Pace Take a look at, ATTO Disk Benchmark and AJA System Take a look at, in addition to a number of “real-world” checks. We copied and pasted a small folder of photographs 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 sport and cargo save information. We do a number of runs of every take a look at 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. Nonetheless, if a card may very well 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 consumers 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 each time we might, although we have been solely capable of take a look at higher-capacity fashions for a number of choices. We additionally reformatted every card earlier than testing with the SD Affiliation’s Reminiscence Card Formatter instrument.

For microSD Specific playing cards, we ran every mannequin by a collection of checks particular to the Swap 2, since that’s the solely widespread system that truly helps the tech. You possibly can learn extra about that course of in our separate shopping for information linked above.

Current updates

August 2025: We’ve fleshed out our recommendation on shopping for a microSD Specific card for the Nintendo Swap 2. We plan on testing a number of newer releases from Kingston, SanDisk, Lexar and PNY in a future replace.

Could 2025: We’ve up to date this information to make sure our recommendation is correct and to replicate the brand new Nintendo Swap 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 customary 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 decide: the Lexar Skilled Silver Plus. The Samsung Professional Plus, our earlier suggestion, stays as a runner-up. We’ve additionally added SanDisk’s lately launched microSD Specific card as a decide for many who need absolutely the quickest card doable, albeit with heavy caveats. This is likely 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 gentle edits for readability.

August 2024: We’ve up to date this information to notice the lately 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.