Nowadays, almost everyone uses memory cards - everyone has a phone with a camera, a smartphone or a tablet. Well, if you have ever picked up a memory card, you know that there are many different letters and numbers written on it. What do they mean and what can they tell the owner? Now I will tell you about decoding the markings of Secure Digital (or simply SD) and MicroSD memory cards, after which, I think, you should have no more questions. Almost all of them are identical for other memory card standards, such as Compact Flash, Trans Flash, Memory Stick, etc.
So, as you already guessed, everything that is written on the memory card is not just a set of characters, but its key parameters. Deciphering the markings will tell a literate person everything about it at just one glance!

There are six (6) such label parameters on a regular SD card. Let's take a closer look at each of them:

1.Memory card capacity- This is probably the most important and common marking you will see on a memory card. It indicates the capacity of the removable drive - that is, the maximum size of data that it can store. But here you need to take into account one feature - the actual (useful) storage space that you get will be less than the indicated capacity on the card. Why is this happening? The fact is that this difference will be taken up by the file system used on the device. And the larger its volume, the more the file system eats up.

2. Write protect icon. You can find this marking in the form of a lock on an SD card, but it won’t be on a small MicroSD! This is a write protect symbol that is usually painted on the left side of the card body along with a downward arrow. If the tiny lever is in the up position, recording is possible; if in the down position, the disk is locked and write-protected.

3. Claimed reading speed. In the upper left corner of the card you can see the number of megabytes per second - this is the maximum reading speed that the SD card can achieve. It is not at all a fact that you will be able to achieve it. The measurement was performed based on the manufacturer’s internal testing and may differ from the real one!

Attention! It is worth keeping in mind that the read speed is different from the write speed. Manufacturers usually do not specify the latter parameter because the SD card's write speed is usually significantly lower in value (i.e. slower) than the read speed.

4. Card format. Almost two decades have passed since the creation of SD cards. Agree, in the field of digital technology this is a huge period. During this time, the standard has developed in accordance with consumer needs for faster gadgets and for storing large amounts of information. With each new development, the Association creates a new format to standardize the next generation SD card.

There are currently three SD formats:

Secure Digital Standard Capacity(SDSC or SD only) - uses FAT 12/16 file systems and has a capacity of up to 2 GB;

Secure Digital High Capacity(SDHC) - uses the FAT32 file system and supports up to 32 GB;

Secure Digital Extreme Capacity(SDXC) - uses the exFAT format and can already reach 2 TB.

5. Speed ​​class. Next, we have speed class markings, which give an approximate idea of ​​the minimum write speed performance and its compatibility with the host device. There are currently four (4) speed classes defined by the SD Association - Class 2, Class 4, Class 6 and Class 10.

Class 2: 2MB/s Class 4: 4MB/s Class 6: 6MB/s Class 10: 10MB/s

6. UHS class. Recently, the last, sixth parameter has been added - Ultra High Speed ​​or UHS Class. What is UHS?! This is a special class created by the Association in 2009 that offers faster data rates for SDHC and SDXC and is designed for high-definition video recording.

There are currently two UHS classes; UHS Speed ​​Class 1 (U1) and UHS Speed ​​Class 3 (U3). Similar to speed classes, the maximum speed of UHS SD cards can only be achieved if the host device supports UHS technology.

The owner of any gadget sooner or later has a desire to increase its memory. Fortunately, most often this is possible thanks to memory cards. Tablets, smartphones, e-readers, video cameras, cameras are not a complete list of devices, most models of which have a slot for a memory card.

A memory card may be needed not only to increase the memory capacity of the device - in some cases, copying a file to a memory card is the fastest and easiest way to exchange information with other devices.

The algorithm for choosing a memory card for specific equipment is clear and seemingly quite simple:
1. Decide on the form factor of the memory cards.
2. Determine the minimum speed required for the gadget to operate.
3. Select the memory capacity of the card based on your needs and financial capabilities.

Unfortunately, in reality everything may not be so simple, because the speed of the card can be described by as many as four different parameters. Therefore, before you start choosing a memory card, you should figure out what each parameter is responsible for.

Characteristics of memory cards

Form factor(card standard that describes its size, number, location and purpose of pins) is primarily determined by the gadget in which the card is supposed to be installed. There is usually a marking next to the memory card slot indicating which cards the slot is intended for. And of course, a complete list of supported memory cards will be given in the gadget’s instruction manual.

There are many form factors of memory cards, but the most common today are:
- microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC;
- SD/SDHC/SDXC;
- JetDrive Lite;
- MS Pro Duo:
- Compact Flash:
- XQD.

microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC And SD/SDHC/SDXC belong to one type of card – Secure Digital. They are presented in three formats (SD, SDHC, SDXC) and three form factors (SD, miniSD, microSD), although miniSD is practically not found today. SD cards of the same format and different form factors differ only in size, they have the same filling - many cards of the microSD form factor even come with an adapter that allows them to be used as SD form factor cards.

The formats differ in the possible maximum volume:
- SD can have a capacity of up to 2 GB;
- SDHC – up to 32 GB;
- SDXC – up to 2 TB (currently the maximum capacity among cards produced is 1 TB; on sale there are capacities of up to 512 GB).
The formats are compatible from top to bottom, i.e., a device that supports SDHC cards will also support SD, but SDXC cards will not work on this device.

JetDrive Lite can also be classified as SD format. The JetDrive Lite card is an SD card with slightly different dimensions - it is shorter than the original one. The size of the card has been changed so that when installed in MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, it does not protrude beyond the dimensions of the laptop.
The card reader depth varies between MacBook models, so JetDrive Lite cards also come in different sizes:

Memory Stick is a memory card used in Sony devices; now the most common type is Memory Stick PRO Duo ( MS Pro Duo). The characteristics are similar to the SDHC format, but have a much higher price. Fortunately, in most cases, instead of an MS Pro Duo card, you can use microSD cards with an appropriate adapter.

Compact Flash- an old-timer among modern memory cards, produced since 1994. Despite such a respectable age, CompactFlash cards are still popular in video and photographic equipment due to their high write/read speed and large capacity: the latest edition of the standard limits the speed to 167 MB/s, and volume – a completely unrealistic 128 Petabytes. In addition, the data exchange standard for cards (ATA) does not change, and in cameras fifteen years ago you can use modern cards (if the capacity is supported), as well as vice versa - insert ancient CF cards into modern cameras (if they are “fast enough”).

XQD– the memory card format developed by SanDisk, Sony and Nikon is intended for devices that are particularly demanding in terms of write/read speed. Today it is considered the most promising format for modern high-resolution video and photo cameras.

Speed ​​class memory card determines its speed performance. Most often, you can find out the minimum recording speed from the class - this indicator is very important for cards on which real-time video is recorded. Speed ​​class mismatch can result in frame loss and recording errors. There are several speed class designation standards.

SD (microSD) cards have four speed levels Class2, Class4, Class6 And Class10. The class is indicated by a number inside the letter “C” and corresponds to the minimum write speed (in MB/s) - for a Class6 card the minimum write speed will be 6 MB/s.
SDHC and SDXC cards can support the UHS (Ultra High Speed) protocol. UHS speed class is indicated inside the letter “U” and corresponds to the minimum write speed in tens of MB/s. A card with a UHS U3 speed class will have a minimum write speed of 30 MB/s. There are also speed specifications for Video Speed ​​Class - (the minimum speed in MB/s is indicated after the letter "V") and Application Performance Class, indicated by the letter "A" and has a minimum write speed of 10 MB/s.

The latest modification of SDHC / SDXC cards with support for the UHS-II protocol has an additional row of contacts on the body and read/write speeds of up to 300 MB/s. But such cards have not yet received wide distribution.

Cards MS PRO DUO provide a minimum write speed of 4 MB/s.

Cards JetDrive Lite provide a minimum write speed of 60 MB/s.

Cards XQD provide a minimum write speed of 125 MB/s.

When choosing a memory class, you should focus on the requirements of the device for which you are purchasing the memory card. If, for example, the device does not support the UHS protocol, there is no point in buying a card with the U3 class - it will not work faster than C10. If the card is intended to be used in various devices, when choosing a speed class, you can refer to the following table:

Since read speed is usually much faster than write speed, manufacturers sometimes indicate the read speed class as multiplier(similar to CD-ROM speeds), with 1x = 150 KB/s. That is, a card with a speed of 133x will have a read speed of 133*150/1024 ≈ 20 MB/s, and a 1067x card will have a read speed of 156 MB/s.

Often manufacturers also indicate maximum values write speed And reading– they can be many times greater than the corresponding values ​​obtained by the speed class of the card. But it should be understood that such speeds are achieved under ideal conditions; in reality, the speed will always be lower, sometimes by several times. Therefore, when choosing a card, you should be guided by the minimum recording speed, and take other speeds as additional information.

Card volume determines how much information will fit on it. On the one hand, the more memory, the better. On the other hand, larger capacity cards are more expensive. In addition, the maximum capacity of memory cards on many devices is limited to a value less than the maximum capacity of a card of a given format. A device, for example, may support SDXC cards, but have a maximum memory card capacity of 128 GB. There is no point in buying a 256 GB SDXC card for such a device. Such subtleties should be clarified before purchasing in the device’s instruction manual.

Memory card options

If you need to increase the memory of your smartphone by 2-8 GB, first of all you should make sure that it has this option. If there is a memory card slot, most likely it is designed for microSD cards. Suitable for smartphone

Buying a photo and video camera or another digital device, you probably paid attention to the entry in the instructions that you must use a memory card of at least N class. These recommendations should be taken seriously .

The quality of its operation depends on what class of memory card is installed in the device. On SDHC memory cards And microSD The class size is indicated on the card itself, the number is circled. In other cases, you need to consult with the seller or look in the specifications before purchasing.

Classification of memory cards.

Today there is 4 standard classes of memory cards: 2nd grade, 4th grade, 6th grade and 10th grade. You need to know that the class indicates the minimum speed of writing any information to the card. Speed ​​is measured in the well-known Megabytes per second. That is, Class 2 memory card records at a speed of at least 2 Mb/sec, 4 classes - at least 4 Mb/sec, etc. By declaring a certain speed, memory card manufacturers guarantee that the card's writing speed will be no less than the specified speed. At the same time, there may be more, which is what most often happens in practice. The card's read speed always exceeds the write speed.

Why is class rating so important for digital devices? It would seem that everything is very simple: the higher the class, the better the recording speed, and this is the card you should buy. But there are some nuances here. Tablets, phones, cameras, camcorders and other modern digital devices record at high speeds or have a small clipboard and require appropriate memory cards to function effectively. Thus, a class 2 card with the lowest write speed of 2 MB/sec is suitable for audio and video players, small devices that are not intended for active recording. The card is great for storing information. A card with 4 MB/sec recording is suitable for amateur digital cameras that shoot in JPG format and video cameras. Such cards are also used on DVRs. Yes, they include memory card And .

6th grade cards can be installed, for example, on semi-professional SLR cameras. The recording speed allows you to capture images like JPG, so RAW format. In mid-level digital cameras, they provide high quality shooting if other device parameters allow. The fastest and highest quality recording speed is provided Class 10 memory cards. They are designed to work with professional photo and video cameras and are supported by many modern car recorders. 10th grade cards allow you to record at the highest level available today Full HD video format, take and save photographic images in RAW. Cards of this type support memory capacity up to 32 GB, which is a definite plus for devices that require a large amount of memory to store information. Another big plus 10th grade cards is that they allow photographers to take burst shots with high image quality. InfoTech Company offers a wide selection memory cards in SD, SDHC, Micro SD and SDXC class 10 formats, which are suitable for use in car recorders, cameras, video cameras, etc.

Let's try to find out what class of memory card you should equip your smartphone, tablet, laptop, camcorder or camera when such a need arises, and which class of memory card is better for each of these devices?

To do this, we will consider in detail what classification of memory cards currently exists, and how one miniature storage device differs from another.

Before you find out what a storage device class means, you should clarify the concept of storage media speed. There are two different values ​​for this parameter: the first is the speed of reading or transferring data, and the second is the speed of writing data. The read speed is almost always faster than the write speed, but it has no direct relation to the class of equipment: it may even turn out that a flash drive labeled “class 4” will be read faster than a class 10 flash drive.

Of the two numbers describing the characteristics of the media, this will be the larger number: the higher the reading speed, the easier and faster you can transfer information to an external device. Recording speed is important to hardware performance and is what allows you to record high-definition video. You can find out whether the manufacturer offers a good speed recording mode by looking at the back of the package.

Since some unscrupulous manufacturers indicate inflated specifications on their products, it is better to purchase memory cards from well-known brands, but, in any case, it is always possible to check the speed data yourself. It is easy to check the speed using special programs, for example, USB-Flash-Banchmark and Check Flash, which can be downloaded for free, or the H2testw utility.

Existing card types

Modern digital storage media comes in different sizes: mini, micro and full-format, with the smallest sizes intended for a smartphone, tablet or mobile phone, and the larger ones used in camcorders and cameras.

For a long time, the main storage medium was CompactFlash, or CF cards, measuring 43 x 36 x 3.3 mm, and although the age of these formats has passed, they are nevertheless still used in some DVRs today.

The most common type of digital storage equipment currently is the SD Card (Secure Digital Memory Card) or SD card.

This device, no larger than a postage stamp, with dimensions of 32 x 24 x 2.1 mm, surpassed CF cards in all respects, and almost all modern equipment is compatible with it. Higher-capacity devices are now abbreviated SDHC, and ultra-high-capacity devices are abbreviated SDXC.

Micro SD or micro SD card is simply a miniature version of an SD card, measuring 11 x 15 x 1 mm, which is inserted into devices with limited space, such as phones. However, if necessary, it can even be installed in a laptop if you use a special adapter that exists for this purpose. There is also a mini SD with dimensions of 21.5 x 20 x 1.4 mm, since some types of equipment are equipped with just such slots.

Classes of SD memory cards

Let's assume that we already know what size the storage device should be, how much of its memory we need for optimal operation. All that remains is to find out what a memory card class is and what this SD card parameter affects in order to select the one you need. It is this characteristic that will determine the speed at which we can transmit or receive the information we are interested in.

So, this is a parameter that determines the speed of the SD memory card, according to which all devices are divided into:

1. Class 2 - speed from 2 Mb/s to 4 Mb/s. Since the writing speed is very low, this class of flash drive should not be used in video cameras or digital cameras. The lack of speed is compensated by the relative cheapness of the card, so it can be safely used to reproduce sound and images, that is, in audio or video players, since in this case high speed is not needed.
2. Class 4 - speed from 4 Mb/s and higher. For amateur home photography with digital cameras, you can use class four. The fourth class, in addition, is installed in the DVR and some inexpensive non-professional video cameras.
3. Class 6 - guaranteed speed of 6 Mb/s and higher. A flash drive of this level can already be installed in semi-professional video cameras and SLR cameras that shoot in RAW format. They allow you to get fairly high quality shooting.
4. Class 10 - speed is 10 Mb/s and higher. A Class 10 flash drive can be equipped with a car recorder, professional video and photo equipment with Full HD recording. Class 10 allows you to take burst photos, shoot in RAW format and save images, which is of great importance for professional photographers. However, such devices are somewhat more expensive, for example, a microsdhc class 10 memory card will cost at least 1000 rubles.
5. SD Class 16 - speed of at least 16 Mb/s, however, it is still very difficult to buy this card in our country, since it has not yet been widely sold.
6. Ultra High Speed ​​(UHS) - such ultra-high speed cards can only be used with devices compatible with them, which is usually written about in the instructions. Class 10 UHS I is a high-speed card, the writing speed of which can reach 50 MB/s or more.

There is a UHS specification that regulates the speed of equipment. According to the UHS-I standard, the data exchange speed must be at least 50 Mb/s and up to 104 Mb/s, according to the UHS-II standard - at least 156 Mb/s and up to 312 Mb/s. The class 10 uhs i card allows you to provide the highest level of real-time recording and, in addition, get large-size video in HD format.

How to determine the class of a memory card? You just need to look at it carefully: the circled number on the front of the digital storage medium will be the desired value.

How to choose a flash drive

Please note that the latest memory device formats may not work with older hardware. For example, if a smartphone supports the micro SD format, this does not mean that it will also support high-speed micro SDXC. Therefore, to find out this possibility, it is better to read the documentation for your smartphone in advance.

Micro SD, like SD media, comes in two formats (SDHC with a capacity of up to 32 GB and SDXC with a capacity of 64 to 512 GB) and are used in all modern smartphones and tablets. The tenth speed class of such information media is no different from their full-size counterparts. Thus, the higher the classes of sdhc memory cards, the faster data transfer occurs, which is the main advantage of those micro SD cards that cost more for the same capacity.

For example, a microsdhc class 10 32GB memory card costs about 1,500 rubles. Ideal for modern digital devices such as phones, camcorders, smartphones, PDAs, audio players and game consoles. If you don’t skimp on the class of equipment, pursuing immediate benefits, you can get long-term excellent results in the further use of the equipment: high-quality pictures and stunning videos, as well as funds from their sale.

The best memory cards for phones, tablets, cameras, quadcopters and others.

It wasn't that long ago that we had a choice when it came to external memory for your phones, cameras, and portable gaming systems. You could buy the Sony Memory Stick Duo, which seemed like an overkill no matter what your needs, but on the other hand, you could treat yourself to one of the best SD and MicroSD cards for much less.

Considering that most people don't care about the speed and capacity boost Memory Stick Duo offers over SD cards, memory cards have won like Blu-Ray beat HD DVD, resulting in us being saved from the complex memory card variety , left with MicroSD and SD cards.

With the best SD cards on the market currently coming from a variety of tech companies being used in everything from DSLR cameras to Nintendo Switch consoles, we felt it necessary to curate our own ranking, leading you to what will inevitably be your tiniest property. Below you will find a ranking of the best MicroSD memory cards, followed by a buyer's guide in which we will explain all the features of MicroSD and understand their speeds and characteristics.

The best memory cardsMicroSD andSD in 2018:

Samsung Evo Plus

The best and most versatile card MicroSD.

Capacity Interface: MicroSD.

• pros: Fast | Reliable;
• Minuses: Darling | Not the fastest;

The best SD card you can buy is technically a MicroSD memory card, although it can be used at full size with the appropriate adapter. While it's not the most resilient MicroSD card on the market, the Samsung Evo Plus's 100 megabytes per second (MB/s) write speed and 90 MB/s write speed are impressive. Not only this, but the wide range of sizes available to choose from, be it 32GB or 128GB, makes the Evo a good choice.

Samsung Pro+ (Plus)

Best card MicroSD for video.

Capacity: 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB | Interface: MicroSD.

• pros: Reliability | High speeds;
• Minuses: Expensive;

If you shoot a lot, especially in 4K, then you'll need a reliable MicroSD card that can quickly record large amounts of data, which is what the Samsung Pro+ does. This is a U3 rated MicroSD memory card with read/write speeds of 95 MB/s and 90 MB/s. The fast speeds available from the Samsung Pro+ memory card would be largely overkill for everyday tasks in a smartphone, but for 4K video recording it's a fantastic memory card.

SanDisk Extreme Plus

Flagship map memory MicroSD.

Capacity: 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB | Interface MicroSD.

• pros: Very high speeds | Recording small files;
• Minuses: Expensive;

SanDisk claims that this MicroSD card can read up to 95 MB/s and write up to 90 MB/s, and the card comes quite close to those speeds in tests. This makes the memory card extremely fast, and with smaller files the speed increases even faster, meaning it's a great card for action cameras, quadcopters or pocket cameras. Again, this is a bit of a pricey card, but if you don't mind spending a little more, you'll get a great MicroSD card for your needs.

Lexar 1000x

A memory card with excellent value for money.

Capacity: 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB | Interface: MicroSD.

• pros: Good price | Included USB 3.0 adapter;
• Minuses: Not the fastest card | Inconsistency;

The Lexar 1000x isn't the fastest microSD card on the market, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best because of its other benefits. For example, the reading speed of a memory card remains the fastest, and moreover, the memory card is cheaper than most of its competitors. While it can't offer the same write speeds, the difference won't be noticeable to most people. The memory card also comes with a MicroSD to USB 3.0 adapter, making it easy to transfer your files to your PC.

SamsungEvoSelect

Another great universal card MicroSD.

Capacity: 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB | Interface: MicroSD.

• pros: High speeds | Decent price;
• Minuses: Amazon Exclusive;

As you can probably guess from the number of entries in our ranking of the best MicroSD memory cards, Samsung makes excellent memory cards that are fast, efficient, and reliable MicroSD cards. The Samsung Evo Select is another great all-rounder that's at home in a digital camera, drone, phone, or Nintendo Switch. While the memory card doesn't necessarily excel at any particular task, the card is powerful enough and performs well. Currently, Samsaung Evo Select MicroSD cards are only available from Amazon. While this makes purchasing a discount card a little more difficult, at least you can buy with confidence from a reputable seller.

Kingston Industrial Class 10 U1

Reliable card MicroSD.

Capacity: 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB | Interface: MicroSD.

• pros: Strong | Withstands high and low temperatures.
• Minuses: Not amazing performance.

If you're looking for a good MicroSD card that can survive harsh environments like in an action camera, on a quadcopter, or mounted outside in a security camera, then the Kingston Industrial Class 10 U1 is a great choice. First, the memory card can withstand temperatures from -40 to 85 degrees Celsius, the card is shockproof and can withstand x-rays. It's been tested for industrial use and comes with a five-year warranty, so you can use this MicroSD card with confidence.

Kingston microSD Action Camera

The ideal memory card for professionals.

Capacity: 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB | Interface: MicroSD.

• pros: Very durable | Good speed;
• Minuses: Not surprising if not in an action camera;

If you're looking for a MicroSD card to fit into an action camera like a Go Pro, you'll need something that can record data quickly and also withstand drops, shocks, and water. The excellent Kingston microSD Action Camera memory card comes to your aid - designed specifically for action cameras. This means you get an incredibly durable design as well as fast read and write speeds. This is a bit of an overkill camera for smartphone use, so we recommend using one of the other MicroSD cards in our rating for this purpose, it will better suit your needs.

How to choose a memory cardMicroSD: Tips

You shouldn't look for SD and MicroSD memory cards with a capacity of less than 4 GB simply because the price you'll pay for two and four times that capacity remains virtually the same.

Make sure you factor in shipping costs when ordering a MicroSD card online; you may pay more for postage than for the memory card, especially for low-cost models.

If you're looking for a high-capacity memory card (32GB or larger), make sure your device is SDXC compatible.

If you plan to move files to and from portable devices (tablets or smartphones), consider a microUSB memory card reader such as Leef Access.

Avoid buying memory cards from suppliers with few reviews, as these cards can easily be counterfeit. All stores listed in our rating undergo multi-level verification and are reliable.

SD cards with capacities of 128GB and above tend to be cheaper, as users typically opt for 64GB as this number is often the maximum supported capacity of most mobile devices. Typically, MicroSD cards with an adapter are less expensive than equivalent SD cards.

Please note that all numbers will likely be significantly smaller than formatted.

SD memory cards are usually divided into classes that give a rough idea of ​​the minimum performance. A Class 4 card is guaranteed to offer at least 4 Mbps, while a Class 10 should exceed 10 Mbps.

Likewise, many manufacturers report available speeds in the form of an "x", which is a multiple of 150 Kbps (the read speed of a standard CDROM). The 100x memory card is expected to deliver over 14 Mbps.

If you're planning on buying MicroSD cards just for data storage, don't do it. Flash drives, being cheaper and more reliable, are a better choice.

Best cardsMicroSD Buyer's Guide

First of all, it is important to understand the MicroSD standards, as well as all the markings. There are different types of MicroSD cards, even if they look the same.

Capacity

Let's look at MicroSDHC first. HC stands for High Capacity and covers sizes from 4GB to 32GB. Over 32GB of MicroSDXC memory cards, where XC stands for eXtended Capacity, and the largest cards in this category available for purchase are 200GB. However, the latest phones and tablets, including the HTC 10, claim support for MicroSD cards up to 2TB. Check your device's support before purchasing a card: many devices do not support SDXC and are therefore limited to cards up to 32GB of memory.

Speed

There are three different speed standards, and you may see more than one on the card. The original speed marking is marked inside the letter C (center of the image above). The number indicates the minimum stable write speed, so a “Class 6” card is capable of recording information at a speed of 6 MB/s - that is, 6 megabytes per second. This is a sequential write speed that is only used when writing large amounts of data (such as video recording) to sequential memory locations. This does not apply to 4KB random writes, a typical solution for phones and tablets where small amounts of data are written to random locations.

Most devices capable of recording HD video require Class 10 MicroSD cards, but most Class 10 MicroSD cards are capable of more than the minimum recording speed of 10 MB/s.

This is where UHS comes into play. This stands for Ultra High Speed, and the class is denoted by the letter U. A Class 1 UHS MicroSD card writes at a minimum of 10 MB/s, while a UHS 3 card writes at a minimum of 30 MB/s. With.

You may also see UHS-I or UHS-II on the map. This indicates what technology the Micro SD memory card uses. The UHS-I "Bus" can operate at speeds of up to 104 Mb/s, while the UHS-II bus can transfer data at up to 312 Mb/s. This doesn't mean the card will read and write at these speeds, these are peak performance.

In order to benefit from the faster speeds available from UHS-I or MicroSD UHS-II, you need a device that is compatible with this standard.

You can easily identify a UHS-II card because it has a second row of pins below the main set. All cards tested in this article are Class 10 or UHS-I.

SanDisk showed off at MWC 2016 in Shanghai what the manufacturer calls the world's fastest microSD card for 256 GB - SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-I 256GB.

The new card uses a new speed classification system called Video Class. You'll see this system on cards soon, marked V. Like the original class system, this means the minimum sequential write speed in MB/s and ranges from V6 to V90.

Best cardsMicroSD 2018: Temperature, X-ray and durability

MicroSD memory cards are small and easy to lose, but in addition to purchasing a special case for your card collection, it's important to choose memory cards that can withstand travel and anything else that might compromise their function.

Some manufacturers claim that their cards are waterproof and also X-ray protected. However, these specifications apply to almost all MicroSD cards. The data isn't stored magnetically, so an airport scanner shouldn't pose a problem, as long as you're not trying to read or write data to a non-waterproof card reader underwater, the MicroSD card should be able to survive surface moisture.

The cards can also carry ratings for suitability at certain temperatures, say -25 to +85 degrees Celsius, withstand shock and shock, and more. As long as you're willing to pay more for one of these cards, you may be entitled to a warranty if it suddenly fails because it's been exposed to heat or "shocked."

The warranty, therefore, is the most important among all these things: check not only the duration but also the conditions that the warranty covers.

The best memory cardsMicroSD: Which card should I buy?

Our main recommendation is to stick with reputable manufacturers who can provide a warranty on their cards. Reputable manufacturers include: Toshiba, Samsung, SanDisk, Lexar, Kingston, and Verbatim, among others.

There are many counterfeits and low-quality MicroSDs out there, so make sure you buy from a reputable supplier. If you see a card on Avito that is significantly cheaper than you expected, don’t rush!

Before purchasing a MicroSD card, check the maximum capacity of the device. Some mobile devices are limited to 32GB of memory because they are SDHC and not SDXC. It's tempting to get a 128GB card, but it simply won't work if the device can't access it.

Quadcopters / Action Cameras

If you're buying a MicroSD card with the intention of recording 4K video, look for a UHS-I Class 3 card. Many also recommend the same cards for recording Full HD (1080p) video, especially at high frame rates.

Phones/Tablets

It's difficult to guide a buyer here using general specifications because these devices rely on small file transfer speeds, which is an important difference. We'll take a closer look at mobile card compatibility in the reviews below.