Most microSD cards are fast enough for stashing photos, recording video and transferring files, but some will get you a little more bang for your buck than others. If you’re looking to boost the storage of your Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, GoPro or any other device that still accepts microSD cards, we can help. We’ve thoroughly researched the market and several cards through a suite of benchmark tests. Here are the best that we’ve tested, along with some general advice on what to look for when buying a new card.
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Best microSD cards of 2026
Lexar Best microSD card for most people Lexar Professional Silver Plus Storage capacity: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Speed classes: U3, V30, A2, Class 10 | Warranty: Lifetime limited A good UHS-I card is quick enough for most people’s needs, and the Lexar Professional Silver Plus is the best value of the ones we’ve tested. Paired with Lexar’s USB card reader, it consistently delivered faster sequential reads and writes than any other UHS-I model across our benchmark tests. It’s rated for read speeds up to 205 MB/s and write speeds up to 150 MB/s, both of which are relatively high to begin with, but we found the latter to reach into the 180-190 MB/s range in synthetic benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, ATTO and AJA. Our 12GB test folder wrote to the card in 76 seconds on average, which was roughly 30 seconds quicker than the Samsung Pro Plus and Samsung Pro Ultimate, our two previous top picks. It effectively tied the Pro Ultimate to lead all UHS-I cards we’ve tried in reading that test file back to our PC. (That one averaged about 67 seconds, if you’re keeping score at home.) Both Samsung cards and a few others beat the Silver Plus in some random performance benchmarks, though it was still plenty competitive in that regard. Either way, it has all the requisite ratings — U3, V30, A2 — and it’s more than speedy enough for working with 4K videos or moving files between devices without major delays (so long as you have a reader and/or host device that can enable those max speeds). The card itself is waterproof with an IPX7 rating, and Lexar backs it with a lifetime warranty. Sizes range from 128GB to a spacious 1TB. The optional reader — which you can buy separately or as part of a bundle — is a bit large, but it conveniently includes both USB-A and USB-C ports, so you shouldn’t need any dongles to connect it to a phone or PC. The Silver Plus' pricing has usually been the thing that's put it over the top. For most of the past several months, the 128GB model sold for around $15, while the 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants have gone for about $23, $40 and $80, respectively. Those aren’t the cheapest prices we’ve ever seen, and the math will change a bit if you need to factor in a card reader, but they’ve either undercut or matched competitors like the Pro Plus, Pro Ultimate or SanDisk Extreme despite the Silver Plus being the more performant card overall. So, to recap: It’s fast, it’s durable and it’s often reasonably affordable. That’s the recipe for an easy recommendation. Pros Fastest sequential read/write performance of any UHS-I card we've tested
Has been cheaper than many slower alternatives
Has a 1TB option
Lifetime limited warranty Cons Needs USB reader to reach maximum speeds (as expected) $40 at Amazon (512GB) Explore More Buying Options $15 at B&H Photo$15 at Adorama
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget A decent cheap microSD card Samsung Evo Select Storage capacity: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB ("new generation" model only) | Speed classes: U3, V30, A2, Class 10 / (64GB) U1, V10, A1, Class 10 | Warranty: 10-year limited The Samsung Evo Select is a clear step behind our top picks, particularly when it comes to sequential write speeds (just under 70 MB/s on CrystalDiskMark). So we don’t recommend it for any sort of camera. Still, it’s perfectly usable for simple storage expansion, and its sequential and random read speeds were still respectable in our benchmarks. Most importantly, it’s usually inexpensive: We've previously seen the 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB models fall as low as $13, $18, $33 and $67, respectively. The latter two capacities could be particularly fine values if you just want a giant chunk of space from a reputable brand on the cheap. That said, you should still grab the Lexar Professional Silver Plus or Samsung Pro Plus instead if either one is anywhere close in price. Pros Often discounted
Acceptable performance if price is chief concern
Has a 1TB option Cons Slower than other top picks, particularly in sequential write and random performance benchmarks
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