Best SD cards and microSD cards | October 2021

How to choose the best SD card that suits your needs? Guide to the parameters to evaluate before making the purchase among the best SD and microSD cards on the market

The SD card is a removable memory medium used to expand the space of laptops, smartphones, tablets, camcorders, cameras etc. Before buying an SD card between best SD and microSD cards on the market, you must inform yourself well about the characteristics and above all about its intended use. The risk otherwise would be to have a very good SD card that offers excellent performance, but unusable as it does not fit your device.

How to choose the best SD or micro SD card correctly

The choice of SD card must be based on four fundamental points: the class, the speed rating, it memory space and the physical size of the card. Let’s analyze each of these items in detail to guide us onpurchase from the best SD and microSD cards.

The class of the SD card | Best SD and microSD cards

There are four types of classes for SD cards: class 2, class 4, class 6 e class 10. Through the class it is possible to know exactly the minimum write speed of the card.

Specifically, the class number indicates how many MB the transfer takes place: a class 2 card writes at a speed of 2 MB / s, a class 4 card at 4 MB / s, a class 6 card at 6 MB / s and a class 10 card at 10 MB / s. There are also ultra-fast cards (UHS O U3), which are capable of transferring from 50 MB / s up to 312 MB / s, and even more.

The speed rating of the SD card | Best SD and microSD cards

La speed rating equivale alla maximum speed expressed as a multiplier with respect to the writing speed of a CD, and is indicated with the symbol X. The CD writing unit of measurement (1x) is equivalent to 150 KB / sec (0.15 MB / sec), so an SD card with a speed rating of 1000x guarantees a speed of 150 MB / sec.

However, this parameter is less reliable than the speed class, as it only indicates the peak speed. Furthermore it is not certified, this means that the speed rating is self-certified by the manufacturer, so it is advisable to rely on a well-known and well-known brand on the market.

The memory space of the SD card | Best SD and microSD cards

The SD have three ranges of memory spaces, to be evaluated well based on the intended use.

the SDXC (Secure Digital Extended Capacity) they have a capacity ranging from 64 GB to 2 TB; the SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) they have a capacity ranging from 4 GB to 32 GB; finally the SDSC (Secure Digital Standard Capacity) they have a capacity ranging from 128 MB to 2 GB.

The type of card to buy must be chosen based on the amount of data, photos, images and files that you intend to save to avoid unnecessary expenses or buy a product that would be unusable.

The physical size of the SD card | Best SD and microSD cards

The last parameter concerns the physical size of the card, which can be of three formats: standard (32 mm x 24 mm), mini SD (31,5 mm x 20 mm) e micro SD (11 mm x 15 mm). The mini SD cards can be housed through a special adapter usually also in a PC, which is compatible with the standard format.

Best micro SD cards

Best SD cards

Best SD and microSD cards for smartphones, cameras, tablets, etc.

Doing a summary we can say that: for photos it is appropriate to focus on memory space; for video cameras, class 2 is recommended for normal video, class 4 and 6 for Full HD video, and class 10 for Full HD video and consecutive high-definition (HD) image capture. Finally, for smartphones and tablets, the parameter to be considered among the best SD and microSD cards is the write speed.

Good purchase!

Hope this buying guide of the best SD and microSD cards has been helpful and remember that it will be updated monthly. We recommend that you also take a look at our guides to the best SLR cameras and the best smartphone.

For any doubts or suggestions, I invite you to use the comments box below.