Best MicroSD Card Android Central 2020

While cloud storage and photo backup services like Google Photos have helped alleviate some of the storage concerns we used to have with our phones, there really is no substitute for having a healthy supply of local storage. Whether your phone needs more room for movies and music or you need a fresh card to stick in your shiny new action camera, these are the best microSD cards you can buy today.

Best overall: Samsung Evo Select 128GB

Staff pick

This is the microSD card that lives in my personal phone: the 90MB/s write speed is fast enough for 4K video, Samsung is a trusted name brand, and I find 128GB to be the sweet spot of ample storage and excellent pricing.

$19 at Amazon

Best value: SanDisk Ultra 32GB

Want a microSD that won't break the bank and won't leave you hanging with an unexpected crash? SanDisk does expandable storage right, and 32GB is small enough that it works with even the oldest microSD cameras.

$9 at Amazon

Best speed: Lexar Professional 1000x 64GB

If you're going to be shooting lots and lots of 4K video or you store games on your microSD card where every millisecond counts, this V60 card is for you, it's also one of the few cards out there that can take advantage of UHS-II host devices.

$28 at Amazon

Great for cameras: Samsung PRO Endurance 128GB

Samsung has many lines of microSD cards, but the PRO Endurance line is tailor-made for devices that are always recording, such as dashcams, GoPros, and backup recordings for cloud cameras.

$35 at Amazon

Jack of all trades: PNY Elite-X 64GB

My PNY cards have lasted years and years, and when I bounce them between phones, cameras, and computers, it's helpful to have a card that's rated for both 4K video and apps.

$13 at Amazon

Made for apps: SanDisk Extreme 128GB

Plenty of microSD cards on this list carry an A1 Application Performance rating, but the SanDisk Extreme carries an A2 rating, giving a much better experience for running apps from your microSD card.

From $23.99 at Amazon

Go big or go home: Samsung Evo Plus 512GB

Need to carry your entire digital life and library with you? This massive card can carry more data than most laptops do. Not all devices are rated to take a 512GB card, so check your device's specifications before buying!

$83 at Amazon

Reliable and affordable: Samsung Evo Plus 128GB

Samsung's Evo Plus line is one of the most popular cards around. It may not be the latest or the fastest, but these cards are proven winners, and they're easy to grab on sale when you need another one.

$28 at Amazon

Choose your card: A buyer's mini-guide

When it comes to choosing a microSD card, you're going to be balancing several factors to find the best card for you, but the easiest way I can streamline your search is with the following guidelines:

  • Bigger isn't always better. You may think a 512GB card like the Samsung Evo Plus would be great because you'll never fill it up, but many devices can't actually use a card that big. If your device can't use it, then it doesn't matter how many extra gigs it has. 128GB is a perfect size because almost all modern devices can use it and even if you're shooting 4K video, it'll take a while to fill up.
  • Look beyond classes for speed. While some class ratings like V60 and A2 App Performance do carry more weight than most, you need to look beyond the classes and see what the actual write and read speeds listed on a card are. For instance, the Lexar Professional 1000x is at least 60MB/s write speed because it's V60, but we don't know exactly how high because Lexar only explicitly states 150MB/s transfer (read) speeds.
  • Keep the target device in mind. You wouldn't buy the same card for an always-on dashcam you intend to leave in a sweltering car every day as you would for your kid's Chromebook that just needs a little extra room for downloading research materials and some movies for that weekend trip to Grandma's. Durability and longevity are definite factors in the pricing of a microSD card, so don't overpay for a card if you don't need that.

For most users, the Samsung Evo Select 128GB is the best card because it has great read and write speeds, the capacity is compatible with the majority of phones, computers, and microSD cameras on the market today, and it's excellently priced even outside its frequent sales.

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