These brilliant little bits of storage can make a huge difference.
MicroSD cards have been around for years and years at this point, but it’s still fair to say that they’re one of those supposedly boring bits of tech that still elicit a small thrill – their sheer tiny size can amaze when compared to the massive storage space they offer up.
There are countless bits of tech out there that benefit from extra storage, too, from Android phones to the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck, and the same cards should work a treat in all of them (depending on storage limits). So, we’ve gathered the very best-value options on the market for you, right here.
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Samsung Evo Select microSD card
Staff pick
A brillliant microSD card at a great price, this is all that most people will need and more. Its read/write speed sits at 130MB/s, which should me enough to power almost any feature or function on your devices.
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SanDisk Extreme microSD card
SanDisk is a huge name in this space, with good reason – its cards are reliably and spedy, with the Extreme being no exception to that rule. It has particularly crazy read speeds, so is great for loading times in gaming settings.
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Samsung Pro Plus microSD card
Samsung doesn’t just have top-end options – this mid-range card has a really attractive price and still very much ticks the boxes that most people will need.
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SanDisk Ultra microSD card
Best Value
SanDisk proves that you don’t need to break the bank to massively expand you storage, with a microSD card that would double many phones’ allocation while costing less than most phone cases.
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Lexar Professional 1066x microSD card
Premium Pick
This is an achingly high-quality card that won’t be necessary unless you’re a photographer or film-maker, but it’s a reliable and super-quick option for professional users.
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PNY Elite-X microSD card
If you’re looking to expand the storage on multiple devices at once (perhaps if you’re setting up a camera network), this value pack brings three cheap and cheerful cards in one go.
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SanDisk Extreme Pro microSD card
We don’t think SanDisk’s top-end model makes sense for most people beacuse of its price, but that doesn’t stop its specs and performance from hugely impressing if you want the best you can get.
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Samsung EVO Plus microSD
Samsung takes another spot on our list, unsurprisingly, with this excellent and very hardy mid-range option, which will withstand plenty of punishment if you’re worried about data corruption in storage.
How we select the best microSD cards
MicroSD cards only have a few really key specs that you see on every listing you’ll look at, in the form of their storage size and their read/write speeds.
These determine both how much you can store on them, and how quickly you can either move files around, access them or add them to the microSD card, so they’re understandably important. However, there are other interesting details that matter to us, too, including how durable th card itself is – waterproofing and build quality could be the difference between data corruption or safety if you’re caught in a rainstorm, for example. We assess all angles when considering a microSD card, without forgetting price, of course.
That’s seen Samsung and SanDisk earn multiple spots on our list, unsurprisingly – these are two giant names in the market, with options at a variety of price points to suit basically all needs, and if you opt for a microSD card from either of them you cannot really go wrong. The biggest point of advice we can give is just that you shouldn’t overspend. If you need a simple card, don’t feel you have to choose the most premium option available.
