Keeping all of your photos, videos, music, and other media on a physical device is extremely important. This was true for the computer age and it’s still true for the smartphone/tablet era. It’s even more true for those who switch phones on a regular basis, or for those who don’t pick up new phones for years. To help everyone out, we have found the best and more reliable microSD cards for long-term storage.
Designed for security
Samsung PRO Endurance
Staff pick
Samsung loves its buzz words, but the company’s PRO Endurance microSDXC card is absolutely fantastic and rated for 43,800 hours of use. With transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s and a 5-year warranty, you can rest easy knowing that Samsung has your back in case anything happens to your card.
$35 at Amazon
Trusted performance
SanDisk Extreme Pro
SanDisk is perhaps the biggest name in the microSD card game, and the Extreme Pro lineup is the top of line. Along with being V30 speed class for 4K video, these cards are built to withstand the elements by being temperature proof, shock proof, and X-Ray proof.
$36 at Amazon
Long lasting for less
Samsung EVO Select
Samsung’s EVO Select supports the same read/write speeds of others here, but at just a fraction of the cost. The EVO Select will work with any of your devices, and includes an adapter if you want to use it in your camera or computers.
$12 at Amazon
Going the distance
Transcend High Endurance
Transcend is not one of the brands mentioned in the “budget” category and that’s for a specific reason. The High Endurance Card is rated to last for up to 24,000 hours, while being waterproof, temperature resistant, shock proof, and much more.
$120 at Amazon
Premium speed
Lexar Professional 1000x
If speed is the name of the game, along with the versatility to record and view in 4K, the Lexar Professional 1000x is great. This card sports transfer speeds of up to 150MB/s and can even store 3D videos, if that’s still a thing.
$60 at Amazon
Ideal for 4K
Kingston Canvas React
Kingston usually resides in the budget category, but the Canvas React comes in a little higher than normal. This microSD card sports read/write speeds of 100MB/s over 80MB/s, and is designed to be used in any situation.
$32 at Amazon
What card should you pick?
If you want to save a bit of money, while getting the best performance, then you would likely want to look at the SanDisk Extreme Pro. This card comes in a few different storage capacities and will handle everything with ease while lasting for quite some time.
Moving up the ladder, the Transcend High Endurance is a microSD card that lives up to the Endurance name. The company states that this card will last for up to 24,000 hours, and has the ability to withstand various weather conditions.
That said, the Samsung PRO Endurance is rated for almost double the hours — 43,800 — with all the same ruggedness and speed at a faction of the price, which is why it’s our favorite of the bunch.
