Gadget

*A review of the best according to the editors of expertology.ru. About selection criteria. This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Modern smartphones are getting more and more permanent memory. It got to the point that the flagships are able to accommodate up to 512 GB of all kinds of media files. But we remember well the times when even computer hard drives were not so capacious! However, inexpensive smartphones and phones still do not have such a large amount of permanent memory. That is why many of their buyers are thinking about expanding free space. This is done by inserting a microSD memory card (with the exception of Huawei products, which may require a card of a different format). But which memory card should you buy? Let’s find out the answer to this question by looking at the best models. We will divide them into speed classes. Owners of push-button mobile phones and the cheapest smartphones will be satisfied with Class 10 drives. The rest should consider buying a memory card with a faster UHS class, especially if their device can shoot 4K video.

Rating of the best memory cards for phones and smartphones

The best memory cards for phones and smartphones (Class 10)

Transcend microSDHC 300S Class 10 4GB (TS4GUSD300S)

Rating: 4.9

This silver card is primarily intended for use in a feature telephone. Its four gigabyte volume will be small for almost any modern smartphone. But in a mobile phone, it is quite possible to use such a memory card. 4 GB can be filled with music that will be listened to at any time, and also sound like a call. With this method of using the card, the speed class becomes irrelevant. If only the card was reliable. And Transcend’s product is just that. This is confirmed by numerous reviews, mention of the failure of the product is extremely rare.

By the way, if you read the reviews, you can find complaints about the speed of reading and writing. That is why we recommend installing this drive strictly in push-button phones. Measurements show that writing is carried out at a speed of 8.4 MB / s, and reading — at 19 MB / s. In fact, this is quite enough even for recording photos in not the highest resolution. It turns out that a memory card can find a place in a compact camera. But do not forget that in this case you may need an SD adapter to use it.

Otherwise, it’s hard to tell anything special about this memory card. It comes in the usual plastic-cardboard case. You can buy it for only 300-400 rubles. We recommend taking it in trusted Russian stores. Chinese online retailers offer fakes made by third parties. However, often even they correspond to the declared parameters. The problem is that they are sold at about the same price, and you will have to wait much longer for delivery.

SmartBuy microSDHC Class10 8GB + SD adapter

Rating: 4.8

Above, we talked about the fact that memory cards with a low write speed can be used in an old compact camera. They may also find a place in the handheld consoles Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. However, this requires an SD adapter. It is this accessory that comes with a memory card from SmartBuy.

This is definitely not the best option for installation in a smartphone. And it’s not even in the amount of only 8 GB. This memory card has very low speed characteristics. When writing large files, it is 11 Mb / s. If a lot of small files are written, then the speed can drop to 0.8 Mb / s. It is clear that there are no problems with reading — in any case, the speed will be approximately 21 Mb / s. This is what makes it possible to recommend installing a SmartBuy card in an old portable console or push-button telephone.

You can buy this memory card for only 200 rubles. What’s the catch? Perhaps only in reliability. Alas, the product may easily not survive the warranty period of 12 months. On the net you can find numerous reviews saying that the card died after only six months. And it is unlikely that you will go to the store to return such a small amount. However, it should be noted that for many people the card has been quietly functioning for several years. It all depends on how you use it. If you do not overwrite information every two or three days, then the memory card can last quite a long time.

EXPLOYD microSDHC Class 10

Rating: 4.7

Would you like to get an inexpensive but reliable memory card? In this case, we recommend that you consider purchasing one or another drive from EXPLOYD. Everything here is done for the sake of cost reduction. For example, the manufacturer did not paint his product in any color — the usual black plastic is waiting for you. He also decided not to certify his creation according to some high class. But this does not mean that you are waiting for specifications corresponding to the tenth class — some instances please with significantly higher speeds. In a word, everything will depend on your luck.

Such cards are purchased for installation in some not very powerful smartphone. Such people often do not need a huge amount of free space. In this regard, the manufacturer included 4, 8, 16 and 32 GB cards in the series. Of course, this is not enough for, say, 4K video shooting. But this process also requires significantly higher speeds, which most EXPLOYD drives still cannot boast of.

What else can you say about this drive? It comes without an SD adapter. It’s a pity, because the product perfectly shows itself in all cameras that do not require extremely high recording speeds.

Perhaps, this model can be safely recommended to owners of the simplest smartphones and push-button mobile phones. Its capabilities are definitely enough for, say, playing music or even video that does not have the highest resolution. Without any problems, photos created by the built-in camera are also saved on the card. At the same time, you will certainly be pleased with the price. For a 32-gigabyte version, Russian sellers usually ask for no more than 600 rubles. And during the sales, you can find even more delicious offers.

Transcend TS8GUSDC10

Rating: 4.7

This representative of our rating is sold without an SD adapter. If you yourself do not have such an accessory, then you will have to use this card exclusively in your mobile phone. However, some people buy Transcend TS8GUSDC10 to install in an old smartphone. In the end, you can still meet people who have at their disposal a simple device, the camera of which is far from ideal. Typically, such people need a memory card only to store a selection of music and a few dozen photos. Transcend TS8GUSDC10 copes with this task without any difficulty!

As you already understood, the product has a high-speed Class 10. This imposes some restrictions on it. The SLR camera will definitely complain if you suddenly use continuous shooting. And certainly the owner of such a card should not think about 4K video shooting. What can I say, even Full HD resolution is not always adequately extended.

The manufacturer of this product claims a three-year service life. In this regard, some stores provide the same warranty period. However, they definitely would not have decided on this if the price tag of the memory card had not been so low. Agree, it is unlikely that you will go to the store to return the goods if it costs only 350 rubles. Unfortunately, there may still be a reason to go there. There are no problems on the network reviews that talk about the failure of the memory card after six months or a year of use. In fairness, every inexpensive memory card has such negative reviews. Practice shows that most buyers are in a hurry to write about a breakdown. If the budget card works properly, then the person often has no desire to waste his time writing a review.

As for the speed characteristics, they correspond to the tenth grade. This means that most often you will see a write speed of 5-6 MB / s. Therefore, this drive is unlikely to suit any DVR. As mentioned above, it must be installed in those smartphones that read information more often than write it.

Perfeo microSDHC Class 10 4GB

Rating: 4.6

It is a rare case when everything is written in Russian on the package with the goods. One gets the impression that Perfeo is a Russian manufacturer. No, the memory card was created in a Chinese factory, like the rest of the representatives of our rating, but this was done exclusively by order of a Russian company.

As you might guess from the name, the memory card has a very small capacity. It seems that owners of push-button phones and the simplest MP3 players will buy it. Usually four gigabytes is enough for a hundred or two musical compositions. And the owner of the above-mentioned devices does not need more. The product is shipped without an SD adapter. And that must be right. Not only the amount of memory, but also the speed characteristics will not be enough for a SLR camera and a video camera. Perfeo microSDHC Class 10 is not worth buying at all if you are going to get a removable drive to save the recorded video. Although the packaging contains images of photo and video equipment, you should not believe them. Apparently, the packaging is unified, including with those cards that have both faster recording and more memory.

Unfortunately, the goods were practically not tested by those consumers who decided to acquire them. But Class 10 speaks volumes. There is no doubt that the product is slow to save files, but it provides a fairly fast reading of them. As for the warranty period, it is 12 months. Perhaps the most difficult thing to find fault with is reliability. Probably, it is for a long service life that sellers ask for about 300 rubles. However, in some online stores this drive is given for only 160-170 rubles. And this is the best price tag for such a memory card!

Best Memory Cards for Smartphones (Class U1 and U3)

Western Digital WD Purple microSD

Rating: 4.9

For many years, only people who actively used computers knew about the existence of the Western Digital brand. Numerous hard drives were produced under it. Now their popularity is gradually declining. Because of this, it was decided to launch the release of memory cards under this brand. Some of them are very different from competitors. At least outwardly. For example, a model called WD Purple microSD can boast purple coloring. This makes the drive a nice and memorable gift.

This model complies with UHS Class 3 specifications, which allows us to hope for high read and write speeds. Of course, marriage is found on sale. But the vast majority of specimens still show excellent results. Data is typically read at 100 Mb/s, making photos and videos open almost instantly. Well, the recording speed can reach 60 Mb / s. With this parameter, you can safely shoot video in 4K resolution with almost any bitrate. That’s why Western Digital WD Purple microSD is actively bought by owners of flagship smartphones from Samsung.

The larger the size of a miniature memory card, the more difficult it is to achieve high write speeds. That is why there is no such drive that can hold 512 GB. And the 256-gigabyte version is too expensive — about 6 thousand rubles. Therefore, we recommend looking towards cards, the volume of which varies from 32 to 128 GB — they have an adequate cost, and low-speed copies are almost never found among them.

Otherwise, it’s a typical microSD card. It comes without an SD adapter, so it can be difficult to install it in an old laptop’s camera or card reader. By the way, do not be afraid that special software will identify the drive as a product from SanDisk. The fact is that it is this company that produces it — for some time now it has been at the complete disposal of Western Digital.

Samsung MB-MC128GA

Rating: 4.8

As you know, the South Korean company Samsung has an excellent semiconductor division. It is engaged in the production of processors, memory modules and other components for smartphones. Also, a large number of memory cards come off the assembly line of her factory. Almost all of them belong to the microSD standard. Therefore, they are intended for use in smartphones and other miniature electronics.

Our rating could not do without at least one memory card from Samsung. The fact is that these removable drives have suddenly become real hits! Users appreciate such cards for their high speed of reading and writing data. Suits them and the volume of the drive.

It must be admitted that Samsung memory cards would not have become popular if the South Koreans had not lowered the price tag. Initially, only 32 and 64 GB card options were more or less available. But now the 128-gigabyte version is also relatively inexpensive — it is priced at 1800-2500 rubles, depending on the place of purchase. Very foolish! This volume is enough to store a huge amount of music and photos. It is also a great option for those smartphones that can shoot 4K video. Pleased with the speed characteristics. If a smartphone uses a bitrate of 100 Mbps when shooting video, then there will be no problems. This is evidenced not only by the UHS Class 3 class, but also by the testing. Measurements have shown that many instances store information in serial mode at 64 MB/s. Of course, there are defective copies that write at a much lower speed, but their percentage is very small. If you suddenly got a marriage, then you can replace the card under warranty. As for the read speed, it varies from 82 to 105 MB / s for different instances.

This representative of our rating collects only positive reviews. It is extremely rare to find any mention of any complaints. It is interesting that people buy this card for installation not only in a smartphone. It is a good choice to use in Nintendo Switch. And you can also use a memory card in a SLR camera that can shoot 4K video at a very high bitrate. Pushes to this and SD-adapter supplied in the kit.

If we talk about the service life, then it must be very long. In the end, you are not buying a Chinese craft, but a quality product from a well-known company. The warranty period, which is only 12 months, is somewhat annoying. But this only says that the stores want to play it safe. It is also possible that it was thanks to the reduced warranty period that the product received such an affordable price.

Transcend microSDXC 300S Class 10 UHS-I U3 A1 V30 128GB

Rating: 4.8

Another memory card in our ranking that comes with an SD adapter. However, it is possible that in some stores you can find a version without this additional accessory. Actually it’s not that important. Now less and less in the hands of users are devices that require an SD card. Note that even compact cameras have recently written material to a microSD memory card. As for professional equipment, this drive was not created for it. The fact is that in order to reduce the cost to 1200-1500 rubles, the manufacturer had to worsen the speed characteristics.

As you may have noticed, the card belongs to the UHS Class 3 class. However, in fact, the product does not fully meet its specifications. Yes, there are no problems with reading the information here. Measurements show that a computer, smartphone and other devices will read large files at speeds up to 90-95 MB / s. This is an excellent result, even allowing you to watch a movie saved in 4K resolution. But with the recording of files, everything is not so smooth. The speed in this case cannot exceed 45 MB/s. Some instances do not offer such a parameter! The device will definitely complain if it wants to shoot 4K video using 100-megabit bitrate. Such a memory card is generally contraindicated for a flagship smartphone. The fact is that a low write speed can reduce the performance of the operating system. At first you will not notice it, but in the future you will definitely notice that something has become wrong.

The low cost hints that the store is unlikely to offer you an extended warranty. Indeed, you only need to keep a check at home for one year. However, this does not mean that the memory card will fail after such a short period of time. In terms of reliability, there are no special claims to the drive. So far, you can find only one review on the network that tells about the failure of the card. However, this is not surprising, because the memory card went on sale relatively recently.

SanDisk Ultra microSDXC Class 10 UHS-I 80MB/s 64GB

Rating: 4.7

Of course, not every Expertology reader agrees to pay more than a thousand rubles for a memory card. Someone is looking for a cheaper solution. It is for such people that we have included SanDisk Ultra in our rating. Previously, memory cards of this series cost quite a lot of money. However, in recent years, their cost has also decreased. Now for the 64-gigabyte version they are asking for about 800-900 rubles. A penny by still very recent standards! A few years ago, for this money you could only buy a 32-gigabyte card.

If you’re constantly shooting 4K video, then 64 GB will seem insufficient to you. However, this card was not created for installation in a smartphone that can shoot 4K video. The fact is that a high bitrate causes serious problems for the drive. Alas, modern SanDisk Ultra cards do not have the write speed that they could boast of before. Some instances are not even capable of offering 45 MB / s! It turns out that this drive is recommended for use in a device that will read information more often than write information. In particular, it can be placed in a mid-budget smartphone. It remains only to upload music or some other media files. Also, the card feels good in old game consoles from Nintendo. Although it is possible that they do not recognize the drive — too much memory is waiting for them. And do not forget that such devices require an SD adapter, which may not be included with this memory card.

As for reading data, there are no special claims to the drive. The product outputs approximately 80 MB/s. This is ideal, many instances have a slightly lower parameter. But it is enough even for watching heavy 4K video.

In a word, SanDisk turned out to be a solid memory card. However, it is solid, and not ideal, as it was before. If you read the reviews, then you even start to get scared. The reliability of the card raises very big questions! In the reviews it is regularly written that the product fails after a year of its use. And if earlier the company changed the drive for its own money, now it finds many excuses not to do this. Although it is possible that the people who encountered the problem placed an order in a Chinese online store, where they sell a large number of fakes. Alas, it is SanDisk products that are most often counterfeited. That is why we recommend buying this memory card from M.Video, Eldorado and other large retail chains.

Samsung microSDXC PRO Endurance UHS-I U1 100MB/s + SD adapter (add-on) — 5th place

Rating: 4.6

The South Korean company Samsung is famous for its top-end smartphones. They have a lot of advantages over competitors. Including such devices have high-speed memory. Therefore, it is not surprising that at some point the South Koreans started producing removable drives, which are also capable of boasting worthy characteristics. For example, the Samsung PRO Endurance series includes cards that comply with the UHS-I class. And often they have even superior parameters! If you’re lucky, you’ll end up with a copy that reads data at speeds up to 100 Mb/s. As for the recording of information, it is carried out at a speed of 30-40 Mb / s. This is enough even for 4K video shooting. Therefore, this card is a good choice for the owner of a flagship equipped with an excellent camera.

Unlike most memory cards sold today, Samsung’s product comes with an SD adapter. This allows you to immediately insert the drive into a SLR camera or other device that is not sharpened for the microSD format. However, this seems like a waste. Only a smartphone and an action camera will squeeze all its juices out of this card.

The rest is a familiar drive. It should be noted that the maximum South Koreans produce a 128-gigabyte memory card. Not such a large volume, but it allows you to count on the almost complete absence of a chance to get your hands on a defective copy. Also, this card is able to boast of high reliability. There is no doubt that it will serve you for many years. It is possible that it will outlive several of your smartphones!

Kingston Canvas Select microSDHC Class 10 UHS-I U1 32GB

Rating: 4.6

Another memory card in our rating, belonging to the UHS-I speed class. It’s not the fastest, but it’s far from the slowest class either. However, even the product does not match. However, does the buyer of such a card need a high write speed? Let’s figure it out.

Let’s start with the fact that this drive offers a very high read speed. The manufacturer claims 80 MB / s, and many instances are really capable of boasting this parameter. A larger 32-gigabyte drive is definitely not needed. Well, what about the record? Alas, in this regard, the product is experiencing certain problems. The Taiwanese manufacturer even played it safe, declaring only 10 MB / s. In fact, many instances are capable of writing data at a speed of 13-14 MB / s. But even this parameter will seem ridiculous to someone. However, let’s remember the amount of memory that this drive has. 32 GB suggests that the product is unlikely to be used in action cameras and flagship smartphones that can record video in 4K resolution. Namely, this task will be overwhelming for the memory card. The remaining tasks are unlikely to cause any problems for the product. However, it’s better not to risk it, we still recommend that owners of DVRs take a look at the memory cards discussed above — they digest video shooting much better.

This card feels great in budget smartphones that will not be used for video shooting. That is what the price tag hints at. The fact is that the cost of the drive is also very low. In Russian online stores, this card can be purchased for only 400 rubles. And do not order a memory card from Chinese retailers! Kingston, one might say, is the second most counterfeited brand. It is when using a fake that a person faces the greatest problems. However, the original is not very reliable. It is possible that after a year or two the drive will have to be changed. Although if the device does not load it too much, then replacement may not be required.

Kingston SDCS2/*SP

Rating: 4.5

This memory card, as expected, exists in several sizes. But in Russian online stores, they mainly offer a 512-gigabyte version. This is due to the fact that it is beginning to be in increasing demand — people need somewhere to store video with 4K resolution, which is now filmed by cameras built into some smartphones. Also, one cannot fail to note the relatively affordable price tag for a memory card with such a volume — other manufacturers of external drives usually ask a little more. However, in Chinese online stores you can also find tastier offers, but in the case of such a purchase, you run the risk of encountering low speed characteristics.

Buyers note a lot of positive things about this memory card. In particular, they are often pleased with the read speed, which in most cases reaches 90 Mb / s. Also, one cannot fail to note the high reliability — in the reviews there are practically no references to the failure of the product.

Unfortunately, this card cannot be called ideal. Someone will be confused by the lack of an SD adapter. However, now we are talking about removable drives for a smartphone, so let’s forget about this drawback. But you still need to talk about the write speed. If you buy a memory card of a relatively small volume, then you definitely will not encounter problems. Only the 256 and 512 GB options show themselves poorly — many copies write information at a speed of just over 10 Mb / s. If you find such a problem, then you can try to exchange the memory card under warranty.

SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDXC Class 10 UHS Class 3 V30 A2 170MB/s 128GB

Rating: 4.4

A rare case when a microSD card can easily replace the SD format option. Usually, SD cards, due to their larger size, are able to offer excellent read speed, and they have no problems with writing information. But SanDisk Extreme Pro can easily compete with them. Almost any device can read information from this drive at speeds up to 170 MB / s! A few years ago, this option would have seemed fantastic!

It must be admitted that reading for a memory card is not so important. Not every smartphone has a high-speed USB connector so you can appreciate the lightning speed of data transfer to a computer. Of course, there are card readers that connect to the USB 3.0 socket, but they are not very widespread. That is why much more often the consumer pays attention to the recording speed. This is a much more important setting. In this regard, SanDisk Extreme Pro is also sure to please. Measurements give a result at the level of 80-90 MB / s. If you think about it, this is as close as possible to what external hard drives are capable of, having a much larger physical size.

So, what is the purpose of this memory card? Perhaps this is the best choice for installation in a flagship smartphone. If he shoots 4K video with a bitrate of 100 Mbps, this card is needed. High-speed video shooting when hundreds of frames per second are made will not cause problems. Of course, the memory card will find a place in all sorts of photo and even video equipment. Do not forget that an SD adapter is supplied with it, which allows you to place the drive even in SLRs or semi-professional camcorders. Rest assured, the product will handle almost any video stream! The only exceptions are those cases when shooting is carried out in a specific format, when the bit rate exceeds 150 Mbps. But such high numbers are available only to professionals, and they use memory cards that are by no means so miniature as a place to save a video file.

Does this model have any disadvantages? You will laugh, but there are practically none. The product feels great in any device. Even in the DJI Mavic Air quadcopter, which cannot do without a high-speed memory card. By the way, we recommend that you read our article on the best quadcopters — it is possible that you will find something interesting for yourself!

However, the drive still has one drawback. It lies in the high cost. For a 128-gigabyte memory card, they ask for 3,000 rubles, and most often a little more. But do not forget that this volume will be enough for many years. And the service life of this card is very long. It is unlikely that something will happen to her after two or three years and even more years. Confused only by the warranty period, which is only 12 months. But, apparently, the days of huge long warranties provided for memory cards are far behind.

Kingston SDCR/32GBSP

Rating: 4.3

Another very high-speed memory card for a smartphone in our rating. But there are no longer those records that were mentioned above. However, the cost of this card is much more affordable. Russian online stores ask for this product no more than 1250 rubles. Although this amount may seem high to some. Especially against the background of the fact that the card offers only 32 GB. So why are they asking for that kind of money?

This drive complies with the V30 class. This indicates that the memory card has been tested in equipment that records video in 4K resolution at 30 fps. It turns out that the drive is ideal for most action cameras on the market. The only exceptions are the most expensive models that can shoot 4K video at a higher speed.

As for the speed class, you can find the UHS Class 3 mark on the packaging with the memory card. Measurements showed full compliance with this class. Data from this card is read at speeds up to 100 MB/s. This allows you to connect the drive to a TV, even watching movies that are saved in 4K resolution. If such a film fits on it. As for the write speed, it can reach 60-70 MB / s. This, as mentioned above, is enough for any video shooting. Therefore, the drive will feel great in a top-end smartphone.

Finally, one cannot but return to the amount of memory. It is he who is the factor that will scare away a lot of buyers from this card. The fact is that one and a half minutes of 4K video, filmed at 100-megabit bitrate, weighs about 1 GB. It turns out that this card can accommodate only 40-45 minutes of such a video. This makes you think about whether to buy this card. Well, if you do not have a device capable of using 100-megabit bitrate when saving video, then you can consider buying a memory card with a lower speed standard — it will cost less.

This model has one more problem. The stores received a large number of defective copies. Or they are fake, it’s hard to say. Be that as it may, such cards have a much lower write and read speed — we are talking about a couple of tens of megabytes per second. The most disgusting thing is that such a speed allows the seller to still not change the drive under warranty.

Conclusion

This is the list of the best memory cards for phones and smartphones available on the Russian market. As you can see, many of them have a very low price tag. I am glad that the cost of a gigabyte of memory is reduced almost every year. However, following this, the required amount of memory grows. If earlier we could safely use a device that has only 8 GB of internal storage, now this amount can take literally 10 minutes of video shot in 4K resolution.

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Attention! This rating is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.