The 14 best memory cards for phones and smartphones

Today’s smartphones are getting more and more permanent memory. It’s gotten to the point where flagships can hold up to 512GB of all sorts of media files. But we remember well the days when even computer hard drives were not so capacious! Inexpensive smartphones and phones don’t have the same amount of permanent memory, though. That’s why many of their customers are thinking about expanding the available space. This is done by installing a microSD card (except for Huawei products, which may require a card in a different format). But which memory card to 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 cell phones and cheapest smart phones will be satisfied with Class 10 storage. Others should consider buying a faster UHS Speed Class memory card, especially if their device can shoot 4K video.

Best memory cards for phones and smartphones

Nomination	Place	Name	Price
Best Memory Cards for Phones and Smartphones (Class 10)	1	Transcend microSDHC 300S Class 10 4GB (TS4GUSD300S)	322 €
2	SmartBuy microSDHC Class10 8GB + SD adapter	170 €
3	EXPLOYD microSDHC Class 10	160 €
4	Transcend TS8GUSDC10	420 €
5	erfeo microSDHC Class 10 4GB	180 €
The best memory cards for smartphones (Class U1 and U3)	1	Western Digital WD Purple microSD	1 300 €
2	Samsung MB-MC128GA	1 410 €
3	Transcend microSDXC 300S Class 10 UHS-I U3 A1 V30 128GB	1 586 €
4	SanDisk Transcend microSDXC Class 10 UHS-I 80MB/s 64GB	560 €
5	Samsung microSDXC PRO Endurance UHS-I U1 100MB/s + SD adapter	1 890 €
6	Kingston Canvas Select microSDHC Class 10 UHS-I U1 32GB	432 €
7	Kingston SDCS2/*SP	230 €
8	SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDXC Class 10 UHS Class 3 V30 A2 170MB/s 128GB	2 380 €
9	Kingston SDCR/32GBSP	884 €

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 designed for use in a push-button phone. Its four gigabyte capacity will not be enough almost any modern smartphone. But it is possible to use such a memory card in a cell phone. 4 GB can be filled with music, which will be listened to at any time, as well as sound as a ringer. In this way of using the card the speed class becomes unimportant. As long as the card is reliable. A product

This is the one. This is confirmed by numerous reviews, mentions of product failure are extremely rare.

By the way, if you read the reviews, you can meet complaints about the speed of reading and writing. That’s why we recommend to install this storage device strictly in mobile phones. Measurements show it writes at 8.4 Mbytes/sec and reads at 19 Mbytes/sec. In fact, it is quite enough even to record photos in not the highest resolution. It turns out that a memory card can find a place in a compact camera. But don’t forget that in this case you may need an SD-adapter to use it.

Otherwise, it’s hard to say anything special about this memory card. It comes in the usual plastic and cardboard case. You can buy it for only 300-400 rubles. We recommend to take it in a proven Russian stores. Chinese online retailers offer fakes made by third-party firms. However, often even they do not correspond to the declared parameters. The problem is that they are sold for about the same price, and you have to wait for delivery much longer.

Advantages

• Very low cost;
• High reliability.

Flaws

• Low recording speed;
• Not a very high prevalence;
• Small capacity.

SmartBuy microSDHC Class10 8GB + SD adapter

Rating: 4.8

Above, we told you that memory cards with low write speeds can be used in an older compact camera. There may also be a place for it in the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS handheld consoles. But you need an SD adapter for that. This is the accessory that comes with the memory card from SmartBuy.

It is definitely not the best option for a smartphone. And it’s not even in the volume, which is only 8 GB. This memory card has very low speed characteristics. When writing large files it is 11 MB/sec. If many small files are being written, however, the speed can drop to 0.8 Mbps. It’s clear that there are no problems with reading – the speed will be about 21 MB/sec in any case. That’s what makes it possible to recommend installing a SmartBuy card in an older portable console or push-button phone.

You can buy this memory card for only 200 rubles. What’s the catch? Probably only in reliability. Alas, the product can easily not survive the warranty period of 12 months. Numerous online reviews saying that the card died after only six months. And you are unlikely to go to the store to return such a small amount of. But it is worth noting that many people have had the card for several years without a problem. Everything depends on how you use it. As long as you don’t overwrite it every two or three days, this card will last you a fairly long time.

Advantages

• Extremely low cost;
• It comes with an SD adapter;
• Not a bad read speed.

Disadvantages

• The volume still will not suit everyone;
• The memory card has turned out to be unreliable;
• Low write speed.

EXPLOYD microSDHC Class 10

Rating: 4.7

Want a low-cost but reliable memory card? In this case, we recommend that you consider buying one or the other drive from EXPLOYD. Everything was done in the interest of cost reduction. For example, the manufacturer has not painted his product in any color – you’ll get the usual black plastic. It also decided not to certify its creation by some high class. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll be expected to have class 10 specs – some instances are happy with significantly faster speeds. In short, everything will depend on your luck.

Such cards are bought for installation into any not very powerful smartphone. These people often do not need a huge amount of free space. That’s why the manufacturer has included cards for 4, 8, 16 and 32 GB in the series. Of course, this is not enough for, say, 4K-video. But this process requires a significantly higher speed, which most copies of EXPLOYD drives can not boast of.

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

Perhaps this model can be safely recommended to owners of the simplest smartphones and cell phones. Its features are enough to, let’s say, play music or even video that has not the highest resolution. Without any problems, the card can save photos created by the built-in camera. In this case you will certainly be pleased with the price. Russian vendors usually ask not more than 600 rubles for the 32-gigabyte version. And during sales you can find even more delicious offers.

Advantages

• High reliability;
• Some copies have a recording speed above the claimed;
• Low cost.

Disadvantages

• There is no version with more than 32 GB;
• Not suitable for 4K video shooting;
• There is no SD-adapter in the set.

Transcend TS8GUSDC10

Rating: 4.7

This representative of our rating is sold without the SD-adapter. If you do not have such an accessory, then you will have to use the card only in your cell phone. However, some people do buy

The TS8GUSDC10 for installation in an old smartphone. After all, you can still meet people who have a very basic machine and their camera is far from perfect. Usually such people need a memory card only to store a selection of music and a few dozen photos. With this taskTranscend TS8GUSDC10 can handle it without any difficulty!

As you have already understood the product has a high-speed Class 10. This imposes some limitations on it. The SLR camera will certainly complain if you suddenly engage in continuous shooting. And it certainly is not necessary for the owner of such a card to think about 4K video. What’s to say, even the resolution of F

HD is not always adequately pulled.

The manufacturer of this product claims a three year lifespan. In this regard, some stores provide the same warranty period. But they definitely would not have done it if the price tag of a memory card had not been so low. You should agree that you are unlikely to go to the store to return the product if it costs only 350 rubles. Unfortunately, there may still be a reason to go there. There are reviews on the web without problems, which say about the failure of the memory card after six months or a year of use. To be fair, every inexpensive memory card has such negative reviews. Practice shows that most buyers are in a hurry to write about the failure. If a budget card works properly, a person often has no desire to waste their time writing a review.

As for the speed characteristics, they correspond to the tenth class. This means that most of the time you will see write speeds of 5-6 Mbytes per second. Therefore, this drive is unlikely to suit any video recorder. As mentioned above, it should be installed in those smartphones that read information more often than they write it.

Advantages

• Decent reading speed;
• Low price.

Disadvantages

• Not all copies live long enough;
• Low write speed;
• No SD adapter.

erfeo microSDHC Class 10 4GB

Rating: 4.6



It is a rare case, when everything is written in Russian on the package. It seems that Perfeo is a Russian manufacturer. No, the memory card was created in a Chinese factory, like the other representatives of our rating, but it was made exclusively by order of a Russian company.

As you might guess from the name, the memory card has a very small volume. It seems that it will be bought by owners of mobile phones and simple MP3-players. Usually four gigabytes is enough for a hundred or two songs. And that’s all the owner of the above devices don’t need. The product comes without an SD adapter. And that’s probably a good thing. A DSLR and camcorder will not be enough, not only the storage capacity, but also the speed characteristics. Perfeo microSDHC Class 10 is not worth buying if you are going to buy a removable video memory stick. Although on the packaging there are pictures of photo and video equipment – do not believe them. It seems that the packaging is unified with those cards, which have faster recording speed and more memory space.

Unfortunately, the product is practically untested by those consumers who have decided to buy it. But the Class 10 speaks volumes. You can be sure that the product is slow to save files, but it is fast enough to read them. As for the warranty period, it is 12 months. Reliability is probably the hardest thing to find fault with. It must be for the long life expectancy that vendors charge around 300 rubles. However, in some online stores this storage device is sold for only 160-170 rubles. And this is the best price tag for such a memory card!

Advantages

• Decent lifespan;
• Good reading speed;
• Very low cost.

Disadvantages

• Very little memory;
• No SD adapter;
• Low write speed.

The best memory cards for smartphones (Class U1 and U3)

Western Digital WD Purple microSD

Rating: 4.9



For many years the existence of the brand Western Digital known only to people who were actively using a computer. Numerous hard drives were produced under it. Now their popularity is gradually dropping. That’s why it was decided to start producing memory cards under that brand as well. Some of them are very different from the competition. At least in appearance. For example, the model called WD Purple microSD boasts a purple color. This makes the drive a nice and memorable gift.

This model meets the UHS Class 3 specifications, which means you can count on quick read and write speeds. Of course, there are some defects on sale. But the vast majority of samples still show excellent results. Read data is usually read at 100MB/s, so photos and videos can be accessed almost instantly. Well, the write speed can be up to 60 MB / s. With such a parameter it is easy to shoot video in 4K resolution and with almost any bitrate. That’s why Western Digital WD Purple microSD is actively purchased by owners of flagship smartphones from Samsung.

The larger the size of the miniature memory card, the harder it is to achieve high write speeds. That’s why there’s no such thing as a 512GB drive. And the 256-gigabyte version costs way too much – about 6,000. rubles. So we recommend to look at the cards, which range from 32 to 128 GB – they have an adequate price, and low-speed copies of them almost never occur.

Otherwise, it’s a typical microSD card. It doesn’t have an SD card adapter, so you might have some trouble installing it in your camera or old laptop’s card reader. By the way, do not be intimidated by the fact that the special software will identify the drive as a product of SanDisk. The fact that it is produced by this company – since some time it is in full possession of Western Digital.

Advantages

• A unique look;
• Great reading speed;
• Excellent write speeds;
• Long life.

Disadvantages

• No SD-adapter;
• High cost.

Samsung MB-MC128GA

Rating: 4.8



As you know, South Korea’s Samsung has an excellent semiconductor division. It manufactures processors, memory modules and other components for smartphones. Also a large number of memory cards come off the assembly line of its factory. Almost all of them belong to the microSD standard. So they are designed 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 a real hit! Users appreciate these cards for the high speed of reading and writing data. They are also happy with the size of the drive.

We must admit, Samsung memory cards would not have become popular, if not for the price tag reduction of the South Koreans. Initially more or less available were only 32 GB and 64 GB card variants. But now the 128-gigabyte version is also relatively inexpensive – it’s priced at 1800-2500 rubles, depending on where you buy it. Pretty cool! Enough space for storing a huge amount of music and photos. It’s also a great option for those smartphones that can shoot 4K video. The speed characteristics are nice, too. If your smartphone uses a bitrate of 100 Mbit / s when shooting video, then you won’t have any problems. This is evidenced not only by the UHS Class 3, but also by the testing conducted. Measurements have shown that many instances store information in sequential mode at 64 Mbytes per second. Of course there are defective devices, which write much slower, but their speed is very low. If you suddenly got a defect, you can carry out replacement of the card under warranty. As for read speed, it varies from 82 to 105 Mbytes/sec for different samples.

This representative of our rating collects exceptionally positive reviews. There are extremely rare mentions of any complaints. It is interesting that people buy this card for installation not only in a smartphone. It’s a good choice for use on the Nintendo Switch. And the memory card can be used in an SLR camera which can shoot 4K video in very high bitrate. This is encouraged by the SD-adapter, which comes with.

If we talk about service life, then it is bound to be very long. At the end of the day, you’re not buying a Chinese knockoff, but a quality product from a reputable company. Somewhat strained by the warranty period, which is only 12 months. But this only indicates that the stores want to reinsure themselves. It is also possible that it is because of the reduced warranty period that the product received such an affordable price.

Advantages

• SD-adapter is available;
• High write speed;
• Very fast reading speed;
• High reliability;
• The price tag is not exorbitant.

Disadvantages

• There are defective copies.

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

Rating: 4.8



Another memory card in our rating, which comes with an SD-adapter. However, it is possible that in some stores you can find a version without this additional accessory. It is not really that important. Now it is more and more rare to find devices that require an SD-card in the hands of users. Note, even compact cameras are writing stuff to a microSD card these days. For professional equipment, this is not what the drive was designed for. The fact that the manufacturer had to worsen the speed characteristics to reduce the cost to 1200-1500 rubles.

As you can see the card belongs to UHS Class 3. However, in fact the product does not fully meet its specifications. Yes, there are no problems with reading information. Measurements show that your computer, smartphone and other devices will read large files at speeds up to 90-95 MB / s. This is a great result, even allowing you to watch a movie saved in 4K resolution. And everything is not so smooth with file recording. The speed in this case cannot exceed 45 Mbytes/sec. Some copies don’t offer that, either! The device will definitely complain if it wants to shoot 4K video using 100 megabit bitrate. Flagship smartphone shouldn’t need this card at all. The reason is that low write speeds can reduce the performance of your operating system. You won’t notice it at first, but in the future you’ll definitely notice something has gone wrong.

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

The advantages

• Low cost;
• Comes with an SD adapter;
• High reading speed;
• Large amount of memory;
• High reliability.

Disadvantages

• Not the fastest write speed.

SanDisk

MicroSDXC Class 10 UHS-I 80MB/s 64GB

Rating: 4.7



South Korean company Samsung is famous for its top smartphones. They have a lot of advantages over competitors. These devices include high-speed memory. Therefore, it is not surprising that at some point the South Koreans began to produce removable drives that can also boast decent characteristics. For example, the Samsung PRO Endurance series includes cards that meet the UHS-I class. And they often have even superior parameters! If you are lucky enough to get your hands on one that reads at up to 100 MB/s. When it comes to recording information, it runs at 30-40MB/sec. It is quite enough even for 4K video shooting. So this card is a good choice for a flagship phone owner with a great camera.

Unlike most memory cards on sale today, this Samsung product comes with an SD adapter. This allows you to instantly insert the drive into your DSLR or other device that isn’t imprisoned for the microSD format. However, this seems to be a waste. Only a smartphone and an action camera will squeeze the juice out of this card.

Otherwise, it’s a familiar drive. It should be noted that the maximum South Koreans release 128-gigabyte memory card. Not such a great amount, but it allows you to count on almost a complete absence of chance to get into your hands a defective copy. It’s also a very reliable card. You can be sure it will last you for years to come. It is possible that it will survive several of your smartphones!

Advantages

• Comes with an SD adapter;
• High reliability;
• Remarkable reading speed;
• Excellent write speed.

Drawbacks

• The price can’t be called particularly low;
• There are no instances with more capacity.

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

Rating: 4.6



Another memory card in our rating, belonging to the high-speed class UHS-I. It is not the fastest, but also far from the slowest class. However, even this product does not correspond to it. However, whether the buyer of such a card needs high speed recording? Let’s look into it.

The drive offers a very fast read speed to begin with. The manufacturer claims 80 Mbytes per second, and many copies can indeed boast this parameter. The 32-gigabyte drive certainly doesn’t need much more. Well and what about the recording? Alas, in this respect the product has certain problems. The Taiwanese manufacturer even over-insured, saying only 10 Mbytes/sec. In fact many devices are capable of writing data at 13-14 Mbytes per second. But even this parameter will seem ridiculous to some. However, let’s think about the amount of memory this drive has. 32GB says that the product is unlikely to be used in action cameras and flagship smartphones that can write video in 4K resolution. And this task will be too much for the memory card. The rest of the tasks are unlikely to cause the product any problems. However, it is better not to risk, the owners of DVRs, we still recommend taking a look at the above memory cards – they digest video shooting much better.

This card feels great in budget smartphones, which will not be used for video recording. This is what the price tag hints at. The fact that the cost of the drive is also very low. You can buy this card in Russian online stores for only 400 rubles. And do not order a memory card from Chinese retailers! Kingston, we can say, the second most counterfeited brand. It is when using a fake that one encounters the most problems. However, the original is not very reliable either. It’s not out of the question that after a year or two you’ll need to replace the drive. Although if the device will not load it too much, then the replacement may not be necessary.

Advantages

• Very low cost;
• High write speed;
• Includes SD-adapter.

Disadvantages

• Extremely low write speeds;
• There are questions about reliability.

Kingston SDCS2/*SP

Rating: 4.5



This memory card, as expected, exists in several variants of volume. But Russian online stores offer mostly 512-gigabyte version. This is due to the fact that it is becoming more and more popular – people need somewhere to store video with 4K resolution, which are now filming the cameras built into some smartphones. Also it is impossible not to note the relatively affordable price tag of a memory card with this capacity – other manufacturers of external drives usually ask a little more. However, in Chinese online stores you can find more tasty offers, but in the case of such a purchase you risk encountering low speed characteristics.

Buyers note many positive points associated with this memory card. In particular, they are often pleased with the reading speed, which in most cases reaches 90 MB / s. Also it is impossible not to note the high reliability – there are practically no mentions of the product failure in the reviews.

Unfortunately, this card can not be called perfect. Some may be confused by the lack of an SD adapter. However, now we are talking about removable drives for the smartphone, so let’s forget about this disadvantage. But we need to talk about write speed. If you buy a memory card with a relatively small capacity, you won’t run into any problems. Only 256 and 512 GB variants are bad – many copies write information at just over 10 MB/s. If you find such a problem, you can try to exchange the memory card under warranty.

Advantages

• High reliability;
• Optimal cost;
• An excellent reading speed;
• Available at most stores.

Disadvantages

• Some copies have low write speeds;
• It doesn’t come with an SD adapter.

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

Rating: 4.4



The microSD card is a rare card that can easily swap out the SD version. Usually SD cards, due to their larger size, can offer excellent reading speeds, and they have no problems writing information. But SanDisk Extreme Pro can easily compete with them. Virtually any device can read this drive at up to 170MB/s! A few years ago this parameter would have seemed fantastic!

Admittedly, reading is not that important for the memory card. Not every smartphone has a high-speed USB connection, so you can appreciate the lightning-fast data transfer to your computer. Of course, there are card readers that connect to the USB 3 socket.0, but they are not too widespread. That is why much more often the consumer pays attention to the recording speed. This is a much more important parameter. Here too, the SanDisk Extreme Pro is sure to please. Tests show read speeds up to 80-90MB/s. If you think about it, it’s as close as you can get to what external hard drives, which have a much larger physical size, can do.

So what are the purposes for which this memory card was created?? Probably the best choice for a flagship smartphone. If it shoots 4K video with a bitrate of 100 Mbps – this is the card you need. High-speed video shooting with hundreds of frames per second won’t be a problem either. Of course, there is a place for this memory card in all sorts of photo and even video equipment. Do not forget that it comes with SD-adapter, which allows you to place the drive even in the “mirror” or semi-professional camcorders. You can be sure it can handle almost any video stream! The only exception is when shooting in a specific format, where the bitrate exceeds 150 Mbps. But such high figures are available only to professionals, and they use not so tiny memory cards as a place for saving a video file.

Are there any disadvantages with this model?? You’ll laugh, but there are practically none. The product feels great in any device. Even in the quadcopter DJI Mavic Air, which can not do without a high-speed memory card. By the way, you are recommended to read our article about best quadcopters – maybe you will choose something interesting for you!

However, the drive does have one drawback. It is the high cost. For 128-gigabyte memory card they ask for 3000 rubles, and most often a bit more. But keep in mind that this volume will last for many years. And the durability of this card is very long. It is unlikely that something will happen to it after two or three years or even more years. Baffling only the warranty period, which is only 12 months. But apparently the days of huge, long term warranties on memory cards are far behind.

Advantages

• Comes with an SD-adapter;
• Astronomically high reading speed;
• Very high recording speeds;
• Large storage capacity;
• High reliability.

Disadvantages

• The price tag is a bit steep for some.

Kingston SDCR/32GBSP

Rating: 4.3



Another very high-speed memory card for your smartphone in our rating. But here already there are no those records, which were mentioned above. However, this card is noticeably more affordable. Russian online stores ask for this product not more than 1250 rubles. Although this amount may seem high to some. Especially considering the fact that the card offers only 32GB. So, what do they ask for such money?

The drive fits into the V30 class. That said, the memory card has been tested in equipment that writes video in 4K resolution at 30 fps. It turns out that the drive is perfect for most of the action cameras on the market. The only exceptions are the most expensive models that can shoot 4K video at higher speeds.

As for the speed class, you can find the UHS Class 3 mark on the memory card packaging. Measurements have shown full compliance with this class. Data from this card is read at speeds up to 100 Mbyte/s. It allows you to connect the drive to your TV and start watching even those movies that are saved in 4K resolution. If such a movie on it will fit. As for the write speed, it can reach 60-70 MB / s. This, as stated above, is enough for any video recording. So the drive will feel great in a top-end smartphone.

One last thing we can’t forget about is the storage capacity. It is the factor that will scare away from this card a lot of buyers. The fact is that a minute and a half of 4K video shot at 100 megabit bitrate weighs about 1GB. It turns out that this card can only hold 40-45 minutes of video. It makes you wonder if this card is worth buying. Well, if you do not have a device that can use a 100-megabit bitrate when saving video, then you can consider buying a memory card with a lower speed standard – it will cost less.

There is another problem with this model. The stores received a large number of defective copies. Or are they fake, it’s hard to tell. Be that as it may, these cards have a much lower speed of writing and reading – we are talking about a couple of tens of megabytes per second. The most disgusting thing is that this speed allows the seller not to change the drive under warranty after all.

Advantages

• Very high speed reading;
• High speed recording;
• Affordable price tag;
• High reliability.

Disadvantages

• A small amount of memory;
• There are defective and counterfeit copies;
• There is no SD-adapter in the package.

Conclusion

This is the list of the best memory cards for phones and smartphones available on the Russian market. As you may have noticed, many of them have a very low price tag. It is gratifying that the cost per gigabyte of memory decreases almost every year. However, this is followed by an increase in the amount of memory needed. If previously we could safely use the device, which has only 8 GB of internal storage, but now that amount can take literally 10 minutes of video shot in 4K resolution.

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