SD cards can be used in everything from cameras to Nintendo Switch consoles, but many of them aren't all that fast. Samsung is now pushing SD to its limit with two new cards.
Samsung just announced new cards in its Pro Plus memory card lineup, in both regular SD and microSD sizes. The full-size SD card is available in capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. The smaller microSD option isn't offered in 64 GB, but there is an additional 512 GB option. All of them have read speeds rated at up to 180 MB/s, and write speeds of up to 130 MB/s. Samsung says they are optimized for recording 4K video and capturing high-quality photos, with a V30 video rating, and the microSD also has an A2 application rating.
The new cards are faster than most other microSD and full-size SD cards on the market, but not quite the fastest. For example, Kingston's Canvas React Plus cards advertise read speeds of 300 MB/s and write speeds of 260 MB/s. The maximum speed also depends on the SD card reader itself and other potential bottlenecks. Samsung's previous PRO Plus cards could only reach read speeds of 160 MB/s and write speeds of 120 MB/s.
Samsung PRO Plus Memory Cards
Samsung's updated PRO Plus SD and microSD cards are pushing read speeds of 180 MB/s and write speeds of 130 MB/s.
Sadly, even the fastest microSD cards are slower than any of the best SSDs -- SATA SSDs can reach around 560 MB/s, while NVMe drives can be several times faster than that. Samsung says the new SD cards will be available on its online store later today (just the older cards were available at the time of writing). The prices range from $12.99 for the full-size 64 GB card to $64.99 for the 512 GB microSD with a USB card reader.