I’m constantly amazed at the increasing size of flash memory, and at 256GB this is one of the largest capacity cards I’ve ever used. This capacity is even more incredible seeing as how the SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-1 is a MicroSD card.
It’s the size of my thumbnail, weighs a couple of grams and can store up to 170 typical two-hour movies.
Tested in the latest range of products including the GoPro Hero and Removu K1 the card worked like any other, no hic-ups, just direct reliable storage.
The price may make you wince at around £118 for the 256GB version, but then you’re unlikely to need another card for a very long time.
For SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-1 256GB
- Massive capacity
- Well priced
- Ultra small
Against SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-1 256GB
- Can easy get lost
- Capacity excedes compatibility with some devices
What’s more that’s capacity comes in the form of a MicroSD card, that’s minute.
I haven’t truth be told had the greatest success with MicroSD cards, they’re really small, and some action cameras come equipped with over-enthusiastic springs in the card slots.
What this ultimately means is that if you’re not careful the MicroSD card that contains your amazing footage; base jumping from the Eifel tower, out skiing an avalanche and let’s not forget riding the ultimate 100-foot wave has, unfortunately, all been fatefully lost.
OK maybe that’s an exaggeration, but seeing how far you can fire a microSD card across a room is a great way to while away a dull afternoon.
However at 256GB and costing well over £100 I felt inclined to take care of this MicroSD card like no other card I’d ever had.
Testing MicroSD cards is pretty straightforward, pop the card into a few devices and check that it works.
Go out and use the card in earnest and check that it doesn’t melt, snap or do anything that it shouldn’t.
Features
This card falls into the mid-Ultra range of SanDisk cards; these cards are an ideal solution for anyone buying the GoPro Hero.
The card is optimised for use when filming Full HD, and features speeds of up to 95MB/s, that speed refers to the read speed, write speeds are unquoted on either the packaging or website.
The card features the Ultra range’s usual split grey and red design, a feature that I’m a big fan of as it makes finding them easier after they ping out of your device, although that colouring is only on one side.
The card is available in two capacities either the 256GB version, the one I have on test, or a 200GB version.
The form factor of the card is MicroSDXC and it has a video speed of C10, meaning a minimum write speed of 10MB/s.
As well as the MicroSD card you also get the SD card adapter that enables you to directly mount the card into any computer with an SD card slot.
Build quality and handling
As ever the SanDisk card looks and feels great, at least as far as memory cards go, after testing countless cards you get a feeling over the years for good quality and other, this card definitely falls into the good quality arena.
The colour scheme is another area to note especially with these small cards as it quickly enables you to visually see which way around the card is supposed to go, and more importantly, find it when it pings out of an action camera.
As with all MicroSD cards, there’s a small indent on the top side edge that makes it easier for you to remove the card when inserted.
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Performance
Although there are plenty of guidelines around, the SD card format the performance from one type of card to another can significantly vary.
The SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-1 256GB is designed for Full HD video rather than 4K and the various specs and logo’s that adorn the top of the card aim to reinforce the point.
Read speeds are quoted as up to 95MB/s which is impressive by all accounts. In the test using a GoPro MicroSD card adapter through USB-C, the card almost met this value with an average of 90.6MB/s.
Read speeds are always the big value hitters but unless you purely like to review your footage, it’s the write speeds that matter.
Having a video class of C10 shows that the card should have a minimum write speed of 10MB/s that’s comfortable for Full HD and could squeeze 4K footage on a good day.
In our test, I got a staggering 51.2MB/s which blasts the 10MB/s out of the water and shows that this card will not only comfortably capture HD but should be fine for 4K as well.
I put it to the test in the Removu K1 and GoPro Hero 6 Black, and in both devices, it was happy to capture 4K video without issue.
However, that may well be because the card is new, over time these cards do degrade so how long it would be able to keep this speed up for may be the reason.
In the extended test the card faired well with the following results:
Write Read
1GB 52.5 90.9
2GB 50.3 90.6
3GB 47.7 90.9
4GB 51.2 90.9
5GB 51.2 90.6
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Verdict
There’s no doubt that video takes up a huge amount of space and a large capacity card can absorb that footage with ease.
Not only that but due to the size it means that it’s likely you won’t need to swap the card out in the field, and for me, that’s the biggest selling point.
I have in the past lost several of these MicroSD cards while trying to swap them out on a ride or down the beach and it’s always a nerve-racking experience.
I don’t know why but I do regularly lose them, generally due to an overzealous sping, so I like, no love, the fact that with the 256GB capacity I’m unlikely to need to swap it out.
The card is rated for up to Full HD video, and in use, I mainly stuck to this resolution to ensure a fair test. I did push the resolution up to 4K, and the card handled it well.
But as I know only too well exceeding the stated resolutions and framerates can result in disaster and while the card can, it doesn’t necessarily mean it should, usually due to a heat thing more than anything.
In this case, it was fine, recording 4K video on the GoPro Hero 6 Black for a short time without issue.
The only problem that I did have with some action cameras is that the max capacity cards they could accept were either 32GB or 64GB.
Of course, the SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-1 256GB far exceeds this, and so I found quite a few of the budget end cameras didn’t recognise it. But then the card in these cases cost more than the cameras.
Their loss rather than the cards.
Ultimately the SanDisk Ultra microSDXC UHS-1 256GB is an incredible card. If you have the new GoPro Hero action camera, then I would highly recommend the outlay for this card and full summer of action camera fun.
Click here to go to the product page
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