The cards MicroSD can be used on many Android smartphones to increase the internal memory and store more photos, music and, in some cases, even to move over the applications, so you can continue using the phone without giving up. Also for MicroSD, as for every electronic accessory, there are different models among them for some features among which there is not only the memory capacity but also the data transmission speed and product quality. Choosing the cheapest MicroSD card may not be a good idea if the goal is to make it last and use it on a smartphone without having slower loads.In this article we will, therefore, focus on best microSD to choose for Android smartphones, explaining what features it should have e how fast they must be to be able to support data transfer from the internal memory.READ ALSO: Which SD memory card to buy: types and differences
How to choose the best faster microSD
First of all, it is always advisable to choose a MicroSD card must have a known brand because this is a guarantee of quality. The best known and best brands for MicroSD cards are Kingston, Lexar, Samsung, Transcend and Sandisk. In addition to the brand, it is also worth checking the following parameters, so as to be sure that you can use the best microSD for our device.
Memory capacity
The memory capacity indicates how much data we can save on a microSD; although this may seem quite obvious, unfortunately, Android devices support cards up to a maximum capacity decided by the manufacturer.
If the datasheet of our Android phone shows “expandable memory up to 64GB” and we place a 128GB microSD card in it it may not be read correctly, accompanied by very dramatic data loss and slowdowns.
We always check the technical details of our phone e we only use microSD with capacities compatible with the device.
Data transfer speed
The data transfer speed it is a very important parameter for microSDs to be used on an Android phone, especially if the device supports moving apps to an SD card.
A high data transfer speed ensures better performance when we write or when we read a file from the memory contained in the microSD. This transfer speed of a microSD card is shown on the surface of the card with various abbreviations (also called classes):
- the minimum class to bet on is the Class 10 (the icon of a C that contains a 10), now become a standard on all microSDs sold in recent years. It is also flanked by the symbol UHS 1 or U1 (the icon of a U enclosing the number 1).
- A faster class of microSD is indicated with UHS 3 or U3 (the icon of a U that contains the number 3), which usually replaces the previous class and allows us to reach a minimum writing speed of 30MB / s.
- The fastest class of cards are reserved for 4K video capture and are referred to as Class 90 (the icon of a V next to the number 90): they are extremely fast and reach a minimum writing speed of 90MB / s.
In addition to the card transfer speed, we will also need to check the bus transfer speed (ie the metal contacts); it is indicated with two separate classes:
- UHS-I (Roman numeral I icon): allows reaching a transfer speed of 104 MB / s.
- UHS-II (icon of the Roman number II): allows a transfer speed of 312 MB / s to be reached.
By combining all the information provided so far, we advise you to focus only on microSD cards that have the UHS 3 or U3 class and the UHS-I or UHS-II bus class, so as to have the certainty of possessing an extremely fast card. Class 90 is very expensive and reserved for those who use very expensive phones to shoot in 4K UHD.
Best microSD for Android smartphones
After reading the details and the features that must have the microSD, below we can find the best cards for Android smartphones also based on the type of class and capacity.
The best microSD cards UHS 3 (U3) and UHS-I bus I’m:
- SanDisk Extreme 32 GB MicroSDHC Memory Card (€ 12)
- Samsung EVO Plus 64 GB microSD card, UHS-I U3 (€ 12)
- SanDisk Extreme 64 GB microSDXC Memory Card (€ 19)
- Samsung EVO Plus 128 GB microSD card, UHS-I U3 (€ 20)
- Samsung EVO Plus 256 GB microSD card, UHS-I U3 (€ 38)
If instead, we want to aim at the maximum speed below we have collected the best one’s U3 microSD cards and UHS-II buses I’m:
- ADATA Micro SDXC Class 10 UHS-II U3 V90 64GB (€ 46)
- Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB MicroSDXC UHS-II (€ 84)
- Delkin devises micro SDXC UHS-I / UHS-II (€ 77)
- ADATA MicroSDXC Class 10 UHS-II 128 GB (€ 88)
- Lexar Card (€ 30)
Conclusions
As we could see it is not enough to buy any microSD for our Android smartphone, but we will have to choose one of the models recommended in the previous chapter or adhere to the recommended classes.
Keep in mind that on smartphones with MicroSD support and with the latest Android versions you can make sure that the added memory card is also used as system space for internal processes, turning the microSD into internal and non-removable memory. In this case, I would then go to one that has the maximum possible speed, without saving too much in quality.
To move the apps to the tab, we advise you to follow our guide up How to move Apps to SD card (Android).
If the space on the internal memory and the microSD become scarce, we advise you to read our guides on how Free up Android space on internal memory and SD card come on How to save space on your smartphone’s memory.