Our pick
With speeds capable of writing 4K video and an amazing price point, the EVO Select microSD card from Samsung is the card to beat. You have to be happy to buy from Amazon though as it's an exclusive.
For
- Low priced.
- Fast speeds for 4K video.
- 10 year limited warranty.
Against
- Amazon Exclusive.
- Only available in four sizes.
Extreme read speeds
While the SanDisk Extreme does have the fastest read speeds around, the write speed is on par with much cheaper microSD cards
For
- Blistering read speeds.
- Environmental hazard protection.
Against
- Almost double the price of the EVO Select.
- The same write speed as everyone else.
Both the SanDisk Extreme and EVO Select are very fast microSD cards, but there's a large disparity in the prices. The Extreme is almost double the cost of the Select while not offering as much value for that money as we would want.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Samsung EVO Select | SanDisk Extreme |
|---|---|---|
| Storage size | 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 400GB |
| Read speed | 100Mbps | 160Mbps |
| Write speed | 90Mbps | 90Mbps |
| Speed class | Class 10, U3 | Class 10, U3, V30 |
| Environmental protections | Water resistant, heat resistant, mgnetic protection, x-ray protection | Water Resistant, heat resistant, magnetic protection, x-ray protection |
4K goodness
Both the EVO Select and the SanDisk Extreme are designed from the ground up to work excellent when recording video in 4K. This does mean that you should look at cheaper microSD cards than the Extreme if you don't plan on doing any of that. At $55 it's significantly more expensive than cards designed to record at 1080p or for taking still photographs.
Of course, the EVO Select is priced at $29, about the same as those other cards, and can still offer you 4K recording speeds so it's worth picking it up in case you do decide to record 4K in the future.
Reading is important
Read speeds are important. They make sure the media you are viewing on your microSD card is smooth as well as speeding up the transfer process. In this regard, the SanDisk Extreme is king with a read speed of up to 160MBps compared to the EVO Selects 100MBps, but beware, read speed isn't everything.
When looking at microSD cards that record in 4K, the more important number is the write speed and here the microSD cards are exactly the same. The write speed is how fast the media you are creating is saved to the card and a big number is important so you don't lose data or get data corrupted. Both the SanDisk Extreme and the EVO Select by Samsung have the same 90MBps write speed and while the 160MBps read speed is better on the Extreme, it isn't $27 better.
Which should you get?
While the 160Mps read speed of the SanDisk Extreme is an amazing number, the rest of the microSD cards numbers are nothing to write home about. At nearly double the price of the Samsung EVO Select, the Extreme is too costly for the normal person to worry about.
The EVO Select by Samsung is capable of the read/write speeds required to record video in 4K and is at exactly the right price point to make it the go-to microSD card for the masses. This is the card I would buy.
The clear choice for recording 4K
While the write speed is a little slower than the SanDisk, the Evo Select has everything you need in a fast, cheap microSD card and is the clear winner.
The cost is just too high for the features.
Though the Extreme has an amazing 160Mps read speed its write speed, the number that actually matters is no better than its opponents, and with a price difference of $27 extra for the Extreme, I just can't recommend it.
