Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC review: Super-fast storage for photo and video work

Sabrent isn't shy when it comes to making some of the fastest flash-based storage on the market. The Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus SSDs are ridiculously fast M.2 drives, and we gave them a positive review for sustained transfer speeds. But Sabrent doesn't just make SSDs, and today we're looking at the new Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC cards.

These newly released SD cards from Sabrent are designed for heavy photo and video usage. On paper, we're looking at BiCS5 112-layer 3D TLC flash, V90 certification for sustained data transfer speeds, and a UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) rating. These are some impressive specs for an SD card, but how does it all transfer to real-world scenarios?

We do a little photo and video here at Windows Central, and SD cards are an important storage medium we rely upon. The same goes for those with other devices that can have their internal capacity expanded through these flash storage drives. So, let's dive right in and see how the Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC range performs.

Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC: Specs, price, and availability

The Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC is available starting at $70. This is for a 64GB capacity SD card. The 128GB card is $120, 256GB is $250, and finally, the colossal 512GB card is $600. That may sound like a lot for an SD card, but these are some seriously beefy storage volumes, especially 512GB.

Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC: What I like

Should you be familiar with Sabrent memory products, you'll already know about the use of black, white, and blue for the design. The Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC cards are well designed, but it's difficult for manufacturers to make these things look any different due to size constraints.

Sabrent has made sure these cards are durable, however. The company added shock, water, and X-ray resistance to each of the four Rocket V90 cards. Should you use SDXC cards out in the field, this protection will add peace of mind, especially when considering the price.

Like plenty of other SD cards, the Sabrent Rocket V90 has a write protection switch. The BiCS5 112-layer 3D TLC flash used inside the SD card allows the company to offer capacities ranging from 64GB to 512GB. Finally, static and dynamic wear-leveling helps to make them last longer through heavier usage.

Testing each card for taking photos and other media, as well as through synthetic benchmark software, I found no issues with any of the capacity models. All four capacities were able to achieve the speeds marketed by Sabrent. These cards are designed for use with cameras and other devices with quick bursts of data.

As found with many storage drives out there, the first two capacity models performed the best across the board, though the 256GB and 512GB weren't far behind. Regardless of which model you go for, you're going to experience some solid transfer speeds.

Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC: What I dislike

There's nothing really to dislike about the Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC. The price may put some people off, but if you need speedier SD cards, you're going to be paying for the luxury. Sabrent managed to include V90 and UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) ratings, making the Rocket range of SD cards very compelling for media.

Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC: Competition

There are some other SD cards out there that match the capacity and performance of the Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC range. First, there's the RitzGear VideoPro V90, which also comes with similar protections against shock, water, and X-ray. There's also a choice between 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB at similar prices.

Should you require something that's even faster, the Lexar Professional 2000x range may be what you should consider buying instead. These SDXC cards can hit speeds of up to 300MB/s and are available with a capacity of just 32GB. SanDisk's Extreme PRO SDXC family of cards also boasts these speeds.

Sabrent Rocket V90 SDXC: Should you buy it?

You should buy if ...

• You need super-fast SDXC cards for 4K or 8K video
• You work with media on the road
• You need a 512GB SD card with solid performance

You shouldn't buy if ...

• You don't want to spend too much
• You don't necessarily require high transfer speeds
• You don't have anything to take advantage of UHS Speed Class 3 (U3)

Sabrent did a fine job with its first SD card launch. The Sabrent Rocket V90 range of SDXC cards offers some impressive specs for capacity and speed. If you deal with 4K and 8K videos or take numerous RAW photos on a daily basis, these cards will improve the performance of the camera and editing software if upgrading from slower cards.

They're expensive with the highest capacity card coming in at a whopping $600. But this can be overlooked if you're after premium flash storage for cameras and other devices. Interestingly, Sabrent added in shock, water, and X-ray resistance to aid those who use their equipment out in the field. 

Finally, block management, as well as static and dynamic wear-leveling, ensure long-lasting performance. I'm a big fan of this new range of storage from Sabrent, makers of some of the best SSDs for PCs, including the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus.