SanDisk 1TB Extreme microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter - Up to 190MB/s, C10, U3, V30, 4K, 5K, A2, Micro SD Card- SDSQXAV-1T00-GN6MA, Gold/Red

I tested the 2TB version of a SanDisk Extreme card against the Lexar Play Blue in a 2024 MacBook Pro 14 M4 Pro system, using an old PiDrive adapter in the onboard SD Card Reader. If you've researched system specs, you'll know the 2024 MBP has a uhs-ii controller that should theoretically support fairly fast SD speeds (250MB/s). But there are very few uhs-ii cards around, and no cards with a 1TB or 2TB capacity at the time I was shopping.So I was looking for 2TB which forced me to settle for uhs-i and these two options. I read some slower transfer speed disappointment reviews associated with a PNY Pro Elite Prime card so I eliminated that one (which comes in a 1.5TB version) and then everything else was eliminated based on capacity and/or reputation. For example, I really wanted to try the TeamGroup T-create card, but there were a few reviews that talked about excess heat and throttling under sustained load. I also really wanted to try a Lexar Silver 1066x because the Lexar products sometimes have a slight performance edge in some reviews, but the silver tops out at 1TB (I think) so that is what brought the Lexar Play Blue, as it looked like the closest thing from Lexar that might have a similarly performing underlying NAND if it were to somehow be using the same component as the Silver 1066. I was really tempted by the Lexar Gold, as well as Nextorage and a Sabrent devices that all have uhs-ii specifications, but none of them are available at capacities above 512GB, which just wasn't enough for my interest.So I ran black magic against the SanDisk and Lexar, with the SanDisk Extreme performing at 86MB write, 90MB read speeds (I'll reiterate without a SanDisk adapter). The Lexar Play Blue generated 55MB write, 90MB read. While this isn't exhaustive, the SanDisk performance matches the best numbers I've been able to identify elsewhere, and typically those numbers are reported on SanDisk. Consequently, the SanDisk performance numbers seem like they may be the maximum that is available for NAND flash storage substrates in microsd form factors of 1TB and above (barring using SanDisk's adapter/controller). To this end, there is Reddit thread here and there with folks testing different MicroSD Express devices in Nintendo Switch 2 units - which is a newer interface specification - and even those tests seem to top out around 94MB/s to 96MB/s. Granted, in write performance that's 10% improvement over what the MBP generated, but I'm not chasing 10%. I'd chase a different product if something were capable of 25% greater performance (110MB/s range), but I don't think anything currently coming out of the factories with 1TB+ capacity is going to demonstrate that difference.I'll note BaseQI makes a uhs-ii MBP SD slot adapter like the PiDrive I have (I think it was possibly originally a BaseQI product back then), which should theoretically be capable of higher performance, but I think this is going to require both different NAND as well as the uhs-ii extra pin control paths, and neither of these are available in 1TB+ microSD form factors today (from what I can tell). If you're looking for a card for a MBP, then the SanDisk Extreme is it for you.

I am a big fan of SanDisk. They are my "go to" brand when purchasing flash memory devices. When I first started purchasing flash memory devices I tried a variety of brands. I learned the hard way that some less expensive devices just didn't last, lost data, or did not always read like they should. Once I purchased SanDisk products I just didn't have problems with them. I have purchased SanDisk SD cards, micro SD cards, and thumb drives. My experiences have all been positive. I still have some from several years back that continue to function well. Most important to me is that I find that they are at a nice price point and, as mentioned, work well over time. I use their micro SD cards for my phones (those that still accept them), my security cameras, and my dash cams. I use this specific series, "Extreme" for dash cams. I use the "Ultra" series for my phones and security cameras. My apologies but I am not an expert at doing bench tests on these products. My only experience is actual use. So my gauge of quality is, "Do they work when I need them to?" Unfortunately, the only measure of this is when they go bad, which does not seem to happen with how I use them. As mentioned, I just don't have the issues I had when I purchased lower priced (quality?) devices. I am sure there are some much more knowledgeable reviewers who can report on transfer speed. It would be great to see some of these reports because I have been wondering lately if some of the "higher end" series of micro SD cards are worth the extra price.When I was looking for dash cam micro SD cards, I did a little research and found several reviews that included the SanDisk "Extreme" so I did step up and paid the extra for the "Extreme" series.I also know that I have never had any issues with formatting a SanDisk card.Most of the micro SD cards I order come with an SD card reader. That is nice even though I now have several. That said, I saw that SanDisk also makes a "USB-A" micro SD card reader. The micro SD card loads from the end rather than the side like many of the card readers. I may end up trying one of those at some point. Or, wait to see if they come out with a "USB-C" version.Recommend: YESQuestions: Just wondering if there is really that much difference between the various "series" that SanDisk has for their micro SD cards.

I bought the Sandisk Extrene 1tb back in December 2024 just to recently find out it can truly hold just 620 Gbs, it's very deceiving because when installed it says it can hold 0.93 TB which should be equivalent to 930 GBs in which 930gbs is okay since all cards always give a little less space than whats stated, on this card supposely only 70gbs are taken away, when I passed all my files to it to my surprise I found out it can really only hold 620 GBs!!!! 310gbs less than what is showing in its capacity reading on my device!!! really???*** Edit Looks like my device was processing the archives count and I was not waiting long enough to let it finalize the countdown and give the total count, in the end it showed it was holding 0.91 TB, will check on laptop to double check.