It’s now time to take a closer look at the latest model Samsung PRO Plus microSD cards. The brand’s storage business has had a solid run over the last couple years delivering the T7 Shield portable SSD we went hands-on with previously – an updated version of the standard issue T7 that’s easily one of the most popular models among Electronicsforward readers – alongside its popular range of microSD cards. Earlier this year back in April it refreshed its top-of-the-line memory cards with the latest-generation PRO Plus models, pushing the transfer speed capabilities to keep up with the competition and once again offering tech users another compelling choice for gaming consoles, Android handsets, camera rigs, and more. Head below for a closer look at the latest Samsung PRO Plus microSD memory cards in the latest addition to the ongoing Tested with Electronicsforward series.
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Hands-on with the latest Samsung PRO Plus microSD memory cards
Samsung described its now current-generation PRO Plus models as being designed for “professional and enthusiast photographers, videographers, and content creators.” The microSD cards launched alongside full size SD models as well, but for the purposes of today’s feature we are focused on the former.
The Samsung PRO Plus line comes in three sizes capacities – 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB – with the same six-proof “water, extreme temperatures, x-ray, wear-out, drops, and magnetic impact” protection as the previous model alongside an almost identical physical design and the same 10-year warranty.
Where they alter is in the speed department. Samsung says they come in with up to 12% faster speeds at 180MB/s read and 130MB/s write rates – compared to the 160MB/s and 120MB/s rates last time around.
The PRO Plus Samsung microSD cards can be used with mobile devices, handheld gaming consoles, action cameras, and drones. Samsung microSD cards support an application performance class of A2 to enable faster performance on a wide variety of professional and consumer applications.
Here’s a closer look at the specs:
- Up to 180MB/s
- U3, Class 10 rated read/write speeds
- UHS-I, V30 rated speed and A2 rating
- 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities
- Water, temperature, X-ray, magnet, drop, and wearout protection
- 10-year limited warranty
Electronicsforward’ Take
In many ways there’s not a whole lot to say about these Samsung PRO Plus microSD cards. They simply take a solid workhorse model that has worked flawlessly for me for years and makes them better. When it comes to microSD cards there’s not really a ton of room for innovation outside of read/write speeds and, for the most part, no one really needs much more than that anyway.
So let’s talk speeds. We can look at the charts and speed testing tools, but I find those to be mostly useless metrics that are just more fun to look at rather than being all that helpful in a practical sense. In my tests, the new model outperformed the previous-generation marginally (about as much as the slightly faster numbers suggest they would) when used inside of an OWC 11-port Thunderbolt 4 hub with a MacBook Pro.
Would it have been nice to see Samsung push the speeds on these new models more than this? Yes, they only write 10MB/s faster than the older design. They aren’t the fastest on the market for sure, coming in slightly slower than these up to 190MB/s SanDisk models, but the performance has been rock solid, and the price is right.
And while the performance and reliability have been rock-solid for me on both the new Samsung PRO Plus microSD cards featured here today and previous-generation models I have reviewed, it’s the price that really shines with these Samsung microSD cards. Deals are plentiful and often, but even when they aren’t at their all-time lows, pricing is more than competitive and accessible when it comes to the major storage brands. Unless you must have the fastest possible option out there and don’t mind spending a bit more to do it, I have been recommending these Samsung cards for years and will continue to do so with the latest model PRO Plus 180MB/s variants.
When it comes to Nintendo Switch, Samsung Galaxy handsets, drone/camera rigs, or whatever else you might have with a miniature slot for an ultra-portable microSD storage upgrade, the PRO Plus is a solid option all around and one that won’t cost you all that much with pricing starting from around $14 Prime shipped right now.
Buy the Samsung PRO Plus microSD Memory Card
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