Choose the best MicroSD for Android smartphones

MicroSD cards 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 that you can continue to use the phone without giving up. Also for MicroSD cards, as for every electronic accessory, there are different models for some characteristics among which not only is the memory capacity, but also the data transmission speed and the quality of the product . Choosing the cheapest MicroSD may not be a good idea if the goal is to make it last and use it on a smartphone without the uploads being slower than necessary.
In this article we will therefore focus on the best microSDs to choose for Android smartphones, explaining what features it must have and how fast they must be to be able to withstand data transfer from internal memory.
READ ALSO: Which SD memory card to buy: types and differences

How to choose the best fastest microSD

First of all, it is always worth choosing 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, Trascend and Sandisk . In addition to the brand, it is also worth checking the following parameters, so as to be sure that we 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 the cards up to a maximum capacity decided by the manufacturer.
If the data sheet of our Android phone indicates "expandable memory up to 64GB" and we place a 128 GB microSD it may not be read correctly, accompanied by data loss and very noticeable slowdowns.

We always check the data sheet of our phone and use only microSD with capacities compatible with the device .

Data transfer rate

Data transfer speed is a very important parameter for microSD cards to be used on an Android phone, especially if the device supports moving apps to the SD card.

A high data transfer rate ensures better performance when writing or reading a file from the memory contained in the microSD. This transfer speed of a microSD is indicated on the surface of the card with various abbreviations (also called classes):

• the minimum class to focus on is Class 10 (the icon of a C that encloses a 10), which has now become a standard on all microSD cards sold in recent years. It is also accompanied by the UHS 1 or U1 symbol (the icon of a U that contains the number 1).
• A faster class of microSD are indicated with UHS 3 or U3 (the icon of a U that contains the number 3), which usually replaces the previous class and allows to reach a minimum write speed of 30MB / s.
• The class of faster cards are reserved for capturing 4K video and are referred to as Class 90 (the icon of a V alongside the number 90): they are extremely fast and reach a minimum writing speed of 90MB / s.

In addition to the transfer speed of the card, we will also have to check the transfer speed of the bus (ie the metal contacts); it is indicated with two separate classes:

• UHS-I (icon of the Roman numeral I) : allows to reach a transfer speed of 104 MB / s.
• UHS-II (Roman numeral II icon) : allows to reach a transfer speed of 312 MB / s.

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 be sure of having an extremely fast card. The Class 90 are very expensive and reserved for those who use very expensive phones on which to shoot in 4K UHD.

Best microSD for Android smartphones

After reading the details and the features that microSD cards must have, below we can find the best cards for Android smartphones also based on the type of class and capacity.
The best UHS 3 microSD cards (U3) and UHS-I buses are:

1. SanDisk Extreme 32 GB microSDHC Memory Card (€ 12)
2. Samsung EVO Plus 64 GB microSD card, UHS-I U3 (12 €)
3. SanDisk Extreme 64GB microSDXC Memory Card (19 €)
4. Samsung EVO Plus 128 GB microSD card, UHS-I U3 (20 €)
5. Samsung EVO Plus 256 GB microSD card, UHS-I U3 (€ 38)

If instead we want to focus on the maximum speed below we have collected the best U3 microSD cards and UHS-II buses are:

1. ADATA Micro SDXC Class 10 UHS-II U3 ​​V90 64GB (46 €)
2. Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB MicroSDXC UHS-II (84 €)
3. Delkin Devices micro SDXC UHS-I / UHS-II (77 €)
4. ADATA MicroSDXC Class 10 UHS-II 128 GB (88 €)
5. Lexar Card (30 €)

Conclusions

As we have seen, 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 otherwise stick to the recommended classes.
Keep in mind that on smartphones with support for MicroSD and with the latest Android versions, you can make sure that the added memory card is also used as a system space for internal processes, transforming the microSD into internal and non-removable memory. In this case, I would therefore go to one that has the highest possible speed, without saving too much in quality.
To move the apps to the card, we recommend following our guide on How to move the Apps to the SD card (Android) .
If the space on the internal memory and the microSD begin to be scarce, we recommend you read our guides on How to Free up Android space on internal memory and SD card and on How to save space on the smartphone memory .