Lexar FLY microSDXC UHS-I Card Review

The Lexar FLY microSDXC UHS-I Card has been designed for use in drones. Taking a look at the card and aside from the standard form factor and slight rebranding and colour scheme to other MicroSD it runs similar specs to the Lexar Silver card, although the write speeds are slightly reduced.

Still, for a card the size of your thumbnail, it’s U3, V30, and A2-rated; simply put, these speed classifications signal the card’s data transfer speeds under strenuous conditions, like 4K video recording or running Android apps straight off the card, while the focus of the card is drone the A2 Performance Class, highlights it’s compatibility for other uses. I won’t be testing the A2 class performance in this test, but as a projector I’m presently testing is based on the Android system the A2 performance has been tested and as far as that test is progressing the performance seems solid.

Alongside the data transfer speed specification, the card has also been designed to withstand a little more abuse than most others. It is equipped to protect your precious data from shock, vibration, and even X-Ray exposure.

The card is available in three storage capacities – 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB – and backed by a 10-year limited warranty. In this test I’ve taken a look at the middle weight 128GB version.

The Lexar FLY microSDXC UHS-I Card delivers regarding its physical design, slotting into the DJI Magic Mini 3 Pro, DJI Mavic 3 and GoPro Hero11 Black Mini as you’d expect. When it comes to endurance and quality the specification list out that it’s able to survive a shock from a fall and use from the demands of high-resolution video and image files which is all ideal for the latest drones and action cameras.

When it comes to aesthetics Lexar has applied an attractive light blue graphic and design on the card, which nicely separates it from others. Overall the build quality seems excellent and along the lines of other compact MicroSD Cards.

The performance of the Lexar FLY microSDXC UHS-I Card is consistent when tested across multiple drones and action cameras. As a reference, those used in the test were the; DJI Mini 3 Pro, the DJI Mavic 3, and the GoPro Hero11 Black Mini.

The DJI Mini 3 Pro presents a demanding environment with its 48MP sensor and ability to record 4K videos at 60fps. However, the Lexar card handles high-resolution stills without issue, be it a single shot, burst mode, or timed shots, with no noticeable lag or dropped frames. Even when pushed to its limits with 4K video recording at the maximum bitrate of 150 Mbps, the Lexar card performs admirably without any lag or frame drops, even in HDR mode.

The DJI Mavic 3’s Hasselblad camera is another testament to Lexar’s performance, with its high-resolution 20 MP sensor and the ability to record in multiple formats such as H.264, H.265, and Apple ProRes at up to 5.1K resolution. Despite these demanding specifications, the Lexar card demonstrated its robustness and reliability.

The GoPro Hero11 Black Mini’s powerful GP2 processor, 5.3K60, and 4K120 video capabilities further underline the Lexar card’s impressive performance. Handling high-resolution 23 MP photos and maintaining its performance under demanding video recording scenarios, the Lexar card met the requirements with aplomb.

The Lexar FLY microSDXC UHS-I Card, when faced with these high-performing cameras, didn’t just survive but thrived. Whether handling high-resolution images or keeping pace with the demanding bitrates of high-resolution videos, the card was reliable and consistent.

It solidifies its standing as a high-performance solution suitable for various applications, from drone photography to action videography.

However, while the card kept up with the needs of the drones video demands, it’s always interesting to see how it copes when tested with the Blackmagic Disk Speed test. In this test the card performed as follows:

Read Speed 89.6MB/s

Write speeds of 79.9MB/s

So a little less than the quoted speeds by Lexar, but still enough to keep up with the demands of the cameras and drones used in this test and for which it has been designed for use.

The Lexar FLY microSDXC UHS-I Card is a strong contender in high-speed storage solutions. Its performance, resilience, and value for money make it a commendable choice for videographers and adventurers.

While it might not be the quickest microSD card out there, it’s reliable performance and durable build compensate for this.

Essentially the performance and price are much the same as the Silver card, with a slightly reduced write speed and fast than the Blue version. It meets the demands of most drones and action cameras, and the name and design, along with the slight tweak of specifications, is a simple way to market to the drone niche. However, it’s a card that performs and is well-priced, so why not. The graphics alone are a great way to separate this as a card for your drone rather than anything else, so why not.