The Lexar Professional GOLD microSDXC is a premium microSD card that offers the storage and transfer speeds required for the latest action cameras and drones. While it may look like most other microSD cards, it sports advanced UHS-II technology, which is more commonly found in full-sized SD cards, although it’s not unknown, for it also appears on these smaller microSD cards. To mark it out against lesser cards, it comes with a gold label for easy identification. With speeds comparable to full-size SD cards and a hefty 256GB capacity, this card is as much about performance as it is about capacity. Its design and technology make it versatile, fitting not only action cameras and drones but also high-resolution cameras with the right adapter.
Our Verdict
The Lexar Professional GOLD microSDXC 256GB meets the demands of the latest action camera and drones with ultrafast data transfer speeds and huge capacity storage, making it an ideal partner for the GoPro Hero12 Black, Insta360 Ace Pro and DJI Mini 4. Its dual-row UHS-II interface promises exceptional speed, while its gold label makes it easy to pick out against other MicroSD cards. While the card excels in performance, keeping pace with devices like the DJI Mavic Pro and Hero12 Black, its price remains a consideration for potential buyers. Nonetheless, for those using the latest in camera and drone technology, the benefits of this card will more than justify the investment.
For
- Suits most drones and action cameras
- Large capacity
- Fast
Against
- More expensive than slower options
- The colour of the card can blend into leaves
What is the Lexar Professional GOLD microSDXC?
Specification
- Type: UHS-II V30 microSDXC
- Capacity: 256GB
- Read Speed: Up to 280MB/s
- Write Speed: Up to 160MB/s
Build and Handling
The Lexar Professional GOLD microSDXC follows the usual unremarkable microSD card lines – it’s the right size and the usual weight. It follows all the standardisations you would hope for in a card designed to slot into a standard-sized memory card hole in your chosen kit. It’s well-constructed, durable, and, of course, ideal for use in most action cameras and drones.
When it comes to handling the card, it is as small and fiddly as the format dictates and usually means that I drop it at least three times before inserting it into the right slot. The capacity of 256GB just means that once it’s in the GoPro Hero12 Black or whichever action camera or drone it eventually ends up in, it will more than likely stay for the rest of its life. This is the beauty of a card that hits the right speed and storage for the device you need it for. If you need to transfer files, then do it directly with a USB cable to the camera or drone or through WiFi.
Features
The Lexar Professional GOLD microSDXC may be small, but it boasts an impressive 256GB capacity; this is more than enough for the vast majority of users and the devices that it’s intended to be used in. Even if you take the step up with an SD card adapter and start using this in your Mirrorless or DSLR, that capacity and, for that matter, the speed of the card is more than enough for most.
The card has been specifically engineered for high-speed performance, making it an ideal companion for the latest action cameras and drones – or with an adapter camera. One of the most notable features is the fact that this microSD is a UHS-II interface equipped with dual-row contacts, significantly enhancing data transfer speeds. This feature is particularly beneficial if you’re a professional or enthusiast and you need quick file access.
Running through the list of classifications, the one that’s of special interest is the V60 video class. This means that the card has a minimum write speed of 60MB/s, which is more than enough for the cameras that it has been designed to be used with – in fact, it’s fast enough for most consumer and professional cameras out there at present, including the Sony A7 IV.
The card isn’t all about performance, and aesthetically, the eye-catching gold label stands out amongst other small microSD cards.
Performance
In performance tests, the Lexar Professional GOLD microSDXC exceeded its V60 class rating, achieving read speeds of 89MB/s and write speeds of 80MB/s.
Although these speeds fall short of Lexar’s advertised rates, they reflect the limitations of the card reader used during testing rather than the card itself.
Importantly, in real-world usage with devices like the DJI Mini 4 Pro and GoPro Hero12 Black, the card effortlessly met all performance demands with no dropped frames or other issues.
Read: 89MB/s
Write: 80MB/s
Final Thoughts
The Lexar Professional GOLD microSDXC is a superb choice as a storage solution for action cameras and drones with its fast transfer speeds and huge capacity.
While its price is on the higher side, the card’s performance, capacity, and quality make it a worthwhile investment for professionals and enthusiasts alike.
I would keep in mind that 256GB is a huge capacity, and if you can’t quite stretch to the 256GB version, then in all truth, for action cameras and drones, the 128GB version will more than likely suffice. An hour of 4K GoPro Hero12 Black video will take up around 45GB of storage, so that’s almost three hours of footage for the smaller and almost six for this 256GB version.