Nextorage NX-A1PRO Series CFexpress Type A review

The Nextorage NX-A1PRO series CFexpress Type A memory card with VPG400 160 GB is the company’s professional-level card, designed for use in Sony cameras such as the Sony A7 IV, which we used in this test. Although CFexpress Type A memory cards share some technology with CFexpress Type B, only Sony has widely adopted this format, making Type A options relatively scarce. However, as Sony’s popularity increases, more options are slowly emerging.

The NX-A1PRO series is a great example of a high-quality card. While Nextorage may not be the most well-known memory card provider, they are raising their profile with extremely high-quality, high-performance cards at a relatively reasonable price. The A1PRO has capacities of 640 GB, 320 GB, 160 GB, 80 GB, and 40 GB, which should suffice for most users and applications.

Aimed at the professional market, the VPG400 rating highlights that the card can consistently sustain 400 MB/s transfer speeds—essential when recording video, as it prevents glitches caused by bottlenecking during file transfers.

The NX-A1PRO series CFexpress Type A card is expectedly high-quality. It doesn’t quite have the premium finish of Lexar or OWC cards, which feature metal fronts, but the Nextorage sample’s plastic build helps keep costs down. Despite the plastic construction, the overall quality feels high. The lack of a metal design didn’t seem to affect heat dissipation during the test, and the plastic version performed just as well.

There needs to be more differentiation between the NX-A1PRO’s form factor and those of other manufacturers. It slots perfectly into the Sony A7 IV, as well as other Sony cameras tested. The build quality feels solid, and the card handles exactly how you’d expect a CFexpress card to—fitting perfectly into any slot designed to accommodate it.

The NX-A1PRO series is designed for professional users who value high-speed continuous shooting or high-bitrate video capture. While many cards advertise similar read and write speeds, the NX-A1PRO comes with VPG400 certification, guaranteeing a minimum write speed of 400 MB/s. This ensures smooth, high-quality 4K and 8K video recording, preventing data glitches and ensuring reliable capture of all your footage.

The card offers a maximum speed of 950 MB/s and write speed of 850 MB/s (depending on capacity). A feature worth noting is Nextorage’s Dynamic Auto Power Save, which reduces power consumption by up to 88% compared to non-equipped pSLC CFexpress cards. This greatly helps with longevity and battery life and keeps the card cool, suppressing throttling that can affect other CFexpress cards during extended use.

CFexpress cards are far more durable than old SD cards, and the NX-A1PRO has been tested for operation between 14°F and 158°F. It’s also resistant to shock, X-rays, UV light, and magnetic fields, as well as anti-static.

This CFexpress Type A card is compatible with a range of Sony cameras, including the Sony A1, A7R V, A7S III, A7 IV, FX6, FX3, and FX30.

Additionally, the Memory Card File Rescue software allows you to recover files that may have been corrupted, a feature well worth exploring. As with many other manufacturers, Nextorage offers a five-year limited warranty, giving you peace of mind about your investment.

The first test was simply to check whether the card easily fit into the Sony A7 IV. After flipping open the memory card door, the Nextorage CFexpress Type A card positioned itself effortlessly in slot one. Once installed, the image database was created, and the card was ready for use. Everything was recognised instantly, and I recommend reformatting the card in the camera to ensure it’s optimised for that specific model.

During a day of shooting both video and stills, the card performed excellently. It was more than capable of keeping up with the demands of the Sony A7 IV, handling high-resolution JPEGs and RAW images with ease. There were no problems with file transfers, which occurred as quickly as the camera could capture the images.

Likewise, when switching to video mode and selecting 4K shooting at 200 Mbps with 10-bit footage, the card maintained flawless data transfer. It kept up with every demand the camera placed on it.

Benchmarking tests further demonstrated the card’s reliability:

Crystal Disk Mark: Read: 843.19 MB/s | Write: 811.28 MB/s
ATTO: Read: 805.81 MB/s | Write: 777.57 MB/s
AS SSD: Read: 738.91 MB/s | Write: 722.58 MB/s
AJA System Test Lite: Read: 763 MB/s | Write: 749 MB/s

The Nextorage NX-A1PRO CFexpress Type A card with VPG400 is an excellent choice if you own a Sony Alpha camera. Its pricing is competitive with other leading brands, and it slightly outperforms some competitors in write speed. Write speed is the key metric when capturing high-resolution video and stills, and here the NX-A1PRO excels.

There are now more CFexpress Type A cards on the market, but the NX-A1PRO series stands out for its solid build quality. Although its plastic design may not feel as premium as others, it matches or exceeds most manufacturers in terms of durability and performance.

If you’re a professional or high-end enthusiast, the NX-A1PRO is a great solution. For those who find the price of this card a bit high, Nextorage offers the NX-A1SE version, which is slightly cheaper but comes with a VPG200 rating. It is aimed at the beginner and enthusiast market.