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Samsung PRO Plus microSD card Review

Samsung PRO Plus microSD card Review
Review

What is the Samsung PRO Plus?

The Samsung PRO Plus is a microSD card that comes in capacities of 32GB or 64GB with suggested retail prices of £44.99 and £84.99 respectively. While the card has the microSD form, it comes supplied with an adaptor so it can be used in cameras that require SD format cards.

Samsung PRO Plus microSD card Review

Samsung PRO Plus microSD card without its adaptor

Specifications

With claimed read speeds of up to 95MB/s and writes speeds up to 90MB/s, Samsung’s PRO Plus microSD card has a speed classification of 3 (U3) and is UHS-I and Class 10 compliant. This makes it a good choice for cameras and phones that are capable of 4K UHD video recording.

As usual with Samsung memory cards, the PRO Plus is also waterproof, X-ray-proof and magnet-proof. In addition, it can survive being stored at temperatures ranging from -40C to 85C and will operate between -25C and 85C.

 

Performance

I used the Samsung PRO Plus microSD card with its adaptor in a variety of cameras, DSLR and mirrorless models, and I found that it gave reliable service when shooting stills and video. I also used it without the adaptor in a GoPro Hero5 Black and it again performed well.

In the GoPro camera, the 64GB sample I tested provides enough space for 3Hrs 56mins of 4K video shot at 25fps. Drop to 2.7K at 25fps and you can record 5 hours of footage. Switch to stills mode to shoot 12Mp images and there’s capacity for over 48,800 images.

I used SpeedTools QuickBench to measure the card’s performance with my mid-2014 MacBook Pro and I found that with files of 2-10MB it achieved average read speeds of 88.6MB/s and write speeds of 80.7MB/S. With larger files (20-100MB) these speeds averaged at 88.9MB/s (read) and 81.3MB/s (write). Meanwhile, the standard test found average speeds of 57.7MB/s (read) and 45.1MB/s (write).

It’s worth noting here that a 20Mp camera like the Panasonic Lumix G9 produces raw files of over 20MB and even just a few seconds of Full-HD video from a camera like the GoPro will result in files measured in tens if not hundreds of MB, so the faster read and write times are more relevant to videography and photography.

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Samsung PRO Plus microSD card Review

The Samsung PRO Plus microSD card shown here in a GoPro Hero5 Black

Verdict

I’ve used the Samsung PRO Plus microSD card extensively since receiving it a few months ago and it’s given good service, proving itself reliable in a variety of cameras.

As it’s UHS-I compliant it’s suitable for use in a wide range of cameras, enabling fast frame rates and 4K video recording. However, high-end cameras like the Fuji X-T2, Fuji X-Pro2, Sony A9, Sony A7R III, Panasonic G9 and Panasonic GH5S need UHS-II cards to get their maximum performance.

Should I buy the Samsung PRO Plus microSD card?

If you have an action cam like the GoPro Hero6 Black, a phone with a micro SD port or one of the current crop of entry-level mirrorless cameras, the Samsung PRO Plus makes a good choice of memory card. If you have an enthusiast- or higher-level camera, we recommend that you check the memory card slot compatibility because if it is UHS-II compliant you will need a more advanced card to get the full capability of your camera.

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