The SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC UHS-I memory card is designed to meet the demands of an enthusiast looking for top-of-the-line performance and speed. This card is ideal for smartphone and tablet users who perform memory-intensive tasks like video and photo editing or gaming and for those who want top-class performance out of their cameras and video gear, like the latest GoPro cameras. The card can also be used in a broader range of devices with the included SD card adapter.
The SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC UHS-I memory card is designed to meet the demands of an enthusiast looking for top-of-the-line performance and speed. This card is ideal for smartphone and tablet users who perform memory-intensive tasks like video and photo editing or gaming and for those who want top-class performance out of their cameras and video gear, like the latest GoPro cameras. The card can also be used in a broader range of devices with the included SD card adapter.
The SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC UHS-I sets itself apart from the rest of the pack with its industry-leading read/write speeds of 95MB/s and 90MB/s respectively. The blazing speeds and Class 10 video recording rating will provide the power to perform smoothly. To add to the impressive pedigree, this card was granted the 2013 CES Innovations award for Design and Engineering.
SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC UHS-I card comes in an 8GB capacity with street pricing at the time of this review of $27 and a 16GB capacity for $44. The cards come with a lifetime limited warranty. Our review unit is the 16GB capacity.
SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC Specifications
- Capacities:
- 8GB (SDSDQXP-008G-A11)
- 16GB (SDSDQXP-016G-A11)
- Performance: 95MB/s read, 90MB/s write
- Dimensions: .59" x.043" x.03"
- Compatibility: Compatible with all microSDHC supporting host devices
- Security: Built-in write-protect switch prevents accidental data loss
- Records Full HD and 3D video
- Shock Proof, Water Proof, X-Ray Proof
- Lifetime limited warranty
Design and Build
The SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC card displays SanDisk branding and capacity information on the front, sporting gold and red coloring.
The backside shows the gold connector pins. Now what you can’t see is the durable design. This card has been water proof tested for up to 72 hours in 1 meter of water. This tough guy is also shock proof and x-ray proof.
Performance
The SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC card being reviewed is the 16GB capacity. This card falls into SanDisk’s highest series offering: the "Extreme Pro" line for power users. Our review will also include a comparison with one of SanDisk’s "Extreme" offerings, which is still in the upper end of their cards, but not quite the same performance as the "Extreme Pro" series.
In the review, we include the following comparables:
Using our Consumer Testing Platform, we measured transfer speeds from the SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC 16GB with IOMeter. Sequential read speeds measured 90.9MB/s, and write activity measured 74.7MB/s. Our results were slightly lower than what SanDisk quoted for this product. However, the write activity is far more impressive than its competitors. The Samsung microSDHC Plus 32GB hit reads of 71.44MB/s and writes of 20.08MB/s. The SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-1, a step down from the Extreme Pro, measured reads of 89.4MB/s which is very close to the Extreme Pro, while write speeds came in at 58.51MB/s, leaving a sizable gap in write speeds.
When comparing random large-block transfers, we measured read and write speeds of 87.6MB/s and 13.4MB/s respectively for the SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC 16GB. The Samsung microSDHC Plus 32GB hit 67.35MB/s read and 20.04MB/s write, and the SanDisk Extreme microSDXC came in with 82.1MB/s read and 41.5MB/s write. The random read speeds for the Extreme Pro exceed the Samsung as well as SanDisk’s Extreme which was expected. Random write speeds, however, were fairly low for the SanDisk Extreme Pro, and both Samsung and SanDisk’s Extreme bested our SanDisk Extreme Pro card for those measures.
Conclusion
The SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC UHS-I is designed for enthusiasts taking on high performance tasks like HD video recording which requires a powerful and fast card. SanDisk quotes 95MB/s for read activity, and 90MB/s for write activity for both their 8GB and 16GB capacity. Although this card is on the more expensive side due to its premium nature, you have two main value adding aspects: trail blazing performance and durability from the elements.
Our testing of the SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC revealed slightly lower measures than SanDisk quoted speeds. Even still, it beat out the comparables on sequential activity. For random large-block transfers, the Extreme Pro upheld the highest read speed, while falling short of the comparables for random write speed. The only other issue with the card is that it tops out at 16GB, where the Samsung offering comes in capacities up to 32GB which comes in handy for those who want to add top-tier performance and capacity to their portable devices.
Pros
- Highest sequential read/write speed
- Highest random read speed
Cons
- Tops out at 16GB
- Random write speed lower than comparable microSD options
Bottom Line
The SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC UHS-I offers industry-leading performance for power users seeking top-of-the-line speed and integration into smartphones, tablets, and cameras (via SD card adapter). Sequential read/write speeds dominated the competition.
SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC at Amazon
