The Samsung PRO Plus MicroSD card is a great addition for when you need to expand your memory in a budget camera phone, and shows you how far technology has come. Many years ago, you would have to pay £60 for a second hand 1GB 3.5inch Hard Drive for a PC. For those that don’t know, it was roughly the size of a book, and could hardly store anything by today’s standards.
Now you can get 128GB, 128x the data (or more), in a card smaller than a very small thing indeed, at a price of just $12.60 / £10 for the 128GB Samsung EVO Plus card! Talk about progress!
Chances are you might already have Samsung memory in your computer, either as RAM, or as an SSD or NVMe drive, or you may be using an external Samsung SSD drive. And as Samsung are the World’s number 1 flash memory brand, it makes sense that they would offer a range of memory cards.
Samsung PRO Plus and EVO Plus with SD adapter
Using the provided SD adapter, you can use the card in any camera that supports SD cards. There are also some cameras that require a MicroSD card, such as the Panasonic Lumix GX880 – one of the smallest mirrorless cameras.
MicroSD cards are perfect for smartphones, tablets, security cameras, dashcams, audio recorders, drones, and even the Nintendo Switch.
Here I’m looking at the Samsung PRO Plus microSD card, available in 128/256/512GB capacities, as well as the EVO Plus, available in 64/128/256/512GB capacities.
Samsung PRO Plus MicroSD Performance
The PRO Plus cards offer quicker performance, as you would expect, with up to 160MB/s read and 120MB/s write speeds. Samsung say they use a “proprietary technology” to reach speeds beyond the UHS-I speed limit of 104MB/s. However, to reach these speeds, you’ll also need to be using a device that can support this.
Samsung PRO Plus and EVO Plus packaging
The speed class of the PRO Plus card is: U3, V30, A2, and the speed class of the EVO Plus is: U3, V30, A2 (64GB U1, V10, A1) – to understand what all this means, have a look at our guide to memory cards.
In my tests using a USB3 microSD card reader I was able to get read speeds up to 95MB/s and write speeds up to 84MB/s
The EVO Plus cards offers speeds up to 130MB/s (read), and they are said to be up to 1.3x faster than the previous red version of this card. In tests I was able to get read speeds up to 95MB/s and write speeds up to 66MB/s.
I also used the cards in several different cameras and had no problems whatsoever with the provided SD card adapter.
Samsung PRO Plus MicroSD Reliability
In comparison to SD cards, there are no fiddly plastic bits to break off, no outer shell that can come away, and the cards are surprisingly tough for their size, with these new cards now offering “six-proof protection” – they can withstand water, extreme temperatures, x-ray, drops, magnetic impact, and “wear out” – withstanding up to 10,000 swipes.
Samsung EVO Plus and PRO Plus MicroSD cards
You’ll also find you get a 10-year (limited) warranty! Which you know you can rely on, as Samsung have been around for years, and aren’t likely to be going anywhere soon.
Value for money
Looking at what’s available, you’re able to get excellent value for money, particularly with the EVO Plus range, being cheaper than most branded SD cards. The EVO Pro range is a little more expensive but sits at a comparable price range to other branded cards, and is now even cheaper than before.
Pricing information is available directly from Samsung:, and cards range from 64GB up to 512GB, for the PRO Plus (2021): 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and EVO Plus (2021): 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB.
Samsung PRO Plus MicroSD Verdict
Samsung PRO Plus MicroSD card on finger
The only drawback you may face is that they are so small, once you drop it down the back of the sofa, you may never be able to find it again. Other than the physical size being extremely small, they are great value for money, offer good speeds, and can be used in a wide variety of devices. They also offer a 10 year warranty, and “6-proof” technology making them likely to survive much longer.
Find a great smartphone in our guide to the best camera phone for photography, the best budget camera phones, or have a look at our guide to the best used smartphones.
