Why These Samsung MicroSD Express Cards Are a Big Deal
If you use a camera, handheld console, drone, Steam Deck style device, or even a phone that still supports expandable storage, your microSD card matters a lot more than you might think. A slow card can turn smooth gaming or video capture into a stuttery mess, while a fast one can make loading screens and file transfers feel way snappier.
Samsung’s latest microSD Express cards step things up in a big way, and right now the 256 GB and 512 GB versions are both available at a discount. That makes this a good moment to upgrade if you are still juggling smaller cards or dealing with slow load times.
The headline feature here is speed. These cards are rated for up to 800 MB per second in sequential reads, which is massively faster than what you get from older microSD standards. On top of that, they deliver strong random performance too, with up to 65,000 IOPS for random reads and 52,000 IOPS for random writes.
If that sounds like a lot of numbers, do not worry. The short version is simple. These cards are built for people who care about quick access to files and smooth performance in storage heavy tasks.
What The Specs Actually Mean For You
Specs are nice, but what do they actually change in everyday use If you are wondering whether these Samsung microSD Express cards are worth a look, here is how those numbers translate into real world benefits.
Up to 800 MB per second sequential reads: This is the big one. Sequential read speed measures how fast the card can pull large chunks of data in order. That matters for things like loading big game files, transferring large videos to your PC, or scrubbing through high resolution footage.
65,000 IOPS random reads and 52,000 IOPS random writes: IOPS stands for input output operations per second. Random performance measures how quickly the card can access lots of tiny bits of data scattered across its storage. This is similar to how an SSD behaves and is very useful for operating systems, apps, and games that constantly read many small files.
3 year warranty: Storage is something you typically want to install and forget about. A 3 year warranty from a major brand like Samsung adds some peace of mind if you are storing important saves, recordings, or work files.
For gaming and media heavy setups, these features combine into smoother and more responsive performance. Loading into big open world games from your card will feel faster. Offloading a weekend of 4K footage from your camera will take a lot less time. Recording high bitrate video or photos in burst mode is also more reliable when your card can keep up.
Even daily tasks like copying large folders of music, movies, or mods become less of a waiting game and more of a quick drag and drop.
Who Should Consider Upgrading To These Cards
Not everyone needs high performance microSD Express storage, but if you fall into any of these groups, these discounted Samsung cards are worth a serious look.
Handheld gaming and portable PCs: Devices that let you install games to microSD benefit a lot from higher read speeds and stronger random performance. If you are running big title games from expandable storage, these cards help reduce stutters and shorten loading screens.
Creators and streamers: Using a camera, action cam, or drone that writes large video files quickly A faster card can help prevent dropped frames and corrupted files when you are shooting at high resolutions or high frame rates.
Power users on Android: If you still have a phone or tablet with a microSD slot and you seriously use it storing lots of games, offline media, or raw photos faster read speeds make browsing, loading, and copying feel more like using internal storage.
Anyone who is always running out of space: The two discounted capacities 256 GB and 512 GB hit a pretty sweet spot. 256 GB is great for people who mainly want to hold a healthy game library or a ton of media. 512 GB is for users who keep everything with them games, movies, photos, and video projects.
Since both sizes are currently discounted, the choice mostly comes down to how you use your devices. If you constantly delete and reinstall games or regularly move videos off your camera, the 512 GB model gives more breathing room. If you are more casual but still want fast storage, the 256 GB model will feel like a huge upgrade over older or smaller cards.
Either way you are getting the same core benefits. Very fast sequential reads, strong random performance, and a 3 year warranty wrapped in a tiny card that can move between all your compatible devices.
If you have been putting up with slow microSD cards or constantly shuffling files to free up space, these Samsung microSD Express cards are a simple way to make your tech setup feel faster and a lot less cramped.
Original article and image: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/microsd-cards/pamper-your-switch-2-with-a-25-percent-discount-on-storage-upgrade-save-up-to-usd25-on-samsung-p9-microsd-express-cards
