Mobility Digest Review: SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSDHC UHS-I Memory Card

I’m back with another review for you, this time it’s a microSDHC card specifically one from SanDisk that is 32gb in capacity with a class 10 rating but it’s also has a UHS or Ultra High Speed rating meaning it should be able to handle recording large HD files with ease.  I’ve tested it and compared it to other cards I have on hand and it’s not a bad card overall. It easily performs well above the class 10 specs, in fact almost doubling it for read speeds. So it’s fast card and it’s even highly durable as it’s waterproof, shockproof, x-ray proof and it can withstand extreme temperatures. So read on…

Author: Kristofer Brozio

Vendor: My Trendy Phone

Price: 36.00 GBP / $55 USD

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Specs/Features:

Sandisk MicroSD Card Trans Flash – 32 GB

Amplify the performance of your Android-powered and other smartphone or tablet with the SanDisk Ultra microSDHC UHS-I Memory Card. The perfect choice for smartphone enthusiasts and tablet users giving you faster app loading, smoother Full HD video recording, and advanced photo capture.

The perfect choice for smartphone enthusiasts and tablet users giving you faster app loading, smoother Full HD video recording, and advanced photo capture.

Class 10 Speed Rating for Seamless Full HD Video
The SanDisk Ultra UHS-I card features a Class 10 and UHS Speed Class 1 (U1) rating, the highest video performance available for recording uninterrupted Full HD Compatible device required. Full HD video (1920×1080) and HD (1280×720) video support may vary based upon host device, file size, resolution, compression, bit rate, content and other factors. video.

Flawless App Performance
This card can retrieve stored data almost instantly, thanks to its up to 30MB/s read capability and fast bus interface. The SanDisk Ultra microSDHC UHS-I card offers faster app loading and smoother, more fluid app performance.

Android App for Easy File Management
The included SanDisk Memory Zone app lets you easily view, access, and backup all of your digital files from your phone’s memory, additional memory card, and cloud service all in one convenient place. Using the app, you can easily move files from your card to a number of cloud storage services.

Durable Design
SanDisk Ultra UHS-I memory cards can capture memories from -13 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit with a shockproof, waterproof, and X-ray-proof design. Your mobile device may not survive, but your SanDisk memory card will.

Warranty
The SanDisk Ultra microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-I Card is backed by a lifetime limited warranty.

Transfer speeds up to 30 MB/s
Highest video recording performance with Class 10
UHS Speed Class 1 (U1) rating

 

The SanDisk 32GB Ultra microSDHC Card was provided by my Trendy Phone for review where you can also find HTC One X Cases, assorted iPhone 5 Accessories, and of course iPhone 5 Cases. My Trendy Phone is located in the UK but you can order from the United States as well.

 

Impressions / Review:

So I skipped the whole unboxing section as it’s a microSD card and there really isn’t a box for it, it’s just a hang tag card style package.

Inside of the package you’ll find a plastic case housing the microSD card and an SD adapter along with a QR code to download the free Android file management app.

The card is colored a bit differently than regular microSD card, it’s red and gray, at least the front side is. I like the coloring, if you’ve ever dropped a black microSD card then you’ll know they’re fairly hard to find especially on dark brown carpeting like I have.

The card doesn’t look very special but it is, it’s made to be very durable as it’s shockproof, waterproof, and x-ray proof and the card can withstand temperature extremes from –13 up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

Over time I’ve collected many microSD cards of varying sizes and speeds for comparisons. The only way to test the speeds of the card is to use a benchmarking program, so that’s what I’ve done.

The only thing that SanDisk mentions about speeds in the specs is the ‘up to 30mb/s’ speed. It also mentions it’s a class 10 card which means we should see speeds of a minimum of 10mb/s read and write performance. You might wonder where the ‘up to 30mb/s’ comes from well this card is class 10 but it’s also class UHS-I which is Ultra High Speed meant for recording HD video and theoretically can hit up to 50MB/s but you need a device that is UHS compatible to achieve these speeds.

 

The first test I ran was CrystalDiskmark  which shows us the card can hit almost 20mb/s read and about 13mb/s for write. These speeds are well over the Class 10 spec, but not the 30mb/s as advertised.

 

I also run ATTO Disk Benchmark for a comparison and here’s a handy chart with many microSD cards listed in it. The chart is ordered slowest to fastest using the Read speed for the ordering. I’ve highlighted the SanDisk 32GB card for you in the chart to make it a bit easier to read.

If we looks at the chart we see that the top cards all hit 20mb/s or close to it. I don’t think you’ll notice the difference between 19919 and 20107 in the real world. The fastest card in the chart for both read and write is another SanDisk microSD Card, an 8gb which is also Class 10 and UHS.

 

For my testing I use a 3.5” universal card reader that I have right in my computer hooked directly to a USB 2.0 header on my motherboard. This offers the best interface and speeds, one would hope anyway.

My computer is equipped with USB 3.0 which does offer faster speeds, so out of curiosity I got out my USB 3.0 card reader and re-ran the ATTO test to see if there was any difference and it was very slight.

On the USB 3.0 interface the card actually hit over 23mb/s for read speeds.

This test was just for fun, again I was just curious if there was any real difference between the USB 2.0 and USB 3.0.

 

 

Conclusion:

For what it is the SanDisk Ultra 32GB microSDHC card will more than work with any mobile device out there. The card is class 10 rated and it more than hits those specs so you easily be handle to handle any HD recording that you might want to do with your phone or tablet.

The card is ultra high speed or UHS class, but I don’t know many devices that are actually capable of utilizing that spec or class. I really haven’t seen anything advertised to be able to utilize UHS cards. I can’t recall ever seeing that listed for a phone or tablet, I may have missed it sure that’s possible, it’s not that I look for that specifically either. Anyway, the card can hit some fast speeds with the right device or interface.

The card is very durable and it even comes with a lifetime warranty which I think is important.

 

 

Pros:
+Speeds comparable to other brands
+Like the gray and red colors
+Durable and lifetime warranty
+Free Android app

 

Cons:
-Didn’t quite hit the ‘up to 30mb/s’ speeds as stated in specs
-Rather expensive when compared to other options