A memory card is a data storage device that is used to store digital information. It uses flash memory to save different kinds of files like music, video, and documents. Memory cards are commonly used in devices like cameras, smartphones, tablets, and handheld consoles.

For years, SanDisk has been leading the competition on memory cards. It even comes to a point where their SD Card models compete with one another.

SanDisk offers a variety of SD Card models that serves a different purpose and targets different kinds of buyers. As a result, buyers often get confused about what memory card should they get from SanDisk.

Today, We are going to compare two SD Cards from SanDisk. The SanDisk Ultra and SanDisk Extreme model.

SanDisk Ultra owns the number 1 spot on Amazon’s Best Sellers in Secure Digital Memory Cards category while the SanDisk Extreme model sits at number 8.

But, this doesn’t mean that the Ultra model is better than the SanDisk Extreme. To get a better understanding of the two memory cards, Check out some technical specifications below.

 

Sandisk Ultra vs Extreme: Specifications


For this review, we are going to compare the 128 GB storage model for the SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Ultra.

SanDisk 128GB Ultra MicroSDXC UHS-I...
SanDisk 128GB Extreme microSDXC...
SD Card Model
Sandisk Ultra
Sandisk Extreme
Write Speed
40mb/s
40mb/s
Read Speed
60mb/s
40mb/s
Available Size
32GB/64GB/128GB/256GB/400GB/1T
32GB/64GB/128GB/256GB/400GB/1T
218,989 Reviews
343,409 Reviews
SanDisk 128GB Ultra MicroSDXC UHS-I...
SD Card Model
Sandisk Ultra
Write Speed
40mb/s
Read Speed
60mb/s
Available Size
32GB/64GB/128GB/256GB/400GB/1T
218,989 Reviews
SanDisk 128GB Extreme microSDXC...
SD Card Model
Sandisk Extreme
Write Speed
40mb/s
Read Speed
40mb/s
Available Size
32GB/64GB/128GB/256GB/400GB/1T
343,409 Reviews

Write Speed

Having fast write speed on your SD Card is important. Write speed is the rate that your card can accept information. It is used when you are storing files or data on your SD Card and faster write speed means a quicker saving of files to your SD Card.

Fast write speeds are also important for professional cameras and action cameras. When you record high frame rate videos it is required that your SD Card can keep up with the rate that your camera encodes information.

Slow SD cards would often cause problems while shooting videos like frame rate drops or even file corruption. You don’t want to end up with corrupted files after recording videos right?

In this case, The SanDisk Extreme model has a write speed of 40 MB per second while the SanDisk Ultra has a write speed of 10 MB per second. So, if you are going to use the card on smartphones or simple action cameras the SanDisk Ultra can be a decent option.

On the other hand, If you are going to buy an SD Card for your professional camera, it is advisable to go with the SanDisk Extreme model.

Read Speed

Read speed is the amount of data that your SD Card can transfer to your computer or another storage device. The read speed of an SD Card is often disregarded by customers thinking it is not as important compared to write speed.

At some point, it is correct but, considering that 4k videos and RAW format photos have a large file size. It is important to get an SD Card that has a decent read speed.

Transferring large files from your SD Card to your computer can take minutes or even hours. For example, A card with 90 MB per second read speed can transfer a 40 GB file to your computer at an average of 8 minutes and 20 seconds.

The SanDisk Extreme model has a read speed of up to 90 MB per second while the SanDisk Ultra has 80 MB per second read speed.

Both cards have a decent performance in terms of reading speeds but keep in mind that the Extreme model is 10 MB per second faster compared to the SanDisk Ultra.

Speed Test Comparison

In this video you can see a speed test comparison on a SanDisk Ultra 64gb MicroSD and a SanDisk Extreme 32gb MicroSD.

The test was done using a Thinkpad X250’s internal SD card reader and the following software:
– ATTO Disk Benchmarks
– Crystal DiskMark

Comparing SanDisk MicroSD card performance (Ultra vs Extreme)

SD Card Sizes

The storage option is also important for SD Cards. Having a variety of storage variant to choose from is convenient so that you can select the best SD Card depending on your needs.

The SanDisk Extreme is available on the following storage capacity:

  • 32 GB
  • 64 GB
  • 128 GB
  • 256 GB
  • 400 GB
  • 512 GB
  • 1 TB

There is also a 128 GB + 64 GB bundle available on Amazon. This bundle can be really convenient if you needed to get a backup SD card for your camera.

On the other hand, You can get the SanDisk Ultra in:

  •  32 GB
  • 64 GB
  • 128 GB
  • 256 GB
  • 400 GB
  • 512 GB

 

Sandisk Ultra vs Extreme: What’s better?


The SanDisk Extreme and Ultra both serve different purposes and target different consumers. To give you a better idea about what SD card is better for you, we analyzed both of them:

Sandisk Ultra

 – Best for Smartphones – 

SanDisk 128GB Ultra MicroSDXC UHS-I...
218,989 Reviews
SanDisk 128GB Ultra MicroSDXC UHS-I...
  • Ideal for Android Smartphones and Tablets. Certified to work with Chromebooks. (This...
  • Capacities up to 512GB (1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less) to store...
  • Up to 100MB/s transfer read speed (Based on internal testing; Performance may be...

The SanDisk Ultra is a budget card you can get for your Smartphone. It has a decent read and write speed and has a variety of storage options you can choose from.

It has more than 1,300 customer reviews on Amazon with 85 percent of the buyers gave a 5-star rating. One of the reviews added that they used the SD Card in a commercial setting where the card is removed and reinserted hundreds of times but still works perfectly.

Sandisk Extreme

 – Best Entry Level SD Card – 

SanDisk 128GB Extreme microSDXC...
343,409 Reviews
SanDisk 128GB Extreme microSDXC...
  • Up to 160MB/s read speeds to save time transferring high res images and 4K UHD videos...
  • Up to 90MB/s write speeds for fast shooting; Requires compatible devices capable of...
  • 4K UHD and Full HD Ready with UHS speed class 3 (U3) and video speed class 30 (V30)

Having more than 39,000 reviews on Amazon, the SanDisk Extreme managed to get 80% five-star ratings. It is advertised to work with most smartphones, professional cameras, and action cameras.

The SanDisk Extreme model also supports 4k video recording and a great entry-level card to use on your camera.

Many GoPro users report that the card is performing great on the action camera. Some also added that they are using the card for years already and still works like brand new.

 

What Sandisk SD Card Should You Buy for Photo & Video Cameras?


For an average user that uses their camera for simple photo and video recording, the SanDisk Extreme model is a good buy.

It has a decent read and write speed, lots of storage options to choose from, and works well for most GoPro devices and professional cameras. The SanDisk Extreme also has a lifetime warranty giving you peace of mind in terms of the card’s reliability.

For example, a GoPro camera that records 4k video footage would need to transfer data to your SD Card at a rate of 7.5 MB per second. Given that the SanDisk Extreme has a write speed of 40 MB per second, It is safe to say that it will perform great on GoPro cameras.

SanDisk 128GB Extreme microSDXC...
343,409 Reviews
SanDisk 128GB Extreme microSDXC...
  • Up to 160MB/s read speeds to save time transferring high res images and 4K UHD videos...
  • Up to 90MB/s write speeds for fast shooting; Requires compatible devices capable of...
  • 4K UHD and Full HD Ready with UHS speed class 3 (U3) and video speed class 30 (V30)

If you want to learn more about the SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Ultra, check out their full reviews here:

 

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