Fastest microSD cards are double the price of microSD Express

Acer led the way at Computex. The new Predator Atlas 8 gaming handheld relies on microSD cards with UHS-II. These have become somewhat exotic cards by now. But what does this mean for gamers who want to buy these fast cards? To find out, we looked at the current market prices of UHS-II cards on the European price comparison service Geizhals, while also checking out a local MediaMarkt retail store.

A clear trend is emerging, especially for the popular 256 GB size. Not only have prices for UHS-II cards skyrocketed over the past year, but they are now also roughly twice as expensive as microSD Express cards—which are significantly faster overall, but also much slower in legacy scenarios. Established in the market thanks to Nintendo's Switch 2, 256 GB microSD Express cards typically cost between 50 and 60 euros.

There are only a few outliers here, which can easily be ignored due to the large selection. We also saw this price point at MediaMarkt, both for Nintendo-branded cards (by SanDisk) and standalone SanDisk cards displayed individually in the store's Nintendo section. However, anyone interested in an Acer Predator Atlas 8 or another handheld with microSD-format UHS-II support will have to dig deep into their pockets.

Nexstorage's UHS-II card currently costs a hefty 120 euros for 256 GB of capacity. Lexar's Professional Gold model costs only marginally less at 115 euros, while Sabrent's Rocket sits slightly above 120 euros. According to the price comparison service Geizhals, that is already where the selection ends. For that same price, you generally already get 512 GB of capacity in the SD Express camp. The market offers about five cards in this segment up to roughly 130 euros. However, latecomers who started production later are significantly more expensive, peaking at 200 to 300 euros.

Whether this is a harbinger of higher prices is difficult to say. Retailer inventories are likely well-stocked, and we have also heard isolated reports from memory manufacturers that the production batch for the Switch 2 was sufficient. The comparatively stable prices for SD Express cards support these statements.

More Laptops with SD Express Slots Are Coming

This could change, however, if more and more laptops adopt SD Express. On top of that, Asus' new gaming handheld also features microSD Express support. Asus has been supporting SD Express largely unnoticed. Especially in the wake of the RTX Spark launch at Computex, indications have mounted that even more manufacturers are banking on SD Express—including the full-size format, where ADATA is currently the only supplier delivering cards.

The massive speeds of the SD Express standard offer clear advantages, even if there are occasional thermal issues, as seen in our previous microSD Express review. However, users with UHS-II readers cannot utilize the speed of SD Express, as SD Express readers remain very rare and are partly sold out. In compatibility mode, they drop back to UHS-I speeds. At least SD Express card readers that can also handle UHS-II are expected to arrive later this year, something that was previously not technically possible.

By the way: Fast UHS-I cards in the microSD format from well-known manufacturers have now also reached the price range of microSD Express cards, as we observed with 256 GB models. At the MediaMarkt retail store, SanDisk's gamer cards in the Nintendo design were almost equally expensive.

Prices have also drawn close at other retailers—surprising, considering how little performance they deliver. At least the prices of these cards have dropped slightly in recent weeks. But the AI-driven memory crisis does not stop at simple microSD cards.