Microsoft Surface is an excellent piece of hardware with a beautiful 2-in-1 form factor, outstanding performance, and cutting-edge technologies. Regarding storage options, you will be limited to choosing from preset configurations that sometimes don’t fit your needs. Fortunately, most Microsoft Surface models, except the Surface Laptop, all come with an SD or MicroSDXC card slot that you can use to expand your device’s storage.
MicroSD card buying guide
There are several things to consider when choosing a microSD card for your device. The most important things to know about the final decision are the card’s capacity, speed, type, and price.
Speed Class
According to the SD Association, this section provides an overview of memory’s sequential write speed information for different speed classes of MicroSD cards.
| Minimum Write Speed | Speed Class | UHS Speed | Video Speed | Max Video Recording Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2MB/sec | Class 2 | SD Video | ||
| 4MB/sec | Class 4 | SD Video | ||
| 6MB/sec | Class 6 | V6 | SD Video | |
| 10MB/sec | Class 10 | U1 | V10 | Full HD Video |
| 30MB/sec | U3 | V30 | 4K low bitrate | |
| 60MB/sec | V60 | 4K Video | ||
| 90MB/sec | V90 | 8K Video |
*UHS = Ultra High-Speed
App Performance Class
Another standard is also being used for application performance classification. This standard will show the random read and write performance as input/outputs per second (IOPS).
| Application Performance Class | Min. Random Read | Min. Random Write | Min. Sustained Seq. Write |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 (A1) | 1500 IOPS | 500 IOPS | 10 MBytes/s |
| Class 2 (A2) | 4000 IOPS | 2000 IOPS | 10 MBytes/s |
Capacity Standard
You might also want to know about the maximum MicroSD card capacity that your Surface can support. Here is the SD card capacity standard.
| SD Slot Standard | Compatible SD Cards | Memory Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| SD | SD | Up to 2 GB |
| SDHC (High Capacity) | SDHC, SD | 2GB to 32GB |
| SDXC (Extended Capacity) | SDXC, SDHC, SD | 32GB to 2TB |
Since all Microsoft Surface devices use MicroSDXC host controllers, your Surface can technically support MicroSD cards with a capacity of up to 2TB. Download the Microsoft Surface RT User Guide to learn more about Microsoft Surface specifications.
Now that you better understand the MicroSD Card’s speed and capacity standard, we have rounded up the best compatible MicroSD cards that work well on Microsoft Surface.
Our Picks: Best MicroSD Cards for Surface Devices
To learn more about individual Micro SD cards, here we have listed the specifications and our thoughts on each item:
| Best MicroSD Cards for Microsoft Surface | ||
|---|---|---|
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1. - SanDisk Ultra Micro SDXC UHS-I A1 Card - 256GB By SanDisk $25.39 | |
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2. - SanDisk Extreme Micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 Card - 256 GB By SanDisk $26.84 | |
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3. Samsung PRO Plus UHS-I U3 Micro SDXC Card - 128GB By SAMSUNG $19.99 | |
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4. - Lexar Professional 1800x Micro SDXC UHS-II Card - 128GB By Lexar Not Available | |
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5. - BASEQI Aluminum MicroSD Adapter for Surface Book 1-3 By BaseQi $24.99 | |
- SanDisk Ultra Micro SDXC UHS-I A1 Card - 256GB
A perfect Micro SDXC card with an A1 rating for Microsoft Surface
It's important to note that not all Micro SD Cards serve the same purpose. If you want to expand storage on your Surface devices, it may not be solely for storing documents, photos, or videos. You might also be interested in storing applications and games, which requires an SD card with better random read and write performance measured in input/outputs per second (IOPS). In this case, the SanDisk A1 app performance card is a great option. It promises to deliver up to 1500 IOPS random read speed and 500 IOPS, which is perfect for your needs.
This microSDXC card has a Class 10 speed rating and an Ultra High-Speed (UHS-I) feature. With the latest version, it can now support faster data transfer speeds of up to 150MB/s, making it perfect for playing large videos. Additionally, it boasts excellent protection against various types of damage, including waterproof, temperature-proof, shockproof, X-ray-proof, and magnet-proof.
- Available Storages32GB 64GB 128GB 200GB 256GB 400GB 512GB 1TB
- Speed MetricsClass 10 UHS-I Full-HD U1 A1
- Product Features
- Data transfer up to 150 MB/s.
- Load apps faster with A1 app performance class up to 1500 read IOPS and 500 write IOPS.
- Waterproof, temperature proof, shockproof, and X-ray proof.
- Included SD adapter.
- 10-year manufacturer warranty.
- SanDisk Extreme Micro SDXC UHS-I U3 A2 Card - 256 GB
Fast Apps & Games Load Time with 160 MB/s Max Read Speed
Need a high-performance Micro SDXC card with better apps and game optimization for your Surface devices? This SanDisk Extreme® PRO microSDXC™ UHS-I Card is what you need. SanDisk engineering and UHS-I-enabled surface devices support data read speeds of up to 160 MB/s, faster than the standard UHS-I speed of 104 MB/s. On top of that, it also supports UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and video class 30 (V30), which can maintain a stable 30MB/s for real-time 4K video recording.
With this card, you can expect faster app and game load performance, rated with A2 app performance that supports random read and write speeds up to 4000 IOPS and 2000 IOPS, respectively. It also has excellent protection with waterproof, temperature-proof, shockproof, X-ray-proof, and magnet-proof to secure your data from being accidentally damaged.
Note A2 performance is only available on 64GB - 1TB cards. 32GB cards support only A1 app performance with 1500 IOPS and 500 IOPS read and write speed.
- Available Storages32GB 64GB 128GB 256GB 400GB 512GB 1TB
- Speed MetricsClass 10 UHS-I U3 V30 4K A2
- Product Features
- Sequential Read Speed: 190 MB/s.
- Sequential Write Speed: 130 MB/s.
- Load apps faster with A2 app performance class up to 4,000 read IOPS and 2,000 write IOPS.
- Waterproof, temperature proof, shockproof, and X-ray proof.
- Included SD adapter.
- Manufacturer lifetime warranty.
- Available AppsSanDisk memory zone
Samsung PRO Plus UHS-I U3 Micro SDXC Card - 128GB
Reliable Speed with U3 - 4K UHD Capability
The Samsung PRO Plus UHS-I U3 card is one of the best Micro SDXC cards available in the market. It provides reliable and exceptional performance at an affordable price. You can use it to record 4K UHD videos and run most apps and games without any hassle.
Furthermore, it comes with a MicroSD card adapter that makes it compatible with any computer having a full-size SD card slot. It has a read speed of up to 180MB/s and the write speed varies according to the size, with the 128GB card supporting up to 130 MB/s write speed.
- Available Storages128GB 256GB 512GB
- Speed MetricsClass 10 UHS-I 4K U3 A2
- Product Features
- Read speed: 180 MB/s
- Write speed: 130 MB/s
- Reliable storage for storing and playback 4K UHD videos.
- Waterproof, temperature proof, shockproof, and X-ray proof.
- Included SD adapter.
- 10-year limited warranty
- Lexar Professional 1800x Micro SDXC UHS-II Card - 128GB
SuperSpeed UHS-II/U3 with 270 MB/s Card
If you need the fastest expansion storage on your Microsoft surface devices especially for the Microsoft Surface Book series that comes with UHS-II capable SD card reader, you can count on this Lexar Professional 1000x. It uses the latest UHS-II/U3 technology that can deliver the fastest transfer speed up to 270MB/s read speed and 150 MB/s write speed.
It will let you work on big documents or projects file that needs the high speed of both input and output. It’s verified to work great with GoPro cameras for capturing 4K UHD videos.
- Available Storages64GB 128GB
- Speed MetricsClass 10 UHS-II U3 V90 3D 4K
- Product Features
- Read speed: 270 MB/s
- Write speed: 150 MB/s
- Using high-speed UHS-II (U3) technology.
- Verified to be compatible with GoPro cameras.
- Can read can capture 4K UHD and 3D video.
- Included a MicroSD UHS-II reader for the best possible transfer speed.
- Lifetime limited warranty.
- BASEQI Aluminum MicroSD Adapter for Surface Book 1-3
Turn a MicroSD Card into a Permanent Expandable Storage for Surface Book
If you are looking to expand the storage of your Surface Book, the only thing you can do is using the SD card slot. Since it is a full-sized SD card slot, you will need a full-sized SD card or SD card adapter. However the depth of the slot is about half-length of the card, so it’s not a good idea to use the full-sized SD card as a permanent solution to expand the storage.
Fortunately, there is a MicroSD Adapter made by BASEQI that is firm and nicely fit the Microsoft Surface Book card slot without sticking out. With that said, you can now use any microSD card to expand the storage on your Surface Book. It has the same color and aluminum designed just like the Surface Book’s chassis.
Source: Amazon
- Product Features
- Designed for Surface Book 1-3.
- Made from aluminum material.
- Easy to insert/remove.
- Supports UHS-I.
- Supported Model
- Adapter Model 350ASurface Book (1st Gen) Surface Book 2 13.5” Surface Book 3 13.5”
- Adapter Model 351ASurface Book 2 15” Surface Book 3 15”
- Adapter Model 350A
Conclusion
Those are the best MicroSD cards in terms of capacity, speed, and price. If you want the most affordable large MicroSD card, we recommend the Sandisk Ultra 200GB Micro SDXC UHS-I card or Samsung 128GB EVO UHS-3 MicroSD card. If speed matter to you the most the Lexar Professional microSDXC is what you should consider. Finally, if you have Microsoft Surface Book you will need an additional special MicroSD adapter made specifically for Surface Book.
