Best microSD cards for Samsung Galaxy S20 in 2022

BestmicroSD cards for Samsung Galaxy S20Android Central2022

The 128 gigabyte of memory is enough for the start of the SAMSUNG GALAXY S20. If you want to download movies for trips like me, or just want to capture every moment of your child's life, you'll probably want to invest in a microSD card. The internal memory can be used for apps and those super-duper slow-mos if you expand and offload your media. Here are some of the best cards for the S20.

">Lexar Professional 256gb 1066x Microsd Card Render RecoStaff Pick

The Professional 1066x is an upgrade from previous models for storing and running apps directly on the card.

">PNY Elite X 128GB microSD card

PNY's card is rated V30, which is a fancy way of saying it supports up to 30MB/s write speeds for recording video. It has an A1 certification for storing app data.

">Samsung Evo Select 128gb Micro Sd Blue Render Reco

This little blue card can double the storage on your S20 for less than pizza night for the fam, and it is a series that has served us well over the years.

">Kingston Canvas Select Plus 256gb Microsd Card With Adapter

Kingston's cards can write at speeds up to 80MB/s, making it the easiest to browse for microSD cards.

">SanDisk Extreme 512GB microSD card

One of the most trusted names in the industry is SanDisk, because they can take a real beating. This one will last longer than your S20.

">Samsung EVO Select 512GB MicroSD Card

If you want to hold a movie marathon on your international trips, you should have half a Terabyte of storage.

">Lexar 633x 512GB microSD card

Why is it so much more affordable than other companies, when it has the same certifications for write speed and app performance? The brand has less prestige.

">SanDisk Extreme 1TB microSD card

This is the largest card you can get for a phone. It is rated A2 for running and storing apps, and is a 4K ready card.

">Netac 128gb Microsd Card Render Reco

This card is great for being shockproof, temperature-proof, waterproof, and X-ray proof, but it looks pretty darn cool as well.

What all those symbols on a microSD card mean — and why they don't always matter

There are symbols that can be used to rule out slow cards quickly, because manufacturers cover every inch of the card in classifications and certifications. Looking at those symbols should not be the end of your research into a microSD card.

  • Video Speed Class — Indicated by a stylized V followed by numbers from 6 to 90, this class is one of the newer classification systems and was developed specifically for shooting ultra-high-definition video. For example, V30 starts at 30MB/s write speed, V60 starts at 60MB/s write speed, and V90 starts at 90MB/s, but unless your phone somehow shoots 8K video, you probably don't need a V90 card.
  • UHS Speed Class — Indicated by a 1, 2, or 3 inside a U, this class is still used on most cards today. U1 starts at 10MB/s write speed, U3 starts at 30MB/s write speed, and both are perfectly adequate for most Android phones.
  • Speed Class — Indicated by a number inside of a C, this was the original classification system for SD cards. Class 10 was as high as this class went, 10 MB/s write speed, and practically every card worth buying today is well beyond this speed at this point, so it's not as helpful an indicator of power/quality these days.

The write speed is the lower of the two speeds a card will have. If you see a card that only mentions transfer speed of 100 MB/s but is a V30 card, we can assume that the read speed is 100 MB/s and the write speed is at least 30.

It is important to see what the write and read speeds are supposed to be. U3/V30 cards have write speeds that are above V60 cards. There are some V30 cards that have 90 MB/s write speeds if a V60 card has a listed write speed of 80 MB/s. So read the specifications.

Go beyond internal storage

The U3/V30 card is the only thing you need to store movies, music, and a couple hundred thousand pictures of our adorable dogs and kids. It's a matter of finding the right size and reliability. For a phone with a microSD slot, and really, for every phone with a microSD slot, I highly recommend the Samsung EVO Select. It is all but guaranteed to last. It is fast enough for everything except the videos that are super slo-mo.

I want to know how much space you filled and how you put the apps on your microSD card. A2 cards are more affordable and more common. The Professional 10667x is a great card. If you are a complete madman, you should be able to run thousands of apps from the larger size of the device, because it will triple the amount of storage you have to work with.

Since you will have to take off your ratty case to put in the new card, maybe it is time to get a new case for the S20.

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.