Is there such a thing as the best SD cards for dash cams and surveillance? Flash memory, whether in the form of a USB drive, a Secure Digital (SD) card, or a solid-state drive (SSD), has a lifespan that’s estimated at up to 10 years. More meaningful, though, is the fact that flash memory lifespan is primarily affected by the number of write and erase cycles it’s subjected to during its use. The more times you write data to flash memory or erase data, the shorter the memory’s lifespan will be.
In this piece, we’re going to discuss SD cards, specifically the kind of microSD cards that are used in applications like dash cams and surveillance cams where information is constantly being written to the card. That’s compared to using an SD card in, say, a digital camera with sporadic use or for data storage where information is more often read from the card than written to it.
While various sources indicate that, depending on the technology, an SD card can sustain from 5,000 (3D TLC cards) to 100,000 (SLC cards) read-write cycles, that can quickly be used up in applications that continuously write data.
Are High Endurance SD Cards Worth It?
Samsung, one of the largest makers of SD cards, has just released its PRO Endurance microSD cards, which promise significantly extended lifespans for applications with continuous capture and playback. According to Samsung, the new PRO Endurance cards can last for up to 16 years (140,160 hours) of continuous writing, which is equal the combined endurance of up to 33 typical microSD cards.
In addition, the PRO Endurance microSD cards are fast, providing up to 100 megabytes per second (MB/s) reading and 40 MB/s writing speeds. They’re rated at Class 10 with video speeds of up to U3 (UHS Speed Class 3) and V30 (Video Speed Class 30). That’s fast enough to handle smooth recording and playback at up to 4K resolution.
Samsung is providing the cards in various sizes, with the endurance increasing with size. There are 32GB (17,520 hours), 64GB (35,040 hours), 128GB (70,080 hours), and 256GB (140,160) options.
Samsung isn’t the only company to offer high-endurance microSD cards. Sandisk has its Max Endurance microSD card that’s rated at up to 120,000 hours. Kingston’s Endurance cards are rated at up to 26,900 hours. Transcend High Endurance cards last up to 24,000 hours. Finally, Lexar offers their High Endurance cards with up to 12,000 hours.
Clearly, Samsung and Sandisk are promising another level of longevity with their larger cards, but they’re not the only games in town. Below is a selection of high-endurance microSD cards to choose from.
SAMSUNG PRO Endurance 32GB – $12.99
- Capacity: 32GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 30 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 17,520 hours
- Warranty: 2 years
SAMSUNG PRO Endurance 64GB – $12.99
- Capacity: 64GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 30 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 35,040 hours
- Warranty: 3 years
SAMSUNG PRO Endurance 128GB – $39.87
- Capacity: 128GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 30 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 70,080 hours
- Warranty: 3 years
SAMSUNG PRO Endurance 256GB – $94.95
- Capacity: 256GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 40 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U3/Class 10/V30
- Endurance: Up to 140, 160 hours
- Warranty: 5 years
SanDisk 32GB MAX ENDURANCE – $12.99
- Capacity: 32GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 30 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U3/Class 10/V30
- Endurance: Up to 30,000 hours
- Warranty: 5 years
SanDisk 64GB MAX ENDURANCE – $18.45
- Capacity: 64GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 30 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U3/Class 10/V30
- Endurance: Up to 5,000 hours
- Warranty: 5 years
SanDisk MAX ENDURANCE 128 GB – $30.70
- Capacity: 128GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 30 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U3/Class 10/V30
- Endurance: Up to 60,000 hours
- Warranty: 10 years
SanDisk MAX ENDURANCE 256GB – $101.55
- Capacity: 256GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 30 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U3/Class 10/V30
- Endurance: Up to 120,000 hours
- Warranty: 15 years
Kingston High Endurance 32GB – $27.68
- Capacity: 32GB
- Read speed: Up to 95 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 30 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 26,900 hours
- Warranty: 3 years
Kingston High Endurance 64GB – $27.19
- Capacity: 64GB
- Read speed: Up to 95 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 30 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 26,900 hours
- Warranty: 3 years
Kingston High Endurance 128GB – $49.30
- Capacity: 128GB
- Read speed: Up to 95 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 45 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 26,900 hours
- Warranty: 3 years
Transcend High Endurance 16GB – $12.99
- Capacity: 32GB
- Read speed: Up to 95 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 25 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 3,000 hours
- Warranty: 2 years
Transcend High Endurance 64GB = $108.99
- Capacity: 64GB
- Read speed: Up to 95 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 45 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 12,000 hours
- Warranty: 2 years
Lexar High Endurance 32GB – $14.88
- Capacity: 32GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 45 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 3,000 hours
- Warranty: 2 years
Lexar High Endurance 64GB – $27.35
- Capacity: 64GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 45 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 6,000 hours
- Warranty: 2 years
Lexar High Endurance 128GB – $45.07
- Capacity: 128GB
- Read speed: Up to 100 MB/s
- Write speed: Up to 45 MB/s
- Speed rating: UHS-I/U1/Class 10/V10
- Endurance: Up to 12,000 hours
- Warranty: 2 years
Don’t skimp on your microSD card
If you’re buying a microSD card for any application that requires constantly writing data, then you’ll want to choose from among these cards. Their specifications vary, but the best choices are likely from the Samsung PRO Endurance and Sandisk Max Endurance lineups. Choose one of these, and you’ll sleep better at night knowing your video footage is being recorded as safely and reliably as possible.
