This Is The Highest-Capacity Micro SD Card You Can Buy Right Now

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Of all the storage options invented in the late 1990s, the SD card is rare in its persistence. Alongside the USB flash drive, it's a convenient and portable method for transporting files, instantly recognizable by its clipped rectanglular shape. Back in their early years, SD cards could hold precious little data by modern standards, but the announcement of 512 megabyte SD cards was a big deal in 2001.

Today, SD cards can not only hold more storage than ever before, but the microSD card format does so on a device no larger than a fingernail, providing a robust storage solution for mobile devices from cameras and smartphones to portable game consoles and gaming handhelds. Modern MicroSD cards can have a capacity for a whopping 2 TB.

Understanding the limits of this remarkably petite memory card format can be essential for photographers, gamers, and those with large media libraries. It's also important to understand that not all devices with microSD card slots are compatible with all microSD cards. Here's what you need to know about the highest capacity microSD card you can buy right now.

As of this writing, the highest capacity microSD cards on the consumer market top out at 2 TB of storage. On one hand, that's a lot of storage. The vast majority of devices, from smartphones to laptops, don't come with 2 TB of onboard storage, so it's great to have that much storage in the palm of your hand. However, storage is relative. Although 2 TB might feel virtually infinite if you're working with small files like word documents or spreadsheets, it's not very much if you regularly shoot high-quality video.

Photographers often carry several SD cards to make sure they never run out of shooting space while working. However, 2 TB cards aren't cheap. The SanDisk 2TB Extreme microSDXC, for instance, costs an eye-watering $230. In August of 2024, Western Digital announced its upcoming 4 TB microSD and 8 TB SDUC UHS-I cards, which are expected to arrive sometime in 2025. These will undoubtedly be expensive memory cards, but anyone looking to scoop some up should start keeping an eye out.

If you're shopping for high-capacity microSD cards, be aware of scams. There have been listings for microSD cards that claim to have a 1 or 2 TB capacity, and are sold for a laughably low price. These cards may even tell your computer they have that much storage, but they'll fail when you try to transfer too large a file. These scams even plague well-known retailers like Walmart and Amazon. Unfortunately, if you want a high-capacity memory card, you'll need to pay a more realistic price.

"Wow," you might say. "I can add two whole terabytes of storage to my phone with a microSD card? Sign me up!" While it's definitely exciting that so much storage can fit on a card the size of your fingertip, it's not necessarily the case that high capacity microSD cards will work with your device, even if it supports the microSD standard.

For example, take the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, one of increasingly few Android devices that still have a micro SD card slot. As the company's flagship slate, it's a serious contender for the best Android tablet on the market. However, if you read the fine print on Samsung's website, you'll see the onboard microSD card slot is limited to cards with 1.5 TB of storage or lower. Sticking with Samsung for simplicity's sake, if you happen to still be rocking a Galaxy S10 smartphone, your SD slot is limited to cards with a capacity no greater than 512 GB.

However, it's also unwise to assume you can't use a 2 TB SD card simply because your device is a few years old. The Nintendo Switch, first released in 2017, can handle a 2 TB SD card with ease. If you're unsure of your own device's SD capabilities, the best advice is to double check the device manufacturer's spec sheet. However, if you're feeling the need to upgrade just because you want the latest tech, you should know that old SD cards can still be useful.