Si eres alguien que anima a la gente a seguirte Instagram A menudo, muertoLa última actualización de la empresa de redes sociales podría cambiar las reglas del juego.
A partir de hoy (15 de octubre), ya no necesitarás pasar el cursor sobre alguien y verlo escribir en tu cuenta de Instagram. Ahora puede configurar tarjetas de perfil que hacen que su perfil sea reconocible mediante un código QR, similar a Venmo. Las tarjetas de perfil son de doble cara, un lado tiene un código QR escaneable y el otro tiene tu nombre de usuario, foto de perfil, biografía y una canción de tu elección. También puedes personalizar el fondo del código QR.
Velocidad de la luz triturable
Una vista previa de cómo se ven las tarjetas de perfil. Crédito: Instagram
En un comunicado de prensa, Instagram describió la función como “la tarjeta de llamadas digital de IG”. Si bien sería útil gente creativa Y para las pequeñas empresas que dependen de la plataforma para ganar dinero y conectarse con los clientes, esto puede alentar a todos los usuarios a mercantilizar sus perfiles, a pensar en seguirlos como una oportunidad para conectarse. Es parte de las interminables señales de las plataformas de redes sociales para replantear los perfiles como perfiles profesionales y tratar las redes sociales como un trabajo más.
Las tarjetas de perfil son solo otro recordatorio de que los días en que se publicaba una foto de su BLT muy filtrada quedaron atrás.
Cartas contra la humanidad (sí, el obsceno juego de palabras basado en palabras) ha iniciado una batalla legal contra Elon Musk y SpaceX.
Kah, Conocida por su truco publicitario bien intencionado, demandó a la compañía espacial por su presunto uso de una parcela de tierra de Texas perteneciente a la compañía de juegos. En 2017, recaudó una importante cantidad de dinero. Para comprar un terreno en la frontera entre Texas y México, Haciendo imposible que el entonces presidente Donald Trump completara el muro fronterizo que había prometido durante mucho tiempo.
“Donald Trump es un puto gigante que le teme a los mexicanos. Tiene tanto miedo que quiere construir un muro de 20 mil millones de dólares que todo el mundo sabe que no logrará nada”, escribió la compañía en ese momento. “Así que compramos un terreno baldío en la frontera y contratamos a un bufete de abogados de expropiación para que la construcción del muro fuera lo más lenta y costosa posible”.
Años más tarde, este mismo terreno se convirtió en el foco de la disputa de la compañía con Musk y SpaceX. Kah él afirmó en una demanda SpaceX, que tiene instalaciones cercanas, estaba utilizando el terreno sin permiso y dejando materiales esparcidos por todos lados.
“Tenemos noticias terribles. Hace siete años, 150.000 personas nos pagaron 15 dólares para proteger un pedazo de tierra prístina en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México del muro extremadamente estúpido construido por el multimillonario racista Donald Trump.
Desafortunadamente, un multimillonario racista aún más rico, Elon Musk, se nos ha acercado sigilosamente por detrás y ha arruinado toda la Tierra con grava, tractores y basura espacial.
La compañía prometió que “dividiría las ganancias netas de la demanda en partes iguales entre los 150.000 suscriptores originales, hasta 100 dólares cada uno”. Incluía imágenes de la Tierra, que supuestamente mostraban materiales de SpaceX por todas partes.
CAH escribió:
“¿Cómo sucedió esto? SpaceX de Elon Musk estaba construyendo una cosa espacial cerca de nosotros, y decidió que podía tirar su basura por todas partes en nuestro maravilloso pedazo de Tierra sin preguntarnos. Después de que lo atrapamos, SpaceX nos dio un ultimátum de 2 meses. 12 horas para aceptar una oferta baja de menos de la mitad del valor de nuestro terreno. Le dijimos: “Vete al infierno, Elon Musk. Nos vemos en el tribunal”.
Puedes encontrar el estado de la empresa y más información, lo cual es muy divertido, en www.ElonOwesYou100Dollars.com.
Cards Against Humanity es la última entidad en desafiar a Elon Musk en los tribunales. La divertida compañía de juegos de fiesta ha presentado una demanda de 15 millones de dólares contra SpaceX por invadir su propiedad en Texas, que se encuentra cerca de las instalaciones de SpaceX.
de acuerdo a En una demanda presentada ante un tribunal federal de Texas, la compañía de cohetes de Musk comenzó a utilizar su terreno sin permiso en los últimos seis meses. “SpaceX tomó un terreno que antes era ‘prístino’ y lo degradó completamente con grava, tractores y basura espacial”, escribió CAH en su carta. .
Como era de esperar de la compañía de juegos de cartas conocida por su valiente sentido del humor y sus acrobacias que acaparan los titulares, hay una historia divertida sobre cómo se convirtió en el vecino de SpaceX en Texas en primer lugar. La compañía compró terrenos a lo largo de la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México como parte de un esfuerzo de financiación colectiva para protestar contra el plan del presidente Donald Trump de construir un muro fronterizo. Desde entonces, escribió la empresa, ha mantenido el terreno cortando el césped con regularidad, cercándolo y colocando carteles de “Prohibido el paso”.
Posteriormente, SpaceX compró terrenos adyacentes y, a principios de este año, supuestamente comenzó a utilizar terrenos de CAH para un proyecto de construcción de algún tipo. De la demanda (confirmación por ellos):
Se limpió de vegetación el sitio y se compactó el suelo con grava u otros materiales para permitir que SpaceX y sus contratistas encendieran y apagaran sus vehículos en toda la propiedad. Se instalaron generadores para alimentar equipos y luces mientras se realizaba el trabajo antes y después del amanecer. Un enorme montón de grava fue arrojado sobre la propiedad; Los contratistas de SpaceX almacenan la grava y la utilizan en la construcción de edificios a lo largo de la ruta. En la propiedad se utilizan y almacenan continuamente grandes equipos de construcción y numerosos vehículos relacionados con la construcción. Y por supuesto, están los trabajadores que realizan trabajos de construcción y preparan materiales y vehículos para los trabajos que se realizarán en otros espacios. En resumen, SpaceX trató la propiedad como propia durante al menos seis (6) meses sin tener en cuenta los derechos de propiedad de CAH ni la seguridad de cualquiera que ingresara a lo que se convirtió en un sitio de trabajo probablemente sujeto a los requisitos de seguridad de OSHA.
Según la presentación, SpaceX “nunca pidió permiso” para usar el terreno y “nunca se comunicó con CAH para explicar o disculparse por el daño”. Sin embargo, la compañía de cohetes dio “un ultimátum de 12 horas para aceptar una oferta baja de menos de la mitad del valor de nuestro terreno”, según un comunicado publicado en línea. Un portavoz de la CAH dijo que el terreno en cuestión era “aproximadamente un acre”.
Cómo era la tierra de CAH en Texas antes de la supuesta invasión de SpaceX. (Christopher Markus/Cartas contra la humanidad)
En respuesta al ultimátum, CAH presentó una demanda de 15 millones de dólares contra SpaceX por invadir y dañar su propiedad. La compañía de juegos, que originalmente se financió a través de una campaña de Kickstarter, dice que si tiene éxito en los tribunales, compartirá las ganancias con los 150.000 fanáticos que originalmente ayudaron a comprar el terreno en 2017. Los participantes pueden inscribirse para tener la oportunidad de recibir hasta $150 de los $15 millones potenciales si su demanda tiene éxito. (El descargo de responsabilidad señala: “Elon Musk tiene mucho más dinero y abogados que Cards Against Humanity, y aunque CAH hará todo lo posible para obtener $100, probablemente solo podrán obtener $2 o, más probablemente, nada”.)
SpaceX no respondió de inmediato a una solicitud de comentarios. Pero CAH no es el único terrateniente de Texas que plantea dudas sobre las tácticas de la empresa. SpaceX ha estado ampliando agresivamente su presencia en el sur de Texas en los últimos años. La expansión, que llevó a muchos residentes locales a vender sus terrenos a SpaceX, ha enfurecido a algunos residentes antiguos, según una investigación. Reuters.
CAH dice que el comportamiento pasado de Musk hace que las acciones de SpaceX sean “particularmente ofensivas” para la compañía, conocida por adoptar una postura sobre cuestiones sociales.
“La campaña navideña de 2017 que resultó en la compra de la propiedad se basó en los esfuerzos de CAH para luchar contra la “injusticia, las mentiras” y la “corrupción”. [and] “Racismo”, decía el comunicado. “Por lo tanto, es particularmente ofensivo que una empresa dirigida por Elon Musk cometa actos tan flagrantes contra la propiedad. Como es bien sabido, Musk ha sido acusado de tolerar el racismo y el sexismo en Tesla y de amplificar la antisemita 'Teoría del Gran Reemplazo'”. “Que Musk esté abusando de la propiedad para la cual los partidarios de CAH han contribuido con fondos con el único propósito de detener tal comportamiento es completamente inconsistente con el motivo de la contribución y los principios en los que se basa CAH”.
Cards Fall estuvo disponible anteriormente en iPhone, iPad, Camelloy Mac, y ganó un premio Apple Design Award en 2020. Where Cards Fall, un juego de rompecabezas espacial de ensueño, es una historia sobre la mayoría de edad que pide a los jugadores que construyan castillos de naipes para conmemorar recuerdos.
Apple dice que el juego presenta profundidad 3D e inmersión total, y los jugadores pueden usar controles táctiles accesibles diseñados específicamente para Vision Pro. Hay más de 50 acertijos que puedes resolver usando la imaginación y el pensamiento estratégico.
donde caen las cartas Parte de Apple Arcadeque tiene un precio de $6.99 por mes y también está disponible con manzana uno Paquete de suscripción. Por el precio mensual, hasta seis personas de un grupo familiar pueden acceder a los juegos, y hay más de 200 títulos disponibles. Los nuevos suscriptores pueden obtener una prueba de tres meses con la compra de un dispositivo Apple o una prueba de un mes.
Apple lanzó hoy una nueva actualización de firmware para las versiones Lightning y USB-C de AirPods Pro 2. El nuevo firmware es la versión 6F7, superior al firmware 6B34 lanzado en noviembre. Apple no proporciona detalles sobre qué funciones podrían incluirse en el firmware actualizado además de “correcciones de errores y otras mejoras”, por lo que no está claro qué hay de nuevo en la actualización. Apple no da…
Apple planea agregar una nueva función de efectos de texto a la aplicación Mensajes en iOS 18, según múltiples fuentes familiarizadas con el asunto. Si bien ya es posible enviar iMessages con efectos de burbujas o efectos de pantalla completa, como tinta invisible o confeti de papel, los efectos de texto te permitirán animar palabras individuales dentro del mensaje. Con la aplicación Mensajes configurada para obtener soporte RCS en iOS 18,…
iOS 18 está a la vuelta de la esquina y Apple presentará la actualización de software durante su discurso de apertura de la WWDC el próximo mes. A continuación, recapitulamos las nuevas funciones y cambios que se rumorean para iOS 18, que se espera que sea la actualización “más grande” en la historia del iPhone. Se rumorea que iOS 18 incluye nuevas funciones de inteligencia artificial para Siri y varias aplicaciones, y Apple planea agregar soporte RCS a la aplicación Mensajes para mejorar los mensajes de texto.
iOS 18 se dará a conocer en la conferencia anual de desarrolladores WWDC de Apple en menos de dos semanas y la actualización incluirá algunas funciones nuevas para CarPlay. A continuación, resumimos las nuevas funciones de accesibilidad que Apple presentó recientemente para CarPlay y analizamos el estado actual de la prometida próxima generación de CarPlay. La primera versión beta de iOS 18 probablemente estará disponible para los miembros de Apple…
Ha pasado más de año y medio desde el lanzamiento del actual Apple TV, por lo que probablemente te estés preguntando cuándo se lanzará un nuevo modelo. A continuación, resumimos los rumores sobre el Apple TV de próxima generación, incluidas nuevas funciones y precios más bajos. El Apple TV 4K actual se presentó en octubre de 2022. Las nuevas características clave con respecto al modelo anterior de 2021 incluyen un chip A15 Bionic más rápido, una pantalla más grande…
Apple está planeando una revisión de la IA para Siri en iOS 18, y Mark Gurman de Bloomberg dice que la actualización permitirá a Siri controlar todas las funciones individuales en las aplicaciones por primera vez, ampliando la gama de funciones que puede realizar el asistente personal. Siri podrá hacer cosas como abrir documentos específicos, mover una nota de una carpeta a otra, eliminar un correo electrónico, resumir un artículo,…
If you’re in the market for a mini PC then you really should be taking a look at what Minisforum has to offer.
The Chinese company produces a range of affordable, well-specced devices, such as its latest release, the UM790 XTX. This is a more powerful alternative to the UM780 XTX which Minisforum currently refers to as “The king of the Mini PC”.
Although the company first announced the UM790 XTX towards the end of last year, it has only just now gone on sale in China. The new device comes with a Ryzen 9 7940HS processor that can be pushed up to 70W TDP – 25 watts more than AMD’s default. The UM780 XTX, in comparison, comes with a Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU.
With or without RAM and storage
Elsewhere, the UM790 XTX is equipped with a decent selection of ports. On one side there’s a USB4 (Alt PD) port, two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, and an audio jack. The other side offers another USB4 port, another two USB 3.2 Type A ports, HDMI, Display Port, and two RJ45 2.5G network ports. There’s also an OCulink port so you can connect pro GPU cards to the device.
UM790 XTX also comes with upgraded active cooling (from 65w to 70w) to ensure optimal operating temperatures even under heavy loads. It also has a magnetic top cover with a replaceable backlight etched sheet and RGB lighting.
The mini PC can be purchased without memory and storage for CNY 3,299 ($455), or you can choose a model with 16GB /32GB/64GB of DDR5-5600 RAM and a 512GB/1TB/2TB SSD with pricing starting from CNY 3,999 ($552).
At the moment the UM790 XTX is only available to buy in China, but Minisforum sells most of its mini PCs globally, including the UM780 XTX, so it’s likely only a matter of time before it becomes more widely available.
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For better or (mostly) worse, the only way to fully increase the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a proprietary expansion card. Three and a half years into the consoles’ lives, there remain only two official solutions: Seagate’s Storage Expansion Card and the WD Black C50. It’s a limiting situation, but if you’re tired of deleting and reinstalling games to create space, versions of each card are at least a little cheaper than usual right now. The 1TB WD Black C50 is on sale for $125 at Amazon, while the 2TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card is down to $230 at Amazon and Best Buy.
WD
This is within $5 of the best price we’ve seen for WD’s Xbox storage card.
The former is $5 more than the lowest price we’ve ever seen, but it’s still $25 off the card’s usual street price. We’ll note that Seagate’s 1TB model has technically dropped as low as $90 a few times before, but those offers have typically sold out extremely fast; as of this writing, that drive costs $140. The discount on the 2TB Seagate card, meanwhile, matches the best price we’ve tracked. That one normally goes for $250. Since WD doesn’t sell a 2TB card, it’s also the highest-capacity option you can buy. Both of these discounts equal the prices we saw during Black Friday last year.
To reiterate, these aren’t great prices in the context of the wider storage market. Sony lets you upgrade the PlayStation 5 with a much wider range of traditional M.2 SSDs, almost all of which are available for significantly less per gigabyte. The top pick in our PS5 SSD buying guide, for instance, currently costs $90 for 1TB or $158 for 2TB. This is despite the fact that consumer SSD prices have generally increased over the past few months.
If you own a recent Xbox, though, you don’t have much choice. You can use a standard external drive to store Series X/S games or run backwards-compatible titles from the Xbox One and older consoles, but the only way to playcurrent-gen games is via internal storage or one of these official cards. That said, the cards themselves are just about as fast as that internal SSD, and setting them up is a breeze: You simply plug the tiny device into the Xbox’s expansion slot, and you’re good to go. The sticker shock is the one major negative, but these discounts should lighten the load somewhat.
Apple today began informing early Apple Card customers that their physical titanium cards are set to expire this summer, with replacements to be sent in the near future. Customers who signed up for the Apple Card in August 2019, when the Apple Card launched, will be receiving the notice.
It appears that the physical Apple Card is designed to last for five years before a replacement is sent out. Most of the Apple Card’s functionality is digital, with options for rotating security codes and credit card numbers for online purchases, but there is a number associated with the physical card that’s used for in-person transactions. Credit card companies add expiration dates to physical cards for fraud prevention purposes, to introduce new technology, and more.
From Apple’s email:
We’re sending a replacement titanium card to your billing address so you can continue to use it at physical locations. Remember, even without a physical card you can always use your Apple Card at any location that accepts Apple Pay. Your new titanium card will be shipped within 2 weeks from the date of this communication.
You can continue to use your titanium card until it expires or you activate the new one. You can still use Apple Card with Apple Pay and your virtual card number to shop at merchants that don’t yet accept Apple Pay by typing in your number from Wallet or using Safari AutoFill.
Replacement cards will include a prepaid shipping label so that customers can send in their old Apple Card to be recycled. Apple recommends that Apple Card users who receive a new card activate it when it arrives, as the current card is scheduled to stop working at its expiration date.
Customers who signed up for Apple Card at some point after it first launched will likely receive emails at the five year mark. Note that some customers have been receiving emails for the last month or so, but these may be customers who were able to sign up for the Apple Card early as part of a beta test.
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the “biggest” update in the iPhone’s history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more….
There are widespread reports of Apple users being locked out of their Apple ID overnight for no apparent reason, requiring a password reset before they can log in again. Users say the sudden inexplicable Apple ID sign-out is occurring across multiple devices. When they attempt to sign in again they are locked out of their account and asked to reset their password in order to regain access. …
Apple used to regularly increase the base memory of its Macs up until 2011, the same year Tim Cook was appointed CEO, charts posted on Mastodon by David Schaub show. Earlier this year, Schaub generated two charts: One showing the base memory capacities of Apple’s all-in-one Macs from 1984 onwards, and a second depicting Apple’s consumer laptop base RAM from 1999 onwards. Both charts were…
On this week’s episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the announcement of Apple’s upcoming “Let loose” event, where the company is widely expected to announce new iPad models and accessories. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple’s event invite shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Apple CEO Tim…
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman outlined some of the new products he expects Apple to announce at its “Let Loose” event on May 7. First, Gurman now believes there is a “strong possibility” that the upcoming iPad Pro models will be equipped with Apple’s next-generation M4 chip, rather than the M3 chip that debuted in the MacBook Pro and iMac six months ago. He said a …
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of “Let Loose” and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more …
Popular collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Slack and Google may be required to implement end-to-end encryption and interoperability if used by US federal agencies.
Legislation put forward by US Senator Ron Wyden, titled as the Secure and Interoperable Government Collaboration Technology Act is looking to boost security for such tools following a number of high-profile recent incidents.
Federal agencies don’t seem to use a single standard collaboration tool between them, making it necessary that when inter-agency communication does happen, it should be fully secure.
Communication is key
If written into law – which would most likely happen in 2025 due to the upcoming elections – the bill would require each collaboration tool used by federal agencies to be assessed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in order to understand how they can interoperate securely.
Email accounts linked to several agencies have been cracked by Russian hackers exploiting a chain of vulnerabilities linked to Microsoft corporate email accounts, and other government agencies have succumbed to a cascade of Ivanti VPN vulnerabilities that resulted in data exfiltration and persistent system access affecting businesses and government departments alike.
Speaking on the proposal, Wyden said, “My bill will secure the US government’s communications from foreign hackers, while protecting taxpayer wallets. Vendor lock-in, bundling, and other anticompetitive practices result in the government spending vast sums of money on insecure software.”
“It’s time to break the chokehold of big tech companies like Microsoft on government software, set high cybersecurity standards and reap the many benefits of a competitive market,” he concluded.
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Once signed into law, federal agencies would have up to four years to ensure their collaboration software meets the standards and requirements set by NIST, so while it isn’t an immediate fix to some of the security issues the federal government is experiencing, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
Most microSD cards are fast enough for stashing photos, recording video and transferring files, but some will get you a little more bang for your buck than others. If you’re looking to boost the internal storage of your Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, GoPro, Raspberry Pi or any other device that still has compatibility with microSD cards, we can help. We’ve thoroughly researched the market and put more than a dozen microSD cards through a range of benchmark tests: Here are the best that we’ve tested, along with some general advice on what to look for when buying a new card.
Editor’s note (4/24/24): Samsung has released an upgraded version of our “best value” pick, the Evo Select. We plan to test it soon and update our guide accordingly. Samsung says the new model can reach sequential read speeds up to 160 MB/s, so it should still be a step down from our other top picks, which we continue to recommend
What to look for in a microSD card
Capacity
The first thing to figure out when buying a microSD card is how much space you need. Modern cards are usually available in sizes ranging from 32GB to 512GB, while a handful offer 1TB models as well. 2TB cards are theoretically possible but still in the prototype stage.
For most, a 128GB or 256GB model should be the sweet spot between price and storage space. But if you need more room — say, for stashing a bunch of games on a Steam Deck — a 512GB card could make more sense and often provides a better cost-per-GB ratio. These days, you can find a decent 128GB card for around $15 or less, a good 256GB card for less than $30 and a solid 512GB card for less than $40 (though many cost closer to $50 or $60). There’s a starker increase when you go up to 1TB cards, which typically cost closer to $100.
Note that a microSD card’s performance may differ depending on what capacity you buy. SanDisk says its 128GB Extreme card delivers sequential write speeds up to 90 MB/s, for example, while the higher-capacity models in the same line offer up to 130 MB/s.
When we talk about microSD cards today, we usually refer to cards that use the microSDXC (eXtended Capacity) standard, which have a capacity between 32GB and 2TB. Your device needs to support this for it to work with a microSDXC card. This will almost never be an issue these days, but some older devices (a Nintendo 3DS, for instance) are only compatible with microSDHC (High Capacity) cards, which range from 2GB to 32GB.
Read and write speeds
MicroSD cards are primarily judged on their read and write speeds, which are usually measured in megabytes per second (MB/s). Generally, most microSD cards have faster read speeds than write speeds.
These metrics can then be broken down into sequential and random performance. Sequential read and write speeds matter when you’re trying to access or save long, constant streams of data, such as opening a large video or copying a big batch of files from a PC. If you want to use a microSD card for media storage, this is particularly important. Random performance, meanwhile, is about how quickly a card can read and write small files scattered throughout the device.
Since random read/write speeds are much lower than sequential ones, storage device makers tend not to advertise them as loudly. But they’re important if you use a card with a gaming device or a single-board computer like the Raspberry Pi, where it often has to rapidly save and access small bits of data in random locations.
SD Association
Speed ratings
If you look at a microSD card, you’ll see a buffet of numbers, letters and symbols. Most of these refer to the card’s speed class and performance ratings, which are determined by the SD Association.
A card’s Video Speed Class, or V-rating, details its minimum sequential write speed, which is especially important when recording video from a camera. It ranges from V6 to V90. Most of the cards we tested had a V30 rating, so they have a sequential write speed of at least 30 MB/s. This should be enough to support up to 4K video at lower bitrates. Higher-rated V60 and V90 cards are usually better for capturing 8K, but they come at a much higher cost.
The UHS Speed Class, or U-rating, also refers to a card’s minimum sequential write speed. It comes in two varieties: U3, which mandates a minimum of 30 MB/s, and U1, which is rated for 10 MB/s.
The older Speed Class rating overlaps with the other two systems. It’s signified by a C symbol and goes from Class 2 to Class 10, with the number (again) indicating minimum sequential write speed. This rating is less relevant nowadays, but you may still see a “C10” logo on some cards.
The Application Performance spec, marked by an A symbol, is an indicator of random read/write speeds. This is measured in IOPS, or input/output operations per second, rather than MB/s. There are two categories here: A1 cards offer a minimum random read speed of 1,500 IOPS and a minimum random write speed of 500 IOPS, while A2 cards bump those up to 4,000 IOPS and 2,000 IOPS, respectively. Both ratings also guarantee sequential write speeds of at least 10 MB/s.
To keep it simple, most people should look for a card with V30, U3 and A2 ratings. It’s totally possible to get a solid card without those: A U1 card might be worth it if you just need a cheap, high-capacity option, for example. V60 and V90 cards are worth a look if you’re serious about shooting high-resolution photos and video as well. But overall, cards with the certifications above should provide the best blend of price and performance today.
It’s important to emphasize that these ratings are baselines. Most V30 cards offer significantly higher write speeds than 30 MB/s, for instance, and some A1 cards can outperform some A2 models in practice. The speeds advertised by manufacturers aren’t always 100 percent accurate, either: Sometimes the card will be slower in real-world use, other times it may actually be a bit faster.
UHS bus speeds
The other spec to note is the card’s bus interface. Most microSD cards available today are UHS-I, which have a theoretical maximum speed of 104 MB/s. There are also UHS-II cards, which have an extra row of pins on the back and can reach up to 312 MB/s. (A UHS-III standard exists as well but hasn’t seen wide adoption.) These are labeled on the card with a Roman numeral I or II.
The fastest microSD cards you can buy right now are UHS-II cards, and they’re usually the ones with V60 or V90 ratings. If you shoot lots of 4K to 8K video or frequently use burst mode to capture ultra high-res photos, the performance gains of a good UHS-II card can save you time.
But these are much more expensive than UHS-I cards: For instance, this 128GB model from Lexar is a decent bargain at $40. That’s less than many UHS-II models we’ve seen in the past but still more than double the typical price of our top pick mentioned below. You need a device that’s compatible with the UHS-II interface to see any benefits, too, and stock for UHS-II cards is generally spottier. For now, the higher speeds aren’t worth the price premium for most people, so we stuck mostly to UHS-I cards here.
We’ll also note Samsung’s recent announcement of a new 256GB microSD card based on an entirely different standard called SD Express. This is theoretically much faster than any UHS-I or UHS-II option: Samsung claims this specific model can reach sequential read speeds up to a whopping 800 MB/s. For context, that’d be quicker than some older SSDs. SD Express has technically been around for several years but hasn’t seen wide adoption, so exactly how this card performs in reality — and how much it’ll cost — remains to be seen. We’ll test the device once it becomes available, which Samsung says will be sometime later in 2024.
Kris Naudus / Engadget
A note on card readers, the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck
While the UHS-I spec has a theoretical maximum of 104 MB/s, some UHS-I cards can exceed that speed through proprietary extensions. You need a compatible card reader and host device to take advantage of that extra performance, though. If you find a UHS-I card advertising speeds higher than 104 MB/s, this is what’s going on. You can see these limits in action with a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck: Both of those gaming devices support the UHS-I interface and don’t go beyond its official speed, flattening any sequential gains some cards may have elsewhere. The broader takeaway: Your microSD card will only be as fast as the slowest link in your chain.
Warranty
Many microSD cards are designed to be durable, with protection from water, extreme temperatures, X-rays and drops. Still, in case of catastrophe, a long warranty is always good to have. Many manufacturers offer lifetime limited warranties, though we’ve noticed that “endurance” cards marketed to withstand more hours of writing are usually covered for a much shorter period of time.
Avoiding counterfeits
The memory card market has had a particular problem with scammers selling fake products. To guard against this, only buy from a known brand and a reputable retailer such as Best Buy, B&H Photo or Adorama. If you shop at Amazon, only buy if the shipper and seller is Amazon.com. (Though a handful of users have reported receiving counterfeits even from Amazon directly in the past.) Remember: If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be wary of any retailer offering significantly a lower price than others.
Once you receive a card, check its packaging for any irregularities. You can run benchmark tests like CrystalDiskMark or BlackMagic Disk Speed Test to verify its speeds aren’t drastically lower than what’s advertised (or possible, given its specs). You can also use software that’s designed to verify the true capacity and performance of your card, such as H2testw and FakeFlashTest.
How we tested
We put 13 microSD cards through a series of tests to verify their sequential and random performance. These included benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, BlackMagic Disk Speed Test, ATTO Disk Benchmark and AJA System Test, as well as a few “real-world” tests. We copied and pasted a small folder of photos about 1.15GB in size to and from each card, then did the same with a larger 12.2GB folder containing multiple file types and subfolders, timing the process each time. We also checked how each card performed on the Steam Deck, downloading games of varying sizes — including Stardew Valley, Aperture Desk Job, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Apex Legends— then timing how long it took to launch each game and load save files.
We used a Kingston USB 3.2 UHS-II reader to test each card on both Windows 11 and macOS Sonoma. For the former, we used an Alienware gaming PC with an Intel Core i9-10900F, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. For the latter, we used a 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with an Apple M1 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. To use our card reader on the MacBook, we used Apple’s USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.
We tested the 128GB version of each card wherever possible, though for a few cards — SanDisk’s Extreme and Samsung’s Pro Plus and Pro Ultimate — we were only able to test their 256GB models. We also reformatted each card before testing with the SD Association’s Memory Card Formatter tool.
The Samsung Pro Plus was nearly the fastest card we tested in terms of sequential write performance (around 130 MB/s in CrystalDiskMark) and was a close second in terms of random read/write speeds, so it should work great whether you’re buying for a camera, tablet or gaming handheld. Unsurprisingly, it has all the requisite ratings: U3, V30 and A2. Its sequential read performance (around 165 MB/s) isn’t quite as quick as some of the other cards below, so it’s not the absolute fastest for accessing large files stored on your card, but the difference is small in real-world use.
The main reason the Pro Plus tops our list is because it delivers those strong speeds at a relatively affordable price. The card originally started at $19 for 128GB, $30 for 256GB and $60 for 512GB, but recent sales have brought those models as low as $11, $18 and $29, respectively. When it’s that cheap, the Pro Plus makes most competing microSD cards redundant. Samsung also sells the card with a USB reader that’ll help it reach its maximum speeds for a few dollars more. Either way, the card comes with a 10-year limited warranty.
If you opt to buy the Pro Plus, make sure you get the latest-generation model. Samsung is still selling the prior iteration of the Pro Plus, which looks identical but isn’t as quick. Instead, opt for the one with sequential read speeds rated at 180 MB/s and sequential write speeds rated at 130 MB/s. We tested the 256GB version of the newer Pro Plus due to stock issues with the 128GB model at the time of testing, but this shouldn’t have a major impact on real-world performance, as Samsung rates both cards identically. Right now the card is available up to 512GB, but the company it’ll release a 1TB model later in 2024.
Pros
Consistently quick sequential and random read/write performance
Great value
Easily available at trusted retailers
Cons
Some peers have slightly faster sequential read speeds
The Samsung Pro Ultimate is a step-up model in Samsung’s microSD lineup and, as expected, it’s a little bit faster than the Pro Plus across the board. Its biggest gains are in sequential read speeds, which were the fastest we tested and averaged close to Samsung’s advertised rate rate of 200 MB/s across our various benchmarks. You’ll need to buy the card with Samsung’s USB reader to achieve that performance, but that could be worth it if you regularly move files from your microSD card to a PC. The Pro Ultimate technically led the pack when it came to sequential write and random read/write speeds as well, though the margins there are much less significant compared to the Pro Plus and the other top UHS-I cards we tested.
The main question is cost. If you see the Pro Ultimate available for the same price as the Pro Plus, you might as well grab it instead. It comes with the same 10-year warranty and should be similarly durable. Past discounts have brought the 128GB, 256GB and 512GB models as low as $15, $25 and $45, respectively; that’s still affordable, but the Pro Plus will almost always be a little bit cheaper — and thus a better value for most needs, especially at higher capacities.
Pros
Fastest microSD card we tested (with appropriate USB reader)
If the Samsung Pro Plus ever becomes unavailable, the Kingston Canvas Go Plus is another strong alternative. This is a U3-, V30- and A2-rated card backed by a lifetime limited warranty. Its sequential read speeds trailed only the Samsung Pro Ultimate across CrystalDiskMark, ATTO and the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test. It effectively tied with SanDisk’s Extreme and Nintendo Switch-branded cards in our large file transfer speeds test. Its sequential write speeds (just over 100 MB/s on CrystalDiskMark) are where it lags behind the Pro Plus, but they should still be quick enough for many uses. Its random read/write speeds were only bested by Samsung’s Pro cards in benchmarks, too, so it’s still a good option for apps and games. But it’s hard to justify if you see it priced higher than the Pro Plus or Ultimate.
Pros
Faster sequential write speeds than Pro Plus for a (typically) lower price than Pro Ultimate
The Samsung Evo Select is a clear step behind our top picks, particularly when it comes to sequential write speeds (just under 70 MB/s on CrystalDiskMark), so it’s not ideal for cameras. Still, it’s perfectly usable for many use cases — a Nintendo Switch, for instance — and we’ve previously seen its 128GB, 256GB and 512GB models fall as low as $10, $14 and $25, respectively. All of those are about on par with the SanDisk Ultra, a frequently recommended cheapo card, despite the Evo Select having higher V30, U3 and A2 ratings. While the Pro Plus has come close to those prices, the Evo Select tends to sit there more regularly. The 512GB variant is a particularly great bargain if you just need a chunk of space on the cheap. (The Ultra is available in 1TB and 1.5TB capacities, though.)
Pros
Often available for lower price than Pro Plus
Solid performance if you just want the cheapest acceptable card possible
Cons
Slower than picks above, particularly in sequential write and random performance benchmarks
The SanDisk Extreme and PNY Elite-X. (Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget)
Delkin Devices Power
We didn’t use it ourselves, but if you’re willing to pay for a more powerful UHS-II card built for heavy-duty video recording, the Delkin Devices Power has tested well elsewhere and should deliver significantly faster sequential write speeds than our picks above. It’s one of the few UHS-II cards we could actually find in stock, but it costs a ton, with a 128GB model normally priced at $93.
SanDisk microSDXC Card for Nintendo Switch
The SanDisk microSDXC Card for Nintendo Switch is another decent option if you ever see it available for less than the Pro Plus and Canvas Go Plus. Its sequential read speeds were about the same as the latter in our benchmarks, but its sequential writes were slightly slower (and farther behind the Pro Plus). Its random read/writes were a bit behind according to CrystalDiskMark as well. The 128GB version of this card is priced around $18 as of this writing, while the 512GB model costs around $50; both are higher than the Pro Plus. SanDisk backs the card with a lifetime warranty, however, plus it’s available in a 1TB capacity. Note that we tested the Apex Legends version of the 128GB card; SanDisk also sells a Super Mario model, but we can’t speak to whether that one performs any differently.
SanDisk’s Nintendo Switch-branded microSDXC card. (Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget)
Lexar Professional 1066x
Similarly, the Lexar Professional 1066x is a decent alternative to the Pro Plus if our main picks are unavailable. It’s another V30, U3 and A2 model, and like Samsung’s card, its sequential write speeds were a bit faster than the Canvas Go Plus and SanDisk Switch card in our benchmarks. Those write speeds weren’t as quick as the Pro Plus, and its sequential reads trailed all three cards. Random read/writes also lagged behind the Pro Plus and Canvas Go Plus, and we noticed its speeds peak and dip more noticeably in our file transfer test. Still, it’s not slow, so depending on its price, it might be a good bargain if you need fast write speeds for video recording and the like. It’s also available in 1TB, plus it comes with a lifetime limited warranty.
SanDisk Extreme
The SanDisk Extreme effectively matched the Pro Plus in a few of our sequential write tests and delivered sequential reads about on par with the Canvas Go Plus, but that was partly due to us only being able to secure the card’s 256GB model, which is higher-rated than the 128GB version. It’s a fine choice if you see it on sale at a reputable seller, but its random performance lagged behind the Samsung Pro and Kingston cards, and it typically costs more. It does have a 1TB model, though.
SanDisk Extreme Pro
The SanDisk Extreme Pro is a rival to the Samsung Pro Ultimate but, as of this writing, is either unavailable at most trusted retailers or priced too high by comparison.
PNY Elite-X
The PNY Elite-X wasn’t too far off the random read/write performance of the Pro Plus and Pro Ultimate in CrystalDiskMark, and it often goes for cheap, but it was well behind in our sequential tests.
As higher resolutions and more frames per second become standard in photography and video creation, the demand for larger, more adaptable storage solutions is growing. In response, manufacturers are developing faster, more user-friendly storage options to meet the rigorous project timelines and extensive data requirements of creative professionals.
Western Digital has unveiled a new SD card for that market, and the SanDisk Extreme PRO SDUC UHS-I memory card packs a staggering 4TB of storage into the popular form factor. Yes, 4TB.
Announced at the NAB Show 2024 in Las Vegas, the 4TB Extreme PRO SDUC UHS-I memory card – along with the 2TB SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-I and Extreme Pro microSDXC UHS-I memory cards also revealed at the event – are part of the company’s quest to meet the escalating requirement for the production and storage of more detailed, richer content.
Twice the capacity of microSD cards
The 4TB capacity doubles that of the largest microSD cards, earning it the title for the world’s largest removable memory card. It’s a giant leap from the 32MB of storage SD cards boasted in 1999.
The new card utilizes the Secure Digital Ultra Capacity (SDUC) standard, capable of supporting up to 128TB of storage. Other media card formats available for creative professionals include XQD with a maximum storage capacity of 2TB, and CFexpress, known for its superior speed. Announced last year, the latest generation, CFexpress 4.0, supports up to four PCIe 4.0 lanes and 2GB/s per lane. Neither of those card formats can come close to offering 4TB of storage, however.
Attendees at this year’s NAB show had a preview of the 4TB SanDisk card, which is slated for release in 2025. Pricing details for the new product haven’t been released yet, but don’t expect it to be cheap.
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