When you have a smartphone or tablet, then you already have some internal storage available to you. However, with everything now on your devices, you might want to expand this memory and go for external storage options as well. You have to keep all those photos somewhere! You need to get microSD cards for this storage. Whether you want to stream shows from your TV and internet deal plan or play video games on your device, you’ll need a good microSD card. Otherwise, you won’t have enough memory to run your device. 

However, not all microSD cards are built the same. You’ll come across incompatible ones, substandard ones, or even fake ones. Therefore, you need to choose the right options for your devices. This requires a bit of research and browsing, so do not make a hasty decision. Always choose the best options for you, after considering a number of factors. Here are a few tips you should follow when shopping for microSD cards. 

Choose Your Priorities

You need to consider what your priorities are first. Do you want to store apps on your tablet? Do you want to shoot 4k videos on your phone? Your SD card requirements will differ between these different situations. For the former case, you’ll prioritize the Application Performance Class rating. For the latter, you’ll choose size and speed as your top priorities. 

So, consider your intended use for your devices, and then choose your microSD card’s specification accordingly. 

Pick the Appropriate Capacity

You can find microSD cards in a wide range of capacities. They can start from as low as 64 MB and can go all the way up to 1 TB (microSDXC cards). Think about the apps you’ll have on your devices, and how you’ll be using these devices. 

If you plan to use them in a media-heavy way, then you’ll need to get a higher capacity. A microSDHC card offers storage ranging from 4 GB to 64 GB. This will cover most people’s requirements, and will also be compatible with numerous devices. So, think about your intended purpose, and choose the appropriate storage capacity. 

Check Device Compatibility

There are three main types of microSD cards: SD, SDHC, and SDXC. While all of these have SD specifications, they do not work in the same way. Therefore, they are not interchangeable. Also, they aren’t backward-compatible. 

So, check your device’s specifications, and see which type of card it is compatible with. Older devices will not work with microSDXC cards, and newer ones will not work with microSD cards. Therefore, you need to confirm which card you need to buy before using it with your device. 

Look at the SD Card Speed

A major difference between the three kinds of SD cards is their transfer speed. The newer SDHC and SDXC formats support the Ultra High Speed (UHS) bus interface. This simply means they have faster circuitry to transfer data at higher speeds. UHS is further divided into three tiers, UHS-I (bus speeds up to 104 Mbps), UHS-II (bus speeds up to 312 Mbps), and UHS-III (bus speeds up to 624 Mbps). 

You should see what you’re using your devices for and choose the speed accordingly. However, the high speeds will not work in older microSD slots and will cap at 25 Mbps. So, do go over your device’s slot specifications as well. 

Always Buy Well-Rated Brands

Do not skimp when you’re buying microSD cards. There are numerous brands out there, but they’re not the same quality. You’ll see many SD cards by companies you probably don’t know that much about. Always do your research and buy these cards from well-known brands with good reviews.

If you choose a brand that isn’t reputable, you might end up with a microSD card that randomly stops working and makes you lose your data. So, always buy from big-name brands which have a solid reputation in the market. 

Buy From Reputable Retailers

There is a scourge of fake microSD cards in the market. You might find the card you’re looking for at some random retailer, but you shouldn’t buy it right then. Check if the retailer is reputable, and look for reviews online. It is always better to buy your microSD cards from big stores or from the company itself, if possible. Otherwise, you might end up with a faulty and counterfeit card. 

So, you simply need to do some research and figure out your requirements when buying MicroSD cards. This will help you make the right choice for your tablets and smartphones.