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If you wish to enhance the storage capability of your digicam cellphone or pill, otherwise you want a reminiscence card in your drone or motion digicam, a high-capacity microSD card is a should, and they do not get far more capacious than the 1.5-terrabyte Professional Elite Prime microSDXC card from PNY.
The 1.5TB model we’re testing right here is the biggest capability of the Professional Elite Prime, however the identical card will also be had in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB flavors, although the write velocity of the smaller capability playing cards is barely slower.
Learn extra: the greatest microSD playing cards
Key options
The PNY Professional Elite Prime is one in every of only some microSD playing cards accessible with greater than 1TB capability, but it is also quick, boasting as much as 200MB/s learn velocity and a write fee of as much as 150MB/s. For those who’re intending to make use of the cardboard in a digicam cellphone, the A2 app efficiency ranking ensures speedy app loading and responsiveness. The cardboard’s V30 video velocity class ensures a minimal 30MB/s write fee throughout video recording, which ought to be fast sufficient to allow clean 4K video seize, although a sooner V60 and even V90 card could also be price contemplating in the event you recurrently shoot high-bit-rate 4K footage.

The cardboard is available in a number of capacities smaller than the flagship 1.5TB model we’re testing right here. Most have an identical learn/write efficiency specs, nonetheless the 64GB and 128GB variations have a most write velocity of 110MB/s (the higher-capacity playing cards prime out at 150MB/s). Peak learn velocity is 200MB/s throughout all capability variants. All variations of the cardboard are equipped with a full-size SD adapter, enabling the cardboard for use in cameras and reminiscence card readers with full-size SD slots.
Efficiency
I examined the Professional Elite Prime in a Fujifilm GFX 100RF medium format digicam. This isn’t a digicam that this card is actually designed for, however its 102MP decision means it requires quick reminiscence. The Professional Elite Prime had no bother letting the digicam seize at its quickest 6fps burst taking pictures velocity, and recording 4K video was simply as uneventful.

To confirm PNY’s most 200MB/s learn and 150MB/s write charges extra precisely, I fired up the CrystalDiskMark storage benchmark software program, with the cardboard plugged into a quick USB4 Home windows laptop computer by way of a ProGrade Digital PGM0.5 SD card reader. This USB 3.2, Gen. 1 reader has a most bus velocity of 625MB/s, so there is no likelihood of it bottlenecking the PNY card throughout testing.
The utmost learn velocity we recorded is a bit wanting the claimed 200MB determine, however a quick write velocity issues extra when capturing high-res stills or video, and right here the cardboard managed to exceed its marketed velocity.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Learn |
Write |
|---|---|---|
|
Massive single file |
171MB/s |
142MB/s |
|
A number of small recordsdata |
168MB/s |
136MB/s |
We additionally measured the velocity of real-world file transfers to and from the cardboard in Home windows and located these outcomes have been pleasingly near the utmost speeds recorded by CrystalDiskMark. A number of small recordsdata will at all times switch slower than a single giant file, however the Professional Elite Prime managed to carry out nicely even on this check.
It is price noting that whereas the cardboard did get sizzling sufficient to be uncomfortable to the touch throughout prolonged file transfers, we did not see any proof of thermal velocity throttling.

Verdict
I used to be impressed by the efficiency of the PNY Professional Elite Prime. Although a UHS-I microSD card, its most learn/write speeds truly come near the efficiency of next-level UHS-II alternate options, but these playing cards aren’t accessible in capacities anyplace close to as excessive as 1.5TB. Often you’d count on a reminiscence card with such a excessive capability to command an enormous value premium over lower-capacity variations, however the 1.5TB Professional Elite Prime will be had for $109.99 on the time of writing. That compares nicely with the one different 1.5TB microSD card in the marketplace from SanDisk, and although it is a greater value per gigabyte that the 512GB model of the Professional Elite Prime, the value distinction is not unreasonable. For its mixture of excessive capability, honest value and speedy efficiency, the 1.5TB PNY Professional Elite Prime microSD card is tough to fault.