A real-world review of the SanDisk 512GB microSD Express memory card for the Nintendo Switch 2.
We look at game load times, file copy times, actual usable storage capacity, and the country of manufacture and ownership.
We also compare the SanDisk card to 4 other popular microSD Express cards for a true comparison.
If you prefer you can watch our video review. Otherwise just keep scrolling down.
SanDisk Manufacturers Specifications
First here's a quick look at the manufacturer's specification for the SanDisk card as well as four other popular cards.
| microSD Express Card | Max Read Speed | Max Write Speed | Sustained Write Speed | Speed Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SanDisk 512GB microSD Express Memory Card | 880 MB/s | 650 MB/s | 220 MB/s | U3 / A1 |
| PNY 512GB microSD Express Memory Card | 890 MB/s | 810 MB/s | NA | U3 / V30 / A1 |
| Samsung 512GB P9 microSD Express Memory Card | 800 MB/s | NA | NA | Class 10 / U3 / V30 |
| Lexar 512GB PLAY PRO microSDXC Express Memory Card | 900 MB/s | 600 MB/s | NA | U3 / A1 |
| Transcend 512GB USD710S microSD Express Memory Card | 900 MB/s | 780 MB/s | NA | U3 / V30 / A1 |
It's very important to note that the maximum read and write speeds that the manufacturers like to provide, don't actually provide a true picture of how the cards perform when used in the Switch 2.
Sustained read and write speeds are slightly more useful, but other than SanDisk nobody is providing these figures.
The maximum speeds are often reduced very quickly due to thermal management, also the Switch 2 limits the maximum speed that cards can read and write, so you'll never see anything close to these numbers when used in the Switch 2.
The only way to find out the true read and write performance is by testing them all in the Switch 2. This is what we are going to do next.
Game Load Times
We tested how long each microSD Express card took to load the first title screen from Mario Kart World, here are the results:
| microSD Express Card | Load Time |
|---|---|
| Switch 2 System Memory | 16s 190ms |
| PNY 512GB microSD Express Memory Card | 18s 530ms |
| SanDisk 512GB microSD Express Memory Card | 19s 080ms |
| Samsung 512GB P9 microSD Express Memory Card | 19s 370ms |
| Lexar 512GB PLAY PRO microSDXC Express Memory Card | 19s 480ms |
| Transcend 512GB USD710S microSD Express Memory Card | 19s 510ms |
The SanDisk 512GB microSD Express card is the second fastest card that we tested.
It was only just over 2 seconds slower than the system memory and less than half a second slower than the PNY card.
Game Read Times
Next we test how long each it takes to copy Mario Kart World (21.9 GB) from each microSD Express card to the internal memory to test the read speeds, here are the results:
| microSD Express Card | Copy Time | Sustained Read Speed |
|---|---|---|
| PNY 512GB microSD Express Memory Card | 3m 26s | 106 MB/s |
| Samsung 512GB P9 microSD Express Memory Card | 3m 41s | 99 MB/s |
| Lexar 512GB PLAY PRO microSDXC Express Memory Card | 3m 42s | 99 MB/s |
| SanDisk 512GB microSD Express Memory Card | 3m 43s | 98 MB/s |
| Transcend 512GB USD710S microSD Express Memory Card | 3m 43s | 98 MB/s |
The SanDisk card copied Mario kart World (21.9 GB) to the system memory in 3 minutes and 43 seconds. Not the fastest tested but not that far behind either.
Because we know that this was 21.9GB we can calculate an approximate read speed figure of 98 MB/s.
Game Write Times
Next we test how long each it takes to copy Mario kart World (21.9 GB) from the internal storage to each microSD Express card to test the write speeds, here are the results:
| microSD Express Card | Copy Time | Sustained Write Speed |
|---|---|---|
| SanDisk 512GB microSD Express Memory Card | 4m 00s | 91 MB/s |
| Lexar 512GB PLAY PRO microSDXC Express Memory Card | 4m 12s | 87 MB/s |
| Transcend 512GB USD710S microSD Express Memory Card | 4m 14s | 86 MB/s |
| PNY 512GB microSD Express Memory Card | 4m 16s | 85 MB/s |
| Samsung 512GB P9 microSD Express Memory Card | 5m 12s | 70 MB/s |
Taking 4 minutes to write Mario Kart World to the SanDisk microSD Express card gives us an approximate write speed of 91 MB/s.
This gives the SanDisk card top place in our write tests.
Actual Usable Capacity
The labels may say 512GB but the actual usable capacity varies a little due to a number of reasons.
It's important to understand the basics here to avoid a heart attack when you first insert your card into the Switch 2 and look at the actual usable capacity.
Card manufacturers calculate their Gigabyte (GB) figures using a different style of measurement compared with how computers like the Switch 2 calculate it, this results in different values (lower), being displayed by the Switch 2.
Here is the more technical explanation for those who are interested:
GB (used for marketing by storage manufacturers) is the metric style of measurement where 1GB = 1000³ bytes. Then you have GiB which is the binary method; 1GiB = 1024³ bytes. The binary method is what is used in computers like the Switch 2. So 1GB is effectively 0.93 GiB, or 512GB is effectively 476GiB.
This unfortunately does create a lot of confusion and understandably so. When you buy a 512GB card you expect to see 512GB available, not significantly less. But you are not actually losing this storage capacity, it's just being calculated differently.
With that said, there is often some additional file system overhead that can take away some actual usable storage capacity.
So here are the actual usable storage capacities displayed by the Switch 2 after the cards have been formatted in the Switch 2.
| MicroSD Express Card | Label Capacity | Usable Capacity Displayed in Switch 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung P9 microSD Express | 512GB | 477GiB |
| PNY microSD Express | 512GB | 476GiB |
| Transcend USD710S microSD Express | 512GB | 470GiB |
| Lexar PLAY PRO microSDXC Express | 512GB | 465GiB |
| SanDisk microSD Express | 512GB | 456GiB |
The SanDisk microSD Express 512GB has a usable capacity of 456GiB. This is the least of all the cards that we have compared.
It's possible that the SanDisk card is reserving more space for system cache. Which might help to explain its faster write times. But this is just a guess.
Country of Manufacture & Ownership
If you like to know where your hard earned money is going, then here is each cards country of manufacture and ownership.
| MicroSD Express Card | Country of Manufacture | Country of Company Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| PNY microSD Express | Taiwan | America |
| SanDisk microSD Express | China | America |
| Samsung P9 microSD Express | Taiwan | South Korea |
| Lexar PLAY PRO microSDXC Express | Taiwan | China |
| Transcend USD710S microSD Express | Taiwan | Taiwan |
The SanDisk microSD Express memory cards are manufactured in China and the country of company ownership is America.
Warranty
The SanDisk 512GB microSD Express card has a lifetime limited warranty for the original purchaser, though the specifics depend on the region. Some countries like Germany do not recognise lifetime warranties and usually limit them to a number of years.
This warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship but is void if there is misuse or tampering. SanDisk is not liable for data loss, and you are responsible for backing up your data.
Conclusion
The SanDisk microSD Express card has very good read speeds and is only a fraction slower than the PNY cards.
Write speeds are extremely fast and this is one of the fastest cards that we have reviewed.
The actual usable capacity of 456GiB is a little disappointing and we do wonder whether the SanDisk card is reserving more space for system cache, which might help to explain its faster write times.
Overall the SanDisk microSD Express card is a great storage option for your Nintendo Switch 2, but you will be sacrificing some storage capacity for the faster write times, which are not as important as read times for gaming.
