When looking for a memory card that best suits your dash cam, there are a number of specs you should factor in. You're ideally looking for a microSD card with enough capacity to record a whole day worth of video (minimum). Thus, we recommend choosing a microSD card from 32GB to 128GB.
A 32GB card is great for value for those who use their dash cams for driving recording. Typically this translates to about 3-4 hours of 1080P recording, which is more than enough for most drivers. Any less and you pay more money per gigabyte and save only a few dollars.
Depending on your dashboard camera budget, size can vary from 16GB–64GB. A good size SD card for a dashboard cam is 32GB. 32GB mirco SD card is the best choice for the price, giving you about 1-2 hours of recording until its starts to delete or rewrite.
The 64GB U3 microSD Card will record 8 hours of HD footage, or 4 hours if using a Rear Camera Module.
In the fine print for general use cards like the Samsung EVO Plus, many manufacturers void the warranty when used in surveillance devices like dash cams. Surveillance-focused cards have warranties that support their use in write-intensive applications.
- Our pick. SanDisk Extreme Pro (64 GB) Best SD card for most digital cameras. The SanDisk Extreme Pro is the fastest UHS-I card we tested and is covered by a lifetime limited warranty.
- Runner-up. SanDisk Extreme (64 GB) The next-best option.
- Upgrade pick. Lexar Professional 2000x (64 GB) The best UHS-II option.
Faster SDXC memory cards will have the UHS rating, or Ultra High Speed, represented by a number inside the letter “U.” U1 means it's 10 MB/s; U3 means it's rated at 30 MB/s.
Fastest SD Cards | Top 8 as of December 2020
- Angelbird AV Pro SD MK2 V90 UHS-II.
- ProGrade Digital V90 UHS-II.
- Sony SF-G U3 UHS-II.
- Lexar Professional 2000x U3 UHS-II.
- Sony TOUGH-G SF-G(T) V90 UHS-II.
- Toshiba Exceria Pro U3 UHS-II.
- Transcend 700s V90 UHS-II.
- SanDisk Extreme PRO U3 UHS-II.
For your reference, the SanDisk Extreme has a maximum rated write speed of 70 MB/s, while the Pro version has the capacity for 90 MB/s. So, if you use burst mode in photography a lot and you have a camera that can write at this speed, it may be worthwhile to consider the SanDisk Extreme Pro.
The Extreme Plus is capable of slightly faster Read Speeds, and a third faster Write Speeds, than the Extreme.
SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC
The differences between the formats are significant: microSD: Has a capacity up to 2GB, and works in any microSD slot. microSDHC: Has a capacity of more than 2GB and up to 32GB, and works in hardware that supports either SDHC and SDXC.
SDXC cards have even higher capacity than SDHC cards. Compared to SDHC cards, SDXC cards start at a higher memory capacity (64GB) and theoretically can go up to 2 Terabytes. This potentially means much longer high-definition videos for camcorder users than SDHC cards can offer.
SDHC (high capacity) cards can store up to 32 GB of data, while SDXC (extended capacity) cards can store up to 2 terabytes (2000 GB). Older devices may not be able to use the SDXC format, so make sure your device does support these larger cards before buying one.
Higher class rated cards support high bit-rates of video and higher quality video recording. SanDisk Class 4 memory cards are ideal for HD video capture, and Class 10, UHS Speed Class 1 and UHS Speed Class 3 memory cards support Full HD and 4K Ultra HD video capture.
MLC (Multi Level Cell) store two or more bits per NAND flash cell. Storing more bits per cell achieves a higher capacity and lower manufacturing cost per Megabyte. MLC products are designed for the mainstream consumer market.
Yes a micro SDHC/SDXC card with adapter will give same performance without degradation. You can use your Micro SD card, but you need a SDHC or XDHC adapter to plug in your memory card so that it fits in your camera slot.
How to format the SD card in your Dash Cam
- On the Dash Cam. a) Turn on the Dash Cam. b) Stop it recording. c) Open Settings. d) Go into Setup.
- On a Computer. a) Plug the SD card into the SD card port. b) When the drive appears, right click on the drive. c) Select 'Format' (Windows) or 'Erase' (Mac) d) DO NOT click the 'Quick Format Box'
We recommend a Dash Cam compatible U3 SD cards, specifically designed for Dash Cam or CCTV usage. For guaranteed functionality and warranty, we suggest using a Nextbase U3 SD card that has been fully tested for use with all Nextbase Dash Cams.
A genuine SanDisk SD memory card always contains a serial number on the lower back of the card.
Begin by inserting your USB card reader into one of your PC's available USB ports. Next, insert your SanDisk MicroSD card into the memory card adapter and insert that adapter into the card reader. After inserting your SD card, go to your PC, and click the Start menu located in the bottom of your screen.
The best high-capacity SD cardThe 95 MB/s read speed will help when using the SD card for data storage, and when you do write to the card, it has a respectable — though not best-in-class — 70 MB/s write speed. That's enough for 4K video, 3D video, and RAW bursts as well as handling other large files.
An SD card's speed class is identified on the SD card itself—just look for the logo. You'll also see the speed class on the online store listing or on the card's packaging when purchasing it. For example, in the below photo, the middle SD card is speed class 4, while the two other cards are speed class 6.
Nowadays there are only two main sizes of Secure Digital (SD) Card in general use – the (Full Size) SD Card and the Micro SD Card. Micro SD Cards are often referred to in Asia as TF or Trans Flash Cards, there is no difference in specification, they are exactly the same card.
Restart your Android phone and go to "Settings". Step 5. Tap on "Storage" > "SD Card" > "Mount". After this, you should be able to see your SD card on your mobile phone and make use of it again.
Android handles MicroSD cards in two different ways — as portable storage or as internal storage. In the past, all MicroSD cards have been formatted as portable storage, but in newer phones MicroSD cards can act as internal storage, too.
Best SD cards
- SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I. The best all-round SD card right now, either for Raw files or 4K video.
- Lexar Professional Class 10 UHS-II 2000X.
- SanDisk Extreme PRO SD UHS-II.
- Lexar Professional 633x SDHC / SDXC UHS-I.
- SanDisk Extreme SD UHS-I Card.
- Transcend SDXC UHS-II U3.