Samsung's memory card product line can be basically divided into the following series: EVO Plus, Pro Plus, Pro Ultimate, Pro Endurance.
This time, we will review that Pro Ultimate is Samsung's highest-positioned memory card product, using the UHS-I interface, with a read and write speed of 200 130 MB s, and includes both SD and MicroSD specifications.
Aimed at professional photographers and content creators, the Samsung Pro Ultimate SD memory card is available in capacities from 64GB to 512GB and meets the minimum write speed classes of U3 and V30 to meet the capacity and write performance needs of DSLR mirrorless cameras and camcorders for 4K** recording, as well as additional storage for laptops with limited expansion capabilities.
Available in capacities from 128GB to 512GB for smartphones, tablets, drones, action cameras, and gaming handhelds, Samsung Pro Ultimate MicroSD memory cards meet the A2 application performance level in addition to the minimum write speed classes for U3 and V30, which can meet the write and random read and write performance needs of mobile phones, tablets, action cameras, 360 cameras, drones, notebooks, and gaming handhelds.
The Samsung Pro Ultimate memory card is available in both a standard version and a card reader bundle, so if you want to get the most out of this card, we recommend that you choose the card reader set.
Test platform and information identification
Test platform: CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K
Motherboard: ROG Maximus Z690 HERO
Memory: Lexar DDR5-6000 16GB*2
Hard disk: Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (system disk).
Memory card: Samsung Pro Ultimate SD 256GB
samsung pro ultimate microsd 512gb
System: Windows 11
Memory cards have always been the hardest hit area of counterfeiting, and the Samsung Magician Toolbox provides a genuine verification function for Pro Ultimate memory cards, which is convenient for users to identify and verify. In addition to the identification number, the Samsung Magician Toolbox also identifies the patch000 firmware and is able to help check if there are currently compatibility issues.
Benchmarking
Benchmark 1: Theoretical bandwidth test.
As a high-end memory card, read and write speed is a very important performance metric. The Samsung Pro Ultimate has a nominal sequential read and write speed of 200 130 MB s. Paired with the Samsung card reader included in the kit, it's very easy to measure read and write speeds that meet and exceed nominal values. Samsung Pro Ultimate SD 256GB measured sequential read/write speed of 20530/143.25 mb/s：
Samsung Pro Ultimate MicroSD 512GB measured sequential read and write speed of 20532/145.86 mb/s：
If you look closely at the SD card specifications, you will find that the maximum read and write speed of the UHS-I standard is 104MB S, while the Samsung Pro Ultimate actually reaches more than 200MB S, which is the performance improvement brought by using the DDR working mode of the non-SD standard. To be clear, it is not possible to achieve read and write speeds beyond the standard in the camera, but when we copy the data from the memory card through the Samsung Card Combo Reader, we can fully experience the joy of doubling the speed.
Benchmark 2: FIO Full Drive Write Test.
SD cards have a variety of speed class nominal methods, they are basically identified for the minimum write speed of the memory card, including the ancient speed class (up to C10, that is, reaching and exceeding 10MB s), UHS speed class (including U1 and U3, representing the minimum write speed higher than 10MB s and 30MB s, respectively), video speed class (the latest speed class identification, from V6 to V90, corresponding to the standard**, Full HD, 4K and 8K** recording). The write speed of an SD card determines the range it can work with.
This test uses a fio script to perform a full-capacity write speed test on a memory card in order to check the speed stability of the memory card, especially the minimum write performance. Memory cards can use SLC caching just like SSDs, so the minimum write speed may be much lower than what is measured in CrystalDiskMark. The Samsung Pro Ultimate SD 256GB full-capacity write test took 2093 seconds to complete, with an average write speed of 122MB s.
As can be seen from the write speed data recorded per second, the minimum write speed of the Samsung Pro Ultimate SD is also above 90MB s when the full capacity is written, which meets the V90 speed level requirements, which is the highest in the Video Speed Class. It's just that it's also a problem with SD card specifications, when the UHS-i standard was formulated, the highest was only up to V30, so the Samsung Pro Ultimate memory card belongs to the "reverse virtual standard": the actual capacity is higher than the nominal value.
Looking at the larger Samsung Pro Ultimate MicroSD 512GB, its full-capacity write test took 4129 seconds to complete, with an average write speed of 124MB S:
The Samsung Pro Ultimate MicroSD 512GB has the lowest write speed in the process of writing to full capacity, which also meets the V90 speed class requirements, which is the highest in Video Speed Class.
Benchmark 3: Application performance level testing.
UHS Speed Class and Video Speed Class define the sequential write performance of the memory card. The random write performance is defined by the application performance class. The A1 performance level is determined by SD 51 Specification defined, A2 performance level is defined by SD 60 specification definition, which requires 1500 500 IOPS and 4000 2000 IOPS of 4K random read and write capabilities, respectively, and a sequential write speed of at least 10 MB s.
The A1 A2 performance level is to ensure the smoothness of installing and running the APP on the MicroSD memory card, so the standard SD large** is often not marked with the A1 A2 performance level. With the removal of support for memory card installation apps by Android, the vast majority of Android phones no longer support microSD memory cards. However, some low-end models and Android tablets that focus on images can still be stored in the microSD card****, in addition, soft routers and some IoT devices will use the microSD memory card as the boot disk, which has a high demand for 4K random read and write capabilities and stability.
As you can see from the custom TXBont test results, the 4K random read/write and sequential write performance indicators of the Samsung Pro Ultimate MicroSD 512GB memory card meet the requirements of the A2 application performance level. Compared to ordinary memory cards, the A2 application performance level Samsung Pro Ultimate memory card has stronger 4K random read and write capabilities, which can provide a smoother user experience.
In addition, the Samsung Pro Ultimate SD 512GB large card, which is not marked with an A2 application performance level, can also meet the requirements of the A2 performance level after our actual testing. For some laptops with limited expansion capabilities that can't fit additional SSDs, you can also consider using a Samsung Pro Ultimate SD memory card for expansion.
Summary:
In the eyes of the general public, memory cards are a digital product with low technical content. But it is precisely because of the mixed market that many users urgently need high-quality products that can be remembered and inherited and can be used with confidence. In terms of performance, the Samsung Pro Ultimate memory card provides 200 130 MB s sequential read and write capabilities, and the 4K random read and write capabilities meet the requirements of the A2 application performance level, and the application range can be described as heaven and earth (drones, action cameras, mirrorless cameras, game handhelds, mobile phones, laptops, industrial control devices, and various development boards, etc.).
In terms of protection capabilities, Samsung Pro Ultimate memory card supports waterproof (2 meters deep seawater, lasting 72 hours), high and low temperature resistance (operating temperature -25 to 85, non-operating temperature -40 to 85), X-ray resistance (equivalent to 100mgy of an airport X-ray machine), anti-magnetic (equivalent to 15,000 gauss of hospital MRI examination), anti-drop (withstand a drop of up to 5 meters), anti-wear (10,000 times of plugging and unplugging), and impact resistance (SD card only). Not only does it have high performance that saves time for creative work, but it also provides users with a high level of reliability that they can rely on.