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MicroSD cards remain relevant in 2026, offering a highly portable and practical way to expand storage across a wide range of devices, including cameras, drones, handheld consoles, and more. That said, if you are after the fastest possible data transfer speeds, say for your Nintendo Switch 2, it’s worth looking at microSD Express cards which use PCIe and NVMe protocols to deliver speeds of 800MB/s and above. One such option is the Samsung P9 Express microSD card, which is available at a discount this President's Day on Amazon. The 512GB variant is currently priced at $79.99, down from $119.99 , while the 256GB model is selling for $47.99, reduced from its original price of $54.99.
Offering maximum sequential read speeds of up to 800MB/s, the Samsung P9 Express is up to four times faster than conventional UHS-I microSD cards. The P9 Express also supports Host Memory Buffer (HMB) which essentially utilizes your device’s system memory to improve data transfer speeds while Dynamic Thermal Guard (DTG) technology can monitor and regulate the card’s temperature to prevent overheating and maintain consistent performance.
The Samsung P9 Express microSD express card offers up to 800MB/s data transfer speeds and is fully compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2. It also offers features such as Host Memory Buffer (HMB), Dynamic Thermal Guard (DTG), and 6-proof durability.
The 256GB variant of the Samsung P9 Express is even cheaper, offering all the same benefits including fast data transfer speeds, HMB, DTG, and high durability.
According to Samsung, the card is also highly durable, offering protection against water immersion, extreme temperatures, X-ray exposure, magnetic fields, accidental drops and wear out. With that, the company offers a 3-year limited warranty and support for Samsung’s Magician software that can be used to monitor the card’s health and check for product authenticity verification.
The Samsung P9 Express is also a recommended choice if you’re buying a microSD card specifically for the Nintendo Switch 2 . The Switch 2 is one of the first consoles to officially take advantage of microSD Express cards, thus benefiting from much higher storage speeds than older UHS-I cards. That means that games should load faster and smoother performance with larger and more demanding titles.
With all of the above considered, the Samsung P9 Express is a solid pick if you want fast, future-ready expandable storage for modern devices like the Nintendo Switch 2. With the 512GB model currently selling for $79.99 and the 256GB version priced at $47.99 on Amazon, the ongoing discounts make it an even more attractive upgrade right now.
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Kunal Khullar is a contributing writer at Tom\u2019s Hardware.\u00a0 He is a long time technology journalist and reviewer specializing in PC components and peripherals, and welcomes any and every question around building a PC. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-17/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Kunal Khullar Social Links Navigation News Contributor Kunal Khullar is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. He is a long time technology journalist and reviewer specializing in PC components and peripherals, and welcomes any and every question around building a PC.
Li Ken-un The P9 Express also supports Host Memory Buffer (HMB) which essentially utilizes your device’s system memory to improve data transfer speeds HMB isn’t the flex you think it is. 😐 It is worse than DRAM on the memory device. Reply
ThisIsMe I guess they haven’t found a way to use AI as an excuse to jack up prices on SD cards yet. Wonder why they’re still bothering to make them… Reply
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/microsd-cards/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/microsd-cards/save-up-to-usd40-on-samsungs-800mb-s-p9-express-microsd-card-this-presidents-day-super-speedy-storage-for-your-nintendo-switch-2#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.