Skip to content

SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme: Which SD Card is Better?

SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme

It’s common to find most households with an array of electronic devices from smartphones to tablets, cameras to desktops. More often than not, you all have photos or videos on one that you want to share with other devices or to just have them safe so they aren’t occupying space on your equipment.

Nowadays, one of the most convenient ways to do this is to have a micro SD card. Today, we will discuss the details of the SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages of each memory card, then put all of the specs in a comparison chart and finish up with our final verdict on the two.

Let’s start by going over how the SanDisk Ultra SD card and the SanDisk Extreme SD card are similar.

SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme – Similarities

Quick Glance

Table could not be displayed.

Memory Card Storage size

SanDisk has a range of SD cards with different storage capacities. We are covering the MicroSDXC card with a 64GB capacity. This will allow you to store 100 photos (at 12.7Mp in JEPG) and 160 minutes of 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160p).

Flash Memory Type

Both are micro SD memory cards which can be used for long term storage of many different types of files.

  • Software
  • Videos
  • Music
  • Photos

SD Adaptor

Whether you choose the SanDisk Ultra or the SanDisk Extreme card, you will also receive an SD adapter. This allows for MicroSD, MicroSDHC, and MicroSDXC.

Memory Zone App

This is a great Android-based app that will allow you to browse, backup, organize and store your files. It is a free app and you can access files from different storage locations all through the Memory Zone App.

There are actually quite a few differences between the SanDisk Ultra and the SanDisk Extreme, so let’s take a look at these now.

Differences Between SanDisk Ultra and SanDisk Extreme

Appearance

SanDisk Ultra Review

Most SD cards will have the same appearance, aside from the color and style the brand chooses.

SanDisk Ultra

This MicroSDXC ultra SD card is red and silver. It clearly has the name “ultra” on it as well as the Class number and the number of GB. It is 0.59 x 0.03 x 0.43 inches and weighs 0.18 ounces.

SanDisk Extreme

Similarly, the card is clearly named but it is red and gold. It is 0.43 x 0.59 x 0.04 inches. It weighs a fraction less at 0.16 ounces.

The Winner Is- A Tie

Read next: Samsung Evo Select vs Evo Plus: Which SD Card is Better?

Compatibility

As SD cards are all a family standard size, you will be able to use both of them in plenty of different devices, however, SanDisk does recommend certain uses for each.

SanDisk Ultra

The best uses for the SanDisk Ultra SD card is to be used as a memory card in Android smartphones and tablets.

SanDisk Extreme

While this is also ideal for Android smartphones and tablets, it is also an excellent option for use in a drone or action camera. SanDisk also recommends the Extreme MicroSDXC for GoPro Hero, Hero 3, Hero 3+, Hero 4, Hero 5, and Hero LCD device.

The Winner Is – The SanDisk Extreme SD card

SanDisk Extreme Comparison

Read Speed and Write Speed

It is important to bear in mind that the read speed and writing speed stated will vary from one particular device to another and also the format of the file.

SanDisk Ultra

It comes with A1, which makes this the perfect card for faster mobile app performance. It has a read speed of 100MB per second. The write speed is lower but the actual numbers are not stated. For video transfer, its speed class is listed as Class 10.

SanDisk Extreme

The read speed is 90MB per second and the write speed is 60MB per second. For 4K UHD and Full HD videos, its speed class is also Class 10. It is listed as Class 3 for UHS and video speed class of 30.

The Winner Is- A Tie

Durability

SanDisk Extreme Review

Let’s be honest, we have all dropped an SD card at least once or twice, so it is worth checking how strong the cards are before purchasing one.

SanDisk Ultra

There is very little information on the durability of this memory card. It has an operating temperature of between -13ºF to 185ºF.

SanDisk Extreme

This is a sturdy little card that is shockproof, waterproof and X-ray-proof. It has an operating temperature of -13ºF to 185ºF.

The Winner Is- The SanDisk Extreme

Pros and Cons

Before we give you our final verdict, let us first list the pros and cons of each SanDisk card. We hope that this will help you to decide which SanDisk MicroSDXC memory card is best for you.

SanDisk Ultra Card

SanDisk Ultra

Pros:

  • It is an excellent value for the money for a good SD memory card
  • A good solution for Nintendo Switch
  • Impressive speeds for 4K video

Cons:

  • Not everyone is in agreement with the read and write speeds advertised

SanDisk Extreme Memory Card Pros

SanDisk Extreme

Pros:

  • It’s a fast card both in terms of reading and writes
  • It’s easy to transfer top-quality videos without any lag
  • Comes with Rescue Pro Deluxe data recovery software

Cons:

  • Not everyone is able to get it to work with Hero 5

The Final Verdict

There is a clear winner for us today. We felt that overall, the SanDisk Extreme was the better SD card. The appearance and storage of the SanDisk Ultra and SanDisk Extreme are the same. The speed of the two cards is brilliant on both but this will often depend on the uses, so we felt it was unfair to make a decision based on this.

What did make a difference for us was the compatibility, we were able to successfully use the SanDisk Extreme in more devices. We all felt that being waterproof and shockproof was a huge advantage. It is a little more expensive than the SanDisk Ultra, but on the other hand, it comes with a lifetime warranty, rather than a 10-year limited warranty.


Last update on 2024-09-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API