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Lexar Play Professional microSD Categorical Card: assessment
The Lexar Play Professional microSD Categorical Card has been my Nintendo Swap 2 microSD Categorical card of selection because it arrived at TechRadar Gaming HQ a couple of months in the past.
Because the very first 1TB microSD Categorical mannequin to hit the market, it’s one among your few choices if, like me, you want a great deal of storage for a fully mega Nintendo Swap 2 sport library. Pair this reality with its strong ends in benchmarks and good efficiency in real-world use, and you’ve got the final word improve for Nintendo’s newest console – offered you possibly can afford it.
At $58.98 / £59.45 / AU$119.34, the 256GB model of the Lexar Play Professional Micro SD Categorical Card is sort of bang on the worth of its greatest competitors, the formally licensed SanDisk microSD Categorical Card for Nintendo Swap 2. Lexar additionally well presents a barely extra inexpensive 128GB version, so these with very modest storage wants can save slightly money.
The star of the present is that aforementioned 1TB variant, although, which is available in at a way more premium $199.99 / £199.99 value. In my eyess that is particularly reasonable for what you get, particularly whenever you issue within the robust 831.97MB/s learn pace it achieved in my benchmarks.
(Picture credit score: Future)
Lexar 1TB Play PRO microSD Categorical Card (1TB Black) at Amazon for $217.99
That is very near the 900MB/s learn pace claimed by the producer, with the distinction simply attributable to differing testing situations. The cardboard fared a lot worse in relation to write pace, nevertheless, reaching 310.03MB/s, which is simply over half of the claimed 600MB/s.
Certain, another playing cards do attain larger speeds (a lot larger, in relation to write pace), just like the aforementioned SanDisk microSD Categorical Card for Nintendo Swap 2 or competing PNY microSD Categorical Card, however you’d be hard-pressed to note any tangible distinction in the true world.
I skilled no points in any respect with missed frames, slow-to-load property, or noticeably elevated load occasions in any of the titles that I’ve performed utilizing this card, which ranged all the way in which from graphically demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077: Final Version and Hitman World of Assassination – Signature Version to much less intense adventures similar to Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster.
Nothing fairly compares to the liberty of figuring out that you simply gained’t should fiddle round to search out house with the intention to set up every new sport that you simply get, and, for that, the Lexar Play Professional MicroSD Categorical Card comes emphatically advisable.
Lexar Play Professional microSD Categorical Card: Value and specs
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Value
$58.98 / £59.45 / AU$119.34 (256GB)
Capability
256GB / 512GB / 1TB
Quoted learn pace
900MB/s
Quoted write pace
600MB/s
Benchmarked learn pace
831.97MB/s
Benchmarked write pace
310.03MB/s
Ought to I purchase the Lexar Play Professional microSD Categorical Card?
Purchase it if…
Don’t purchase it if…
Additionally contemplate
Wish to examine the Lexar Micro SD Categorical Card to its greatest competitors? Listed here are two robust options to weigh up.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Row 0 – Cell 0
Lexar Play Professional microSD Categorical Card
SanDisk microSD Categorical Card for Nintendo Swap 2
PNY microSD Categorical Card
Value
$58.98 / £59.45 / AU$119.34 (256GB)
$59.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.95
$59.99 / £59.99 / round AU$100 (256GB)
Capability
256GB / 512GB / 1TB
256GB
128GB / 256GB
Quoted learn pace
900MB/s
880MB/s
890MB/s
Quoted write pace
600MB/s
650MB/s
550MB/s
Benchmarked learn pace
831.97MB/s
894.4MB/s
893.74MB/s
Benchmarked write pace
310.03MB/s
674.1MB/s
713.42MB/s
How I examined the Lexar Play Professional microSD Categorical Card
Used for a number of months
Examined towards different microSD Categorical playing cards
Subjected to standardized benchmark assessments
As I beforehand talked about, the Lexar Play Professional microSD Categorical Card has been my private Nintendo Swap 2 microSD Categorical card of selection because it arrived a couple of months in the past. In my time with the cardboard, I’ve used it nearly every day with my very own Nintendo Swap 2, always evaluating its efficiency in a variety of video games.
I additionally benchmarked the cardboard towards the competitors in a sequence of standardized assessments, recording and evaluating the outcomes immediately. I measured the sequential learn and write pace of every card utilizing a standardized benchmark by way of CrystalDiskMark in its default flash reminiscence settings.
To do that, I relied on the Lexar Play Professional MicroSD Categorical Card Reader, which options an lively cooling fan. This was offered by Lexar alongside the Lexar Micro SD Categorical Card for the aim of this assessment.
First reviewed November 2025
Lexar 1TB Play PRO microSD Categorical Card: Value Comparability
