Which Memory Card Should You Buy? microSD Cards for Phones, CCTV and Cameras
Updated 31 October 2026. Card standards are from the SD Association; device requirements are from GoPro, Nintendo and Samsung; endurance figures are from SanDisk, Lexar and Kingston. Prices are Quality Computer’s website prices that day.
Short answer: For a phone, get a brand-name card with an A1 or A2 logo; a 128GB SanDisk Ultra is Rs 2,050. For an action camera or 4K video, get V30 or higher. For CCTV and dash cams, pick a card made for continuous recording, and remember a 128GB card holds about 6 days of 1080p footage. Ignore the big "up to" speed on the box; the small class logos tell you the guaranteed write speed. See every card and today’s memory card price in Nepal.
Memory cards we sell
Our website prices on 31 October 2026. Speeds are the maker’s "up to" read speeds from the card names.
| Card | Sizes and our price | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Kingston Canvas Select Plus microSD | 32GB Rs 800, 64GB Rs 1,000, 128GB Rs 1,200 | Budget phones, music, photos |
| SanDisk Ultra microSDXC (up to 140MB/s) | 64GB Rs 1,050; 128GB Rs 2,050; 256GB Rs 3,400; 512GB Rs 6,600 | Phones, tablets, Switch |
| Hikvision microSD (92MB/s) | 16GB Rs 1,050, 32GB Rs 1,400, 128GB Rs 4,200 | CCTV cameras |
| Dahua C100 microSDXC (up to 95MB/s) | 64GB Rs 2,500, 128GB Rs 4,700 | CCTV cameras |
| Lexar 633x microSDXC V30 (128GB) | 64GB Rs 2,550, 128GB Rs 4,900 | Action cameras, drones, 4K video |
| Lexar Silver Plus A2 microSDXC V30 (205MB/s) | 128GB Rs 6,450 | Phones and handhelds that support A2, 4K video |
| Lexar Silver microSDXC V30 (205MB/s) | 128GB Rs 7,900, 256GB Rs 14,600 | 4K video, cameras |
| SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDXC (up to 200MB/s) | 128GB Rs 9,900 | Fast 4K cameras and drones |
| SanDisk Ultra SDXC (full-size SD) | 128GB Rs 2,800 | Point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras |
| SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC (full-size SD, 200MB/s) | 128GB Rs 3,900, 256GB Rs 6,150 | Mirrorless and DSLR cameras, 4K |
What the symbols on a memory card mean
The small logos printed on a card are minimum guarantees set by the SD Association. They matter more than the large "up to" number:
| Logo | What it guarantees | Enough for |
|---|---|---|
| Class 10, U1, V10 | Writes at least 10 MB/s | 1080p video, photos, music |
| U3, V30 | Writes at least 30 MB/s | 4K video, action cameras, drones |
| V60, V90 | Writes at least 60 or 90 MB/s (needs UHS-II) | High-bitrate 4K and 8K cameras |
| A1 | 1,500 random reads and 500 random writes a second | Apps on a phone or tablet |
| A2 | 4,000 random reads and 2,000 random writes a second (only in A2 devices) | Apps and games on newer phones and handhelds |
SDHC or SDXC: SDHC cards are 4GB to 32GB; SDXC cards are over 32GB, up to 2TB, and use the exFAT file system. Very old devices that only take SDHC can’t read SDXC cards.
"Up to 140MB/s": that is the best-case read speed, measured by the maker, and SanDisk notes that its write speeds are lower and that the top speed needs a compatible reader. For recording video, the write speed logo is what counts.
Formatting: the SD Association recommends its free SD Memory Card Formatter over the format tools built into Windows and macOS.
Which card for which device
- Phone: A1 or A2, 128GB or 256GB. Many newer phones have dropped the slot; Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and A56 have none, while the Galaxy A16 5G still takes cards up to 1.5TB. Check before you buy.
- CCTV camera: a card built for continuous recording. SanDisk rates its High Endurance cards for up to 10,000 hours of Full HD recording at 128GB, Lexar rates its High-Endurance 128GB card for 12,000 hours at 25 Mbps, and Kingston rates its High-Endurance cards for 26,900 hours at 13 Mbps. Ordinary cards wear out faster under 24-hour recording. If you don’t see an endurance card on our site, ask us.
- Dash cam: same as CCTV: an endurance card, U3 or V30, in the size the dash cam supports.
- Action camera: GoPro asks for an A2, V30, U3 card or better for the HERO13 Black, and recommends a brand-name card that you reformat regularly.
- Nintendo Switch: the original Switch, Lite and OLED take microSDHC and microSDXC; Nintendo recommends UHS-I cards with 60 to 95 MB/s transfer speed. The Switch 2 only works with microSD Express cards for games.
- Camera (full-size SD): V30 for 4K video; Class 10 is usually enough for 1080p.
How many days of CCTV a card holds
It depends on the camera’s bitrate. A camera recording at 2 Mbps writes about 21.6GB a day (2 × 86,400 seconds ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000). Rough figures for 24-hour recording:
| Bitrate | 64GB | 128GB | 256GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mbps (H.265, 1080p, low motion) | about 6 days | about 12 days | about 24 days |
| 2 Mbps (typical 1080p) | about 3 days | about 6 days | about 12 days |
| 4 Mbps (2K/4MP or busy scenes) | about 1.5 days | about 3 days | about 6 days |
These match published tables: EZVIZ lists about 21.4GB a day for many of its 1080p cameras (6 days on 128GB) and about 42.8GB a day for 4MP models. H.265 needs roughly half the bitrate of H.264 for the same picture, so turning it on in the camera’s settings nearly doubles the days you get. When the card is full, the camera records over the oldest footage. For longer history, use an NVR or DVR with a hard disk.
How to spot a fake memory card
The common fake reports a bigger size than it really has, for example a 32GB card reprogrammed to show 128GB. Files written beyond the real size are lost, often without warning. Warning signs are a price far below the brand’s usual price, impossible sizes, very slow speeds on a card labelled V30, and missing labels or warranty details.
To test a card, back it up and run H2testw on Windows or F3 (f3write, then f3read) on Mac or Linux. Both fill the card with test files and read them back, which shows its true capacity. We sell SanDisk, Lexar, Kingston, Hikvision and Dahua cards with a VAT bill.
Frequently asked questions
Which memory card is best for a phone?
A brand-name microSD card with an A1 or A2 rating, so apps load quickly from it. A 128GB SanDisk Ultra costs Rs 2,050 at Quality Computer. Check first that your phone has a microSD slot; many newer phones, including the Galaxy A36 and A56, don’t.
Which memory card is best for a CCTV camera?
A card rated for continuous recording, often sold as "high endurance", in the size your camera supports. CCTV writes all day, so endurance matters more than read speed. A 128GB card holds about 6 days of 1080p recording at 2 Mbps before the camera starts overwriting the oldest footage.
What does V30 mean on a memory card?
It means the card can keep writing video at no less than 30 MB/s. V30 or higher is what 4K cameras and action cameras such as the GoPro HERO13 Black ask for.
What is the difference between A1 and A2?
Both are app speed ratings. A1 cards manage at least 1,500 random reads and 500 random writes a second; A2 cards 4,000 and 2,000. You only get A2 speed in a phone or device that supports A2.
Why does my 128GB card show less space?
Card makers count 1GB as 1,000,000,000 bytes, while phones and computers count in larger binary units, and the card’s file system takes some space too. A 128GB card shows about 119GB.
How do I check if a memory card is fake?
Run H2testw on Windows or F3 on Mac or Linux. Both fill the card with test data and read it back, which shows its real capacity. Back up anything on the card first.
Which memory card works with the Nintendo Switch 2?
Only microSD Express cards. Ordinary microSD cards work in the original Switch, Switch Lite and Switch OLED.
Sources
- Speed class standards, SD Association
- Capacity: SD, SDHC, SDXC, SDUC, SD Association
- Application Performance Class, SD Association
- SD Memory Card Formatter, SD Association
- SanDisk Ultra microSD, SanDisk
- SanDisk High Endurance microSD, SanDisk
- Lexar High-Endurance microSD, Lexar
- Kingston High-Endurance datasheet, Kingston
- How many days of video can I record on a card?, EZVIZ
- Nintendo Switch microSD cards, Nintendo
- microSD Express cards and Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo
- GoPro HERO13 Black user manual, GoPro
- Galaxy A16 5G vs Galaxy A36 5G, Samsung
- H.265 needs half the bitrate of H.264, ITU
- H2testw, heise
- F3: Fight Flash Fraud, F3 documentation
- Quality Computer website prices, 31 October 2026.