If you are looking for a new memory card, the “SanDisk Ultra” and “SanDisk Extreme” cards are an excellent option. But if you don’t know the difference at first glance, it’s hard to see why one card costs more than the other. Since both have similar values.
It turns out that the main difference between the SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme cards It comes down to video recording capabilities. In this tutorial, you will learn what those differences are, along with other key points before considering which of the two memories to buy.
What is SanDisk Ultra?
SanDisk Ultra is a memory card designed for passive devices such as professional photography cameras instead DSLR or professional-grade mirrorless. These cards are capable of maintaining transfer speeds of (120 MB/s) and vary in capacity. between (32 GB) to (256 GB).
On the other hand, although they can handle most photo files, they can only support 1080p video recording. Since this It doesn’t have the highest speeds, it doesn’t work well for a mid to professional level camera. However, it can work well for smartphones, tablets, or point-and-shoot cameras.
Additionally, SanDisk Ultra cards can be found as “standard SD cards” or as “MicroSD cards”, making them widely compatible with multiple devices. The standard SD model comes in 4 storage capacities of 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB.
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Meanwhile, Ultra MicroSD cards come with slightly more storage options of 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 200GB, 256GB, 400GB, and 512GB.
Since MicroSD models are intended for a wider range of devices, from cameras, smartphones and games, that’s why there are more storage options. However, if you are not sure which memory card size is right for you, then I will show you more factors to consider later.
What is SanDisk Extreme?
SanDisk Extreme is the older brother of the SanDisk Ultra. With improved read or write speeds and 4K video support, this offers a significant advantage over Ultra. These cards are designed for intermediate to professional level cameras in both photo and video.
Altogether, this SD card is designed to handle larger files in less time. Whether you are taking burst photos in “RAW” or getting 4K video clips. These SanDisk Extreme cards can support without problems.
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On the other hand, Extreme cards are available as standard SD and MicroSD, making them compatible with DSLR/Mirrorless cameras, action cameras, phones and gaming devices.
In terms of file capacity, there are 5 options for SD models ranging from 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB.
In MicroSD Extreme cards, there are 7 capacity options ranging from 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 400GB, 512GB and up to 1TB.
Inside of SanDiskThere is a slightly better card option called the SanDisk Extreme Pro. These cards offer additional improvements in read and write speeds, card capacity, and video recording capabilities. Although they have a higher price, they are a good idea for professional shooters.
Comparison between SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme
If you are looking for your next memory card, you don’t need to feel stuck between choosing an Ultra or an Extreme. Below you will see a list of comparisons of these two cards together in the most important specifications.
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1. Read and write speeds
Read and write speeds dictate how fast your memory card can take data from your device, as well as send data to it.
For example, if you have a slow reading speed, you will experience a delay when playing photos or videos. Additionally, there may be an interim period between the time when you take a photo with your camera or phone and the time it is saved to your card with a slower writing speed.
In the world of memory cards, speed capabilities are called memory speeds. “bus” or classifications of “UHS class”. The bus speed is what decides how fast a memory card can import and export data from the device.
· Bus speed
Both SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme cards are “UHS-1”. This rating means that both cards only use a single row of pins to control data input and output.
With only one row of pins, if you are downloading something to the card, you cannot view other stored media until the download is complete. This resembles a one-lane road. Only one direction of traffic can travel at a time.
In addition to having a single row of pins, the UHS-1 cards They are only rated to transfer data to the card at (104 mb/s). However, another aspect to take into account with the speed of the card is the so-called “UHS class”.
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· UHS class
Speed class controls the amount of data a card can transfer continuously. With a highest sustained write speedthe card will inevitably perform better when recording video or taking burst photos.
Therefore, the SanDisk Ultra has a speed class rating of “U1”, marked by the U with the 1 inside. This means that the card can support a transfer speed of up to (10 MB/S).
On the other hand, this compares to the SanDisk Extreme with a speed class of “U3”; It is 3 times faster in data transfer than the Ultra. Being able to support transfer speeds of up to (30MB/S), Extreme is an obvious choice in terms of speed capabilities.
It’s worth noting that (20 MB/S) per second may not seem like a lot on paper, but while you’re shooting, it makes a big difference. This would result in less storage on “buffer” when taking burst photos and more options in 4K video recording formats.
speed class
The speed class of a card is indicated by the “C” in the card. In the case of the SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme cards, both have a speed class of “C10”.
In simple terms, the speed class is intended to show the minimum write speed of the card. With a C10 speed class, that means both Ultra and Extreme have a minimum write speed of 10 MB/S.
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In addition to the minimum write speed, certain speed classes for different devices. Since speed class C10 is the highest rating, both cards will be compatible with most modern devices.
Despite some similarities between Ultra vs Extreme, the significant speed advantages are too hard to overlook in this category. That is why in speed the SanDisk Extreme is the clear winner.
2. Storage capacity options
When choosing a memory card, it is important to choose the appropriate capacity. Especially when you’re recording a video, you don’t want to run out of space right before you capture the perfect clip.
Therefore, SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme SD cards are comparable in capacity options. The Ultra comes in (32GB, 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB), while the Extreme also comes in (16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB).
With only one other capacity option with the Extreme, there isn’t a huge difference between the two. In that sense, both cards are very comparable to each other.
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3. Card type
Both SanDisk Ultra and Extreme are cards “SDXC (Secure Digital Extreme Capacity)”which means they use storage formats “exFAT”. Which simply means that the cards have a capacity greater than (32 GB) and can store files of any size.
That said, the SanDisk Ultra (32GB) and SanDisk Extreme (16GB and 32GB) models are SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity), which instead uses a “FAT32”. The disadvantage of FAT32 is that it has a maximum single file storage of (4 GB). That means, in theory, you won’t be able to store a single (4GB) video clip on these cards.
However, if you plan to shoot video, you’re unlikely to use any of these capacity ranges anyway.
4. Video speed class
When comparing the SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme, you’ll notice that the Extreme cards say “V30”, while Ultra cards have nothing of the sort. This “V” It represents what is known as video speed class and was first introduced by the SD association to indicate sequential write speeds.
Together, the number next to the V represents the “MB” per second that the card can record. Since the SanDisk Extreme card is classified as “V30”that means you can write sequentially to “30MB/S”.
To put that into perspective, V30 is more than enough for recording “4K 4:2:2 video” on almost any DSLR or mirrorless camera.
In the SanDisk Ultra cards, no video class classification is indicated. Despite not having a video class rating, that means you have to go outside of the speed class, which in this case is “C10”.
That means SanDisk Ultra cards can only record “Full HD 1080p video” at 10 mb/s. Therefore, if you are looking to record something at a higher resolution or bitrate, 10mb/s simply isn’t enough. Once again, the SanDisk Extreme card takes the lead.
5. Cost
All specifications aside, the only thing that can change your decision when buying a memory card is the price. Since SanDisk Ultra vs Extreme are two different models, there is a slight price difference. Especially since Extreme offers a wide range of clear advantages.
Getting started with SanDisk UltraThe lowest capacity SD card (32 GB) generally costs about ($9.99 American), (a rounding price in the general market). On the higher end of things, the (256GB) option costs ($32.30 American).
With SanDisk Extreme, you end up paying a little more. For the Extreme (32GB) model, you are rounding up to about ($18.99 Americans), (price that varies in the market in general). Going up in capacity to the (256GB) version, it can cost about ($48.90).
Note: This comparison is only an estimate, taking the price in the general market as an example and estimating its approximate value. This also varies depending on the region where you are. I recommend that you find out about the price standard in your area by consulting your local market or on a sales website in your country.
In this case, the price difference between these two cards is justified by the many advantages offered by the SanDisk Extreme. However, based solely on pricethe SanDisk Ultra is a little cheaper.
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