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PNY microSD Express Card: review
The PNY microSD Express Card is one of the fastest Nintendo Switch 2 cards that I’ve tested.
It also excels when it comes to read speed, actually achieving above the claimed 890MB/s with 893.74MB/s in my testing. This difference is likely all down to different conditions and equipment, but it’s safe to say that this card is quick. Its read speed is practically neck and neck with the licensed SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 – a model that’s officially endorsed by Nintendo.
What does this all mean in practical terms? Well, the PNY MicroSD Express Card is fantastic to use with a Nintendo Switch 2. Internet providing, games download quickly and everything runs smoothly while you play. I tested the likes of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition and Hitman World of Assassination – Signature Edition, two very demanding Nintendo Switch 2 games, and didn’t observe any noticeable performance decrease in either – be that missed frames, slow-to-load models, or increased load times.
Best of all, the 256GB PNY MicroSD Express Card is practically the same price as its major competition. At $59.99 / £59.99 / around AU$100, the leading write speed is a good reason to pick this card over the alternatives. This is the case for the warranty too, with PNY offering a five year or “limited lifetime warranty” in some regions.
This refers to the lifetime of the card (not you) and doesn’t cover you if PNY stops making them, but should otherwise see you through the life of the Nintendo Switch 2 at least – just make sure that you hang on to your proof of purchase and retail packaging in case you need to claim it.
PNY is also one of the few manufacturers offering a cheaper 128GB model, which goes for $44.99 / £39.99 (or even less in sales), allowing players with very modest storage needs to avoid paying more for storage that they don’t need.
There is a catch when you start looking at variants above 256GB, though. There’s a recently released 512GB model on the market that comes in at $119.99 / around £150, but seems to be very hard to find outside of the US right now. There’s no 1TB model yet either, leaving those with massive libraries better off with the competing Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card instead.
PNY microSD Express Card: Price and specs
|
Price |
$59.99 / £59.99 / around AU$100 (256GB) |
|
Capacity |
128GB / 256GB |
|
Quoted read speed |
890MB/s |
|
Quoted write speed |
750MB/s |
|
Benchmarked read speed |
893.74MB/s |
|
Benchmarked write speed |
713.42MB/s |
Should I buy the PNY microSD Express Card?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
Here’s how the PNY microSD Express Card stacks up against two major competitors.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
PNY microSD Express Card |
Lexar Play Pro microSD Express Card |
SanDisk microSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 |
|
Price |
$59.99 / £59.99 / around AU$100 (256GB) |
$58.98 / £59.45 / AU$119.34 (256GB) |
$59.99 / £49.99 / AU$79.95 |
|
Capacity |
128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
256GB |
|
Quoted read speed |
890MB/s |
900MB/s |
880MB/s |
|
Quoted write speed |
750MB/s |
600MB/s |
650MB/s |
|
Benchmarked read speed |
893.74MB/s |
831.97MB/s |
894.4MB/s |
|
Benchmarked write speed |
713.42MB/s |
310.03MB/s |
674.1MB/s |
How I tested the PNY microSD Express Card
- Tested over a period of multiple weeks
- Compared to other microSD Express cards
- Measured using standardized benchmark tests
I tested the PNY microSD Express Card alongside multiple other microSD Express units over a period of multiple weeks. During that time I used the card with my personal Nintendo Switch 2, evaluating its performance across a range of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games.
To obtain comparison data, I benchmarked the card against the competition in a series of standardized tests. I measured the sequential read and write speed of each card using a standardized benchmark via CrystalDiskMark in its default flash memory settings.
To do this, I relied on the Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express Card Reader, which has an active cooling fan.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed November 2025
Read the full article here
