SanDisk Ultra Plus memory card is a small upgrade from the SanDisk Ultra model. Offered with a variety of storage options the SanDisk Ultra Plus SD Card features 2X the speed of ordinary SDHC memory cards. The SanDisk Ultra has a 100 MB per second read speeds and rated at UHS-1.
It works best for taking photos and recording FHD (720P and 1080P) resolution videos. Being advertised as budget-friendly, the SanDisk Ultra Plus doesn’t lack features to offer.
With over 80% five star rating on Amazon, the SanDisk Ultra Plus is designed for users who use midrange point and shoot digital cameras. SanDisk Ultra Plus is also waterproof, x-ray proof, and temperature proof. It is also an amazing option for smartphone users who are looking for an SD Card that doesn’t break the bank.
Memory Card Performance
SanDisk SD Cards are known for their great performance with a variety of models to choose from. It has been the go-to option for smartphone owners, ordinary camera users, and most professional photographers.
Now, let us see some numbers on SanDisk Ultra Plus’s read and write speed performance.
Write Speed
The ability of a memory card to store data from different sources at a given speed is identified by its write speed. Higher write speeds on an SD Card means faster performance on saving files and data.
To give you a better understanding here’s an example, a GoPro camera that records video at 4k 60 FPS resolution transfers data to your memory card at a speed of 7.5 MB per second.
So, if you have an SD Card that has a write speed of lower than 7.5 MB per second it wouldn’t perform well on your GoPro and will cause a lot of corrupted files and SD errors.
To avoid this kind of issue, you should always consider the memory card’s write speed when buying one.
Although the SanDisk Ultra Plus is rated class 10 which has a 10 MB per second write speed performs a bit faster with 11.5 MB per second write speed. Now, this is still a bit slow but, considering the price, it is still a good option for ordinary SD Card users.
See some numbers from Camera Memory Speed.
SanDisk Ultra Plus | Seq. Write 1000MB MB/s | Rand. Write 512KB MB/s | Rand. Write 4KB MB/s QD1 | Rand. Write 4KB IOPS QD1 | Rand. Write 4KB MB/s QD32 | Rand. Write 4KB IOPS QD32 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hama USB 3.0 UHS-II SD Card Reader | 62.334 | 42.792 | 2.583 | 630.6 | 2.648 | 646.5 |
Lexar Professional Workflow SR2 UHS-II | 61.995 | 48.163 | 2.729 | 666.2 | 2.813 | 686.8 |
Lexar LRWM04U-7000 UHS-II Reader | 62.061 | 47.119 | 2.655 | 648.2 | 2.822 | 689.0 |
Hama USB Type-C 3.1 UHS-II SD Card Reader | 62.441 | 44.899 | 2.581 | 630.1 | 2.631 | 642.4 |
Sony S1 High Speed UHS-II Reader/Writer | 61.947 | 44.489 | 2.134 | 521.1 | 2.228 | 543.9 |
SanDisk Extreme Pro SD UHS-II Reader/Writer | 62.289 | 48.658 | 2.123 | 518.2 | 2.252 | 549.8 |
Read Speed
You are probably going to transfer videos and photos to your computer after using your camera. In this case, the read speed of a memory card is also important. Read speed indicates the SD Card’s performance on file transfers. Higher read speed means shorter file transfer times.
Now, you are probably going to record videos at 1080P on your camera given the SanDisk Ultra Plus’s slow write speed. The SanDisk Ultra Plus features a 100 MB per second read speed which is more than enough for 1080P videos.
SanDisk memory cards are known to offer all-around performance on their premium and budget cards. Some brands that offer cheaper SD Cards usually have slow read speeds which are often overlooked by memory card buyers.
Here are some numbers on the card’s read speed performance from Camera Memory Speed.
SanDisk Ultra Plus | Seq. Read 1000MB MB/s | Rand. Read 512KB MB/s | Rand. Read 4KB MB/s QD1 | Rand. Read 4KB IOPS QD1 | Rand. Read 4KB MB/s QD32 | Rand. Read 4KB IOPS QD32 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hama USB 3.0 UHS-II SD Card Reader | 99.542 | 91.677 | 6.877 | 1678.9 | 7.944 | 1939.5 |
Lexar Professional Workflow SR2 UHS-II | 99.495 | 92.286 | 6.880 | 1679.8 | 7.959 | 1943.2 |
Lexar LRWM04U-7000 UHS-II Reader | 99.485 | 92.409 | 7.026 | 1715.3 | 7.923 | 1934.3 |
Hama USB Type-C 3.1 UHS-II SD Card Reader | 99.344 | 90.605 | 7.622 | 1860.8 | 8.030 | 1960.5 |
Sony S1 High Speed UHS-II Reader/Writer | 99.288 | 88.305 | 4.861 | 1186.7 | 5.794 | 1414.5 |
SanDisk Extreme Pro SD UHS-II Reader/Writer | 99.288 | 88.465 | 5.050 | 1233.0 | 5.943 | 1450.9 |
Memory Card Sizes
The SanDisk Ultra Plus is available on the following storage options:
- 16 GB
- 32 GB
- 64 GB
- 128 GB
What devices work well with SanDisk Ultra Plus?
In most cases, SanDisk cards are compatible with most devices that uses memory card. However, given that SanDisk Ultra Plus has a bit slow write speed, here are some devices that the card will perform well.
- Dash Cameras – If you are looking for a card to use on your dashcam the SanDisk Ultra Plus is a good option. It has a decent price with support for videos up to 1080P. Given that most dashcams don’t need ultra-fast SD Cards because it only records video at 1080P max resolution the card will 100% handle video recordings on your dashcams perfectly.
- Handheld Consoles – consoles like Nintendo Switch doesn’t need fast write speeds that much compared to cameras. Read speeds are more important for consoles. This helps speed up game loading. The SanDisk Ultra Plus has 100 MB per second read speed which is fast considering the price you are getting for the card.
- Smartphones – SanDisk Ultra Plus is also a good fit for smartphones. The 100 MB per second read speed of the card would be great when you are playing videos and music on your phone. The card is also capable of 1080P video recordings and high-resolution photos.
- Cameras – if you are using professional cameras that shoot videos at a resolution higher than 1080P then the SanDisk Ultra Plus won’t be the card for you. However, if you own a mid-range digital camera and records video at 1080P then you can consider getting the SanDisk Ultra Plus. It has can save videos at 1080P resolution paired with a decent 100 MB per second read speed for file transfers.
Should you get a SanDisk Ultra Plus for your camera?
To answer the question, we should consider a couple of things first. If you are going to use the card for professional cameras and newer GoPro models then the card may not fit your needs. On the other hand, if you have a mid-range point-to-shoot digital camera then you can consider getting the SanDisk Ultra Plus.
For the price, the Ultra Plus is a great budget-friendly memory card. It has a decent read and write speed with support for 1080P videos. It has a class 10 speed rating with read speeds of up to 100 MB per second which is 20 MB faster than the lower Ultra model. You also get the durability and reliability from SanDisk memory cards.
Now, for professional photographers who are looking for budget cards, this would not be the card to buy. There are other budget memory cards from SanDisk that is focused on photographers. The 10 MB per second write speed of the SanDisk Ultra Plus is simply not enough for your needs.
If you are going to buy an SD Card today it is best to get at least a card with 64 GB storage capacity. Most 64 GB cards are just a couple dollars expensive compared to the 32 GB model which is already double the capacity.
Alternative SD Card
If you are looking for a budget card for your professional camera, you can consider looking at the SanDisk Extreme. It has 40 MB per second write speed and 90 MB per second write speed. It is available in 32, 64, 128, 256, 400, 512 GB storage option.
Check out our full review of the SanDisk Extreme >>
Find the comparison between 2 Sandisk SD cards: Sandisk Ultra Plus vs Extreme: What’s better?
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