Like the GoPro HERO5 and HERO6, the GoPro HERO 2018 also has little quirks when it comes to finding the best memory cards. If you’ve owned other GoPro cameras, you’ll know not just any memory card works. The camera is picky and if you choose the wrong memory card you can run into issues with things like gimbal control, the battery continuously draining, or simply corrupted files. While GoPro is actively fixing any issue with firmware, it’s still a good idea to get the best memory card for your Hero 2018.
Follow this guide to help you find the best memory cards for the GoPro HERO (2018).
Best Memory Card GoPro HERO 2018
Before we get started looking at the recommended micro SD memory cards for the Hero 2018, did you know that the Hero 2018 is a GoPro Hero 5? It’s the exact same hardware with firmware that limits the camera’s capabilities. You can even hack the firmware to turn your Hero 2018 into a Hero 5 with special firmware. I won’t go into that, but that’s something worth googling.
Because the Hero 2018 is a Hero5, both cameras share the same memory card compatibility quirks and you’ll need to be selective.
Here are the recommended memory cards.
Recommended Memory Cards GoPro Hero 2018
GoPro Pro has released its chart to compatible memory cards for each camera model. However, the chart is a little limited so I’ve done further testing with other cards you may have access to that are not on that chart.
Here are the top recommended cards. These are tested and work great. All cards in my list are not reported as having issues on GoPros site.
Recommended Cards | Speed Class | Check Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
MicroSD Express | ||||
Lexar PLAY PRO EX 256/512GB / 1TB | EX | Amazon | ||
Sandisk MicroSD EX 128GB/512GB | EX | Amazon | ||
Samsung MicroSD Express | EX | Amazon | ||
PNY MicroSD EX 128GB/256GB | EX | Amazon | ||
UHS-II | ||||
Lexar 1800x V60 | UHS-II | |||
Lexar 1000x V60 | UHS-II | Amazon | ||
Lexar Gold V60 A1 | UHS-II | Amazon / B&H | ||
ProGrade V60 | UHS-II | Amazon / B&H | ||
Delkin Power V90 | UHS-II | Amazon / B&H | ||
Angel Bird A1 V60 | UHS-II | Amazon / B&H | ||
UHS-I | ||||
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon | X | |
Sandisk Extreme Plus U3 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | X | |
Sandisk Outdoors 4k V30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Sandisk Extreme U3 A2 256GB-1TB | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Sandisk Extreme U3 A2 128GB | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | X | |
Sandisk Ultra U1 A1 - 0ld | UHS-I | B&H | ||
Sandisk Nintendo Switch V30 A1 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Sandisk High Endurance V30 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Sandisk Max Endurance V30 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Samsung Pro Ultimate v30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Samsung Pro Plus V30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | X | |
Samsung EVO Plus V30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | X | |
Samsung EVO Select V30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Samsung Pro Endurance V30 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Kingston Canvas Go! Plus V30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | X | |
Kingston Canvas Select Plus V30 A1 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Kingston Industrial V30 A1 | UHS-I | X | Amazon / B&H | |
Lexar Silver Plus V30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | X | |
Lexar Silver1066x A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Lexar Blue 633x V30 A1/A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Lexar FLY V30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Lexar PLAY U3 A2 512GB-1TB | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Lexar PLAY U3 A1 256GB | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Lexar PLAY U1 A1 128GB | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Lexar E-Series Plus U3 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon | ||
Lexar E-Series U3 A1 | UHS-I | Amazon | ||
Delkin Black V30 | UHS-I | B&H | ||
Delkin Hyperspeed V30 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Delkin Select V30 64GB | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Delkin Dashcard V30 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Transcend 500S U3 | UHS-I | X | Amazon / B&H | |
Transcend 350V High Endurance U3 | UHS-I | X | Amazon / B&H | |
Transcend 340S Ultra Performance V30 A2 | UHS-I | X | Amazon / B&H | |
Transcend 330S High Performance V30 A2 | UHS-I | X | Amazon / B&H | |
Transcend 300s V30 A1 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
PNY Premier-X A2 V30 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | X | |
PNY PRO Elite U3 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | X | |
PNY PRO Elite U3 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
PNY Elite-X V30 A1 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Amplim 667X V30 A1 | UHS-I | Amazon | ||
Netac Pro A1 U3 | UHS-I | X | ||
Patriot EP PRO U3 | UHS-I | Amazon | ||
Patriot EP A1 V30 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Patriot High Endurance U3 | UHS-I | X | ||
Silicon Power Superior Pro | UHS-I | X | B&H | |
Silicon Power Superior V30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Silicon Power Superior V30 A1 | UHS-I | |||
Silicon Power 3D NanD V30 A1 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Silicon Power GAME V30 A1 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Silicon Power High Endurance U3 | UHS-I | Amazon / B&H | ||
Ritz Gear V30 A1 | UHS-I | Amazon | ||
Gigastone 4k Camera Extreme Max | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
Gigastone 4k Camera Extreme | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
Gigastone 4k Camera Pro Max V30 A2 | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
Gigastone 4k Camera Pro V30 A2 | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
Gigastone Camera Plus V30 A1 | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
Gigastone 4k Game Turbo A2 U3 | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
Gigastone Game Pro Max V30 A2 | UHS-I | X | ||
Gigastone 4k Game Pro V30 A2 | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
Gigastone Gaming Plus A1 V30 | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
Gigastone 10x High Endurance V30 | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
TeamGroup A2 Pro+ 256GB-1TB | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
TeamGroup A2 Pro+ 128GB | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
TeamGroup Go V30 A1 | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
TeamGroup High Endurance V30 | UHS-I | X | Amazon | |
Amazon Basics V30 A2 | UHS-I | Amazon |
Can You Use a 128GB Memory Card In The HERO (2018)
Yes, a 128GB memory card does work in the Hero 2018. Make sure you get either a Lexar 1000x or a Sandisk Extreme Plus or you could have USB connection issues. I personally use a Sandisk Extreme Pro 128GB and it has trouble communicating with my Karma Grip, but works fine otherwise.
GoPro HERO 2018 | Specs
Sensor Size: 1/2.3″ (6.17 x 4.55 mm)
Megapixels: 10
1920 x 1440: 30/60 fps at 60Mb/s with H264 Codec.
1920 x 1080: 30/60 fps at 60 Mb/s with H264 Codec.
GoPro Micro SD Memory Speed Chart
I’ve tested all the micro SD cards with Windows 10 to give you a general performance list between brands and models. This isn’t entirely correct because different camera processors handle the different types of flash memory differently but it is correct for how Windows 10 reads and writes to each card.
I’ve marked a lot of cards ‘Maybe’ in this chart just to be on the safe side since I have had a few issues with various cards in older GoPros.
Memory card read/write speeds were determined using Crystal Disk on Windows 10.
Micro SD Memory Card | Read Speeds | Write Speeds | Does It Work? |
Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB U3 | 99.38 MB/s | 90.33 MB/s | Maybe |
Sandisk Extreme Plus 64GB U3 | 99.45 MB/s | 89.85 MB/s | Yes |
Sandisk Extreme 64GB U3 | 99.49 MB/s | 70.29 MB/s | Yes |
Sandisk Ultra C10 – Old Version U1 | 47.69 MB/s | 36.23 MB/s | Maybe |
Sandisk Ultra C10 – New Version | 99.46 MB/s | 79.64 MB/s | Maybe |
Lexar 1000x 64GB U3 UHS-II | 151.7 MB/s | 53.18 MB/s | Yes |
Lexar 633x 64GB U1 | 96.89 MB/s | 33.29 MB/s | Yes |
Lexar 300x 64GB U1 | 47.37 MB/s | 31.17 MB/s | Maybe |
Transcend Ultimate 633x 64GB U3 | 96.67 MB/s | 79.62 MB/s | Yes |
Transcend Premium 400x 64GB U1 | 96.87 MB/s | 32.58 MB/s | Maybe |
Transcend Premium 300x 64GB U1 | 96.88 MB/s | 33.29 MB/s | Maybe |
Transcend High Endurance | 22.88 MB/s | 21.84 MB/s | Maybe |
PNY Pro Elite 64GB U3 | 98.44 MB/s | 64.43 MB/s | Yes |
PNY Elite U1 | 96.88 MB/s | 41.18 MB/s | Yes |
Samsung Pro+ 64GB U3 | 97.72 MB/s | 87.23 MB/s | Yes |
Samsung Pro 64GB U3 | 97.42 MB/s | 79.51 MB/s | Yes |
Samsung Pro Select 64GB U3 | 97.84 MB/s | 86.80 MB/s | Yes |
Samsung Evo+ 64GB U1 | 96.81 MB/s | 28.31 MB/s | Maybe |
Samsung Evo Select 64GB U1 | 97.65 MB/s | 29.52 MB/s | Maybe |
Samsung Evo 64GB U1 | 47.65 MB/s | 26.48 MB/s | Maybe |
Patriot 64GB U1 | 82.76 MB/s | 14.92 MB/s | Maybe |
Netac Pro 64GB U3 | 77.70 MB/s | 49.70 MB/s | Yes |
GoPro Hero | What’s Different?
Since the GoPro HERO 2018 is really a stripped-down HERO 5 but with a few differences. It has a 10-megapixel sensor and doesn’t shoot 4k. Instead, it can shoot 1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1440 at 30 or 60fps. The bitrate remains about the same as the HERO 5 at 60Mb/s.
You should get the same video record times as the HERO 5, except won’t have 2.7k and 4k options.
The camera also features the same electric image stabilization as the Hero 5 (where it’s done by the image processor) and does not offer the in-body image stabilization IBIS of the Hero6. It looks like the Hero6 uses in-body image stabilization or optical image stabilization like the Sony action cameras. Based on the way it looks, it performs almost identically to other IBIS cameras, although I can’t find any documentation on this.
Best Memory Cards For GoPro HERO 2018 | Conclusions
The new GoPro Hero 2018 is by far the most compatible camera in terms of memory card compatibility. While the Hero 6 has a higher bitrate, demanding more from its cards, the Hero 2018 (in terms of specs) is a stripped-down Hero 5 but with all the improvements of firmware and hardware that GoPro has implemented into their cameras over the last three years.
The best memory card you can buy for the Hero 2018 I would say is the Sandisk Extreme Plus. You will have no issues with 64GB cards or 128GB cards and they are great to use in any device even your mirrorless or DSLR cameras with an adapter.
**This website contains affiliate links. We will earn a small commission on purchases made through these links. Some of the links used in these articles will direct you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. |