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GoPro Hero 19 SD Cards
  • Memory Cards

Best Memory Card GoPro Hero 9

  • June 26, 2021
  • AGriffin

With the new 5k H.265 recording modes in the GoPro Hero 9, you may be wondering what memory cards are best for the camera.

This guide will walk you through the different requirements and recording modes of the GoPro Hero 9 to help you find the best memory cards for the most stable performance.

 

Best SD Cards GoPro Hero9 Black

Before buying memory cards for the Hero9 there are a few things you should know.

The camera uses a single UHS-I micro SD memory card slot. You don’t need to buy a UHS-II card, but you should stick with the U3 speed class to avoid any problems.

The Hero9 has a memory card size of up to 256GB. It’s not recommended to use bigger cards.

 

Top 5 Recommendation SD Cards

Recommended SD Cards Hero9 - Sandisk ExtremeThese are the best memory cards with their corresponding performance take from an Android smartphone.

The GoPro Hero9 can take memory cards up to 256GB, but 128GB cards work very well for normal usage.

The bitrate of even the 5k recording mode in the Hero 9 is only up to 100Mbps which is 12.5MB/s so you don’t actually need an ultra-fast micro sd memory card, just one that comes rated with a minimum of a U3 spec. U3 means the card will maintain a minimum write speed of 30MB/s.

Recommended SD Cards Write Speeds Read Speed Order
Sandisk Extreme A2 U3 128GB – Top Recommendation 54MB/s 79MB/s Amazon
Samsung EVO Select U3 128GB 40MB/s 69MB/s Amazon
Netac Pro A1 U3 128GB 37MB/s 83MB/s Amazon
Lexar 667X A2 U3 128GB 38MB/s 86MB/s Amazon
Sandisk Extreme Plus A2 U3 128GB 75MB/s 80MB/s Amazon
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 128GB 73MB/s 83MB/s Amazon
Delkin Black V30, U3 128GB – What I use 71MB/s 77MB/s B&H

 

GoPro Hero 9 Capacity

The GoPro Hero9 Black takes micro sd memory cards up to 256GB in size. It is not recommended to use cards larger than this.

 

GoPro Hero 9 Memory Card Compatibility

The GoPro Hero9 takes micro SD memory cards with a U3 speed class.

After testing memory cards in GoPro cameras since the Hero5, I discovered a trend with GoPro cameras where you can get strange errors or problems if you’re using the wrong or incompatible card. A lot of people think this is the camera’s fault, maybe so, but usually, most strange issues are cleared up by switching out your memory card. This has improved dramatically over the years, but occasionally you’ll still see some issues with things like camera locking up, lagging, clips getting corrupted, or battery draining when the camera is off, if you’re using a memory card the camera doesn’t like. Like the Nintendo Switch Sandisk cards as an example – GoPros hate those.

If you experience lost clips, errors, abnormally bad battery life, laggy interface, etc, try switching out your card first.

 

Can You Use UHS-II cards?

Only buy UHS-II micro SD cards if you want very fast transfer speeds from your card to your computer with a micro UHS-II reader. They will give you no benefit in the camera.

 

SD Card Related Camera Specs

Sensor Size: 20 MP 4:3 1/2.3 inch CMOS
SD Card Slot: Single Slot Micro UHS-I
Maximum SD Card Size / Memory Card Capacity: Up To 256GB
Minimum SD Card Specs: UHS-I, Class 10 or U1
Video Bitrate: Average High 96Mbps, Average Standard 58Mbps.
Continuous Burst: 30 Photos / 1 Second
Video Resolution: 5k UHD  30, 24 fps / 4K UHD 24/25/30/50/60 fps 
Shots To Fill Buffer: 30

 

Info About Our Top Recommended Cards

 

Of all these cards, the Sandisk Extreme and Extreme Plus cards are pretty much guaranteed to work. But there are some other great options, especially if you want to use your camera on other devices, and there is even a new Delkin Black card that offers a tougher build quality.

Sandisk Extreme UHS-I V30 A2

Sandisk Extreme Best SD card GoPro Hero 8This is the best memory card you can buy for the GoPro Hero 9. It works in all GoPros and Sandisk Extreme cards have always been the cards bundled with the cameras and sold by GoPro themselves.

If for whatever reason you can’t get this card then there are a few other great options below.

 

Samsung EVO Select U3

Samsung EVO Select microSD GoPro Hero8

Samsung has always been a top performer in micro SD memory cards. Second, to the Sandisk Extreme cards, this is probably your best option.

Even in older cameras, the Samsung cards have always performed very well and they are priced very competitively.

 

Netac Pro A1 U3

Netac A1 Micro SD Card GoPro Hero8

The new Netac Pro has been performing surprisingly well and is priced very competitively. It was the first card I tried with the new 8. I shot with it for a solid week and experienced no issues it’s also getting great reviews on Amazon, so I feel confident in recommending it as an alternative to the Sandisk Extreme.

 

Lexar 667X A2 Micro SD Card GoPro Hero 8Lexar 667X A2 U3 

Lexar was sold off to a new company out of China a few years ago. Their cards still perform well but we’re not seeing the same positive ratings as they did with Micron owned them. However, these new microSD cards look like they are performing well and the price is very competitive so they are still a great option.

 

Sandisk Extreme Pro or Plus V30 A2

Sandisk Extreme Pro | Fastest Micro SD Memory Card Hero 8

The Sandisk Extreme Pro or Plus micro sd cards are often a little more expensive than the Extreme cards and they aren’t worth it if you’re just using them for your GoPro. However, a lot of people like to use their cards in multiple devices so this will give you great performance in other cameras or drones.

If you own older GoPros like the 7 Silver or the 6, stay away from the Pro. The Plus will still work in those.

 

PNY Elite-X A1 U3

PNY Elite-X Micro SD Memory CardA few years ago I was seeing a lot of issues with PNY cards with different cameras and I stopped recommending them. Lately, they’ve been performing very well and have been getting good ratings. Their PNY Elite gave me problems in the GoPro Hero 6 but this new Elite-X has been flawless in the new 8. I would maybe stay away from this card if you have older GoPro cameras you still use. But I haven’t had issues in the Hero 7 Black or the Hero 9 Black.

 

Delkin Black 128GB MicroSD V30 U3

The Delkin Black micro SD cards have a tougher build to them. They are x-ray, water, and shockproof and can resist temperatures up to -13 to 185°F. The cards also feature built-in error correction and wear leveling to maximize longevity and avoid potential data loss.

 

You can also see GoPro’s official memory considerations. I have made sure the cards I’ve recommended here work in my GoPro without any issues, but are also on GoPro’s official considerations page to further reduce any problems, minus the Netac which they have not tested. 

 

Best Size Memory Card For GoPro Hero9

With the maximum micro SD card size for the GoPro Hero 9 being 256GB, at 5k 100Mbps, you will be limited to about 341 minutes of video per card.

With the higher bitrate of the Hero 9 compared to the older cameras, I find myself often getting halfway through a 64GB card, with the high bitrate doing things like going to SeaWorld with the kids. I almost never use the full capacity of a 128GB card on a weekend trip, but I do recommend 128GB if you can afford them as they allow you to go a few days without worry about running out of space.

 

Do you need an SD Card Bigger than the 32GB the Hero 9 ship with?

Now that the Hero 9 is capable of shooting 30p at 100Mbps, you may want a card bigger than 32GB. At 100Mbps, a 32GB card will only give you 43 minutes of recording.

 

GoPro Hero 9 Bitrates

These are the bitrates you can expect to find in the different record modes.

Hero 9 Recording Options Standard HEVC High HEVC
5k    
30p, 24p 58Mb/s 96Mb/s
4k    
60p 58Mb/s 96Mb/s
24p, 30p 58Mb/s 95Mb/s
2.7k    
240p 57Mb/s 75Mb/s
1080p    
120p 58Mb/s 95Mb/s

Use the Bitrate Calculator to see how much time each bitrate will record.

 

Micro SD Memory Card Speed Tests

We tested each SD memory card to get find their read and write speeds using the Samsung Galaxy S10+. This smartphone is great because it has a micro  SD card reader and allows us to see the results from smaller devices powered by ARM processors, with smaller components, similar to what our GoPro’s are using, versus a USB reader plugged into a PC.

The GoPro has moved the Hero 9 bitrate up to 100Mbps and is now shooting 5k. To shoot 5k at 100Mbps you will need a memory card with a minimum write speed of 12.5MB/s which means the SD Card must be a U3 rating. You should no longer be using U1 memory cards.

This table shows the results of our micro SD memory read and write speeds tests.

Card NameClassS10 WriteS10 Read
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 128GBUHS-II73MB/s83MB/s
Sandisk High Endurance V30 128GBUHS-I41MB/s84MB/s
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 64GBUHS-I75MB/s78MB/s
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 A2 128GBUHS-I54MB/s79MB/s
Sandisk Extreme Plus U3 64GBUHS-I75MB/s80MB/s
Sandisk Extreme U3 A2 128GBUHS-I55MB/s78MB/s
Sandisk Extreme U3 64GBUHS-I55MB/s81MB/s
Sandisk Ultra U1 A1 128 GBUHS-I32MB/s72MB/s
Sandisk Ultra U3 64GBUHS-I30MB/s79MB/s
Sandisk Nintendo 128GBUHS-I49MB/s49MB/s
Samsung Pro+ U3 64GBUHS-I73MB/s75MB/s
Samsung Pro U3 64GBUHS-I67MB/s74MB/s
Samsung Pro Select U3 64GBUHS-I72MB/s75MB/s
Samsung EVO Plus U3 64GBUHS-I42MB/s83MB/s
Samsung EVO+ U1 64GBUHS-I20MB/s74MB/s
Samsung EVO Select U3 64GBUHS-I40MB/s69MB/s
Samsung EVO Select U1 64GBUHS-I23MB/s77MB/s
Samsung EVO U3 64GBUHS-I40MB/s70MB/s
Samsung EVO U1 64GBUHS-I22MB/s42MB/s
Kingston V30 A1 128GBUHS-I40MB/s74MB/s
Kingston V30 128GBUHS-I40MB/s74MB/s
ProGrade V60 64GBUHS-II67MB/s79MB/s
Lexar 1800x 64GBUHS-II37MB/s83MB/s
Lexar 1000x U3 64GBUHS-II38MB/s79MB/s
Lexar 633x A2 V30 128GBUHS-I38MB/s86MB/s
Lexar 633x U1 64GBUHS-I24MB/s75MB/s
Lexar 300x U1 64GBUHS-I24MB/s42MB/s
Delkin V60 64GBUHS-II71MB/s77MB/s
Delkin V30 128GBUHS-I43MB/s77MB/s
Delkin U3 64GBUHS-I70MB/s74MB/s
Sony V30 128GBUHS-I39MB/s75MB/s
Transcend A1 V30 128GBUHS-I40MB/s79MB/s
Transcend Ultimate 633x U3 64GBUHS-I42MB/s75MB/s
Transcend 400x U1 64GBUHS-I24MB/s76MB/s
Transcend 300x U1 64GBUHS-I24MB/s76MB/s
Transcend High Endurance C10 64GBUHS-I21MB/s22MB/s
PNY Elite-X A1 V30 128GBUHS-I45MB/s78MB/s
PNY PRO Elite U3 128GBUHS-I70MB/s74MB/s
PNY Elite U1 128GBUHS-I28MB/s76MB/s
Amplim A1 V30 667X 128GB GoldUHS-I38MB/s80MB/s
Amplim A1 V30 667X 128GB PurpleUHS-I40MB/s81MB/s
Amplim A1 V30 667X 128GB GreenUHS-I41MB/s81MB/s
Netac Pro A1 U3 128GBUHS-I37MB/s83MB/s
Netac Pro U3 64GBUHS-I35MB/s69MB/s
Pariot U1 64GBUHS-I20MB/s55MB/s

 

Best Memory Cards GoPro Hero9 | Conclusions

While it seems like there is a lot to worry about with memory cards in the GoPro, most of the problems come from using off-brands, or specialty cards like the Sandisk Nintendo Switch cards and high endurance cards.

GoPro cameras have been configured to run very well with Sandisk cards and Samsung micro SD cards. The Sandisk Extreme cards really are the way to go, but I have found Extreme Pro, Ultra, and Plus cards all work great as well.

If you are still having strange issues with camera lockups or sluggish performance, it’s almost certainly your memory card and the firsts thing you should always try is to swap out memory cards to something different than what you were using.

 

Have an older GoPro?

Check out this guide to the Best Micro SD Cards For GoPro Cameras.

**This website contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you click them to make a purchase.
AGriffin

Professional editor, blogger and photographer from Los Angeles California.

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