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
These 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 |
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![]() If for whatever reason you can’t get this card then there are a few other great options below. |
Samsung EVO Select U3Samsung 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 U3The 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. |
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Sandisk Extreme Pro or Plus V30 A2The 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
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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 Name | Class | S10 Write | S10 Read |
---|---|---|---|
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 128GB | UHS-II | 73MB/s | 83MB/s |
Sandisk High Endurance V30 128GB | UHS-I | 41MB/s | 84MB/s |
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 64GB | UHS-I | 75MB/s | 78MB/s |
Sandisk Extreme Pro U3 A2 128GB | UHS-I | 54MB/s | 79MB/s |
Sandisk Extreme Plus U3 64GB | UHS-I | 75MB/s | 80MB/s |
Sandisk Extreme U3 A2 128GB | UHS-I | 55MB/s | 78MB/s |
Sandisk Extreme U3 64GB | UHS-I | 55MB/s | 81MB/s |
Sandisk Ultra U1 A1 128 GB | UHS-I | 32MB/s | 72MB/s |
Sandisk Ultra U3 64GB | UHS-I | 30MB/s | 79MB/s |
Sandisk Nintendo 128GB | UHS-I | 49MB/s | 49MB/s |
Samsung Pro+ U3 64GB | UHS-I | 73MB/s | 75MB/s |
Samsung Pro U3 64GB | UHS-I | 67MB/s | 74MB/s |
Samsung Pro Select U3 64GB | UHS-I | 72MB/s | 75MB/s |
Samsung EVO Plus U3 64GB | UHS-I | 42MB/s | 83MB/s |
Samsung EVO+ U1 64GB | UHS-I | 20MB/s | 74MB/s |
Samsung EVO Select U3 64GB | UHS-I | 40MB/s | 69MB/s |
Samsung EVO Select U1 64GB | UHS-I | 23MB/s | 77MB/s |
Samsung EVO U3 64GB | UHS-I | 40MB/s | 70MB/s |
Samsung EVO U1 64GB | UHS-I | 22MB/s | 42MB/s |
Kingston V30 A1 128GB | UHS-I | 40MB/s | 74MB/s |
Kingston V30 128GB | UHS-I | 40MB/s | 74MB/s |
ProGrade V60 64GB | UHS-II | 67MB/s | 79MB/s |
Lexar 1800x 64GB | UHS-II | 37MB/s | 83MB/s |
Lexar 1000x U3 64GB | UHS-II | 38MB/s | 79MB/s |
Lexar 633x A2 V30 128GB | UHS-I | 38MB/s | 86MB/s |
Lexar 633x U1 64GB | UHS-I | 24MB/s | 75MB/s |
Lexar 300x U1 64GB | UHS-I | 24MB/s | 42MB/s |
Delkin V60 64GB | UHS-II | 71MB/s | 77MB/s |
Delkin V30 128GB | UHS-I | 43MB/s | 77MB/s |
Delkin U3 64GB | UHS-I | 70MB/s | 74MB/s |
Sony V30 128GB | UHS-I | 39MB/s | 75MB/s |
Transcend A1 V30 128GB | UHS-I | 40MB/s | 79MB/s |
Transcend Ultimate 633x U3 64GB | UHS-I | 42MB/s | 75MB/s |
Transcend 400x U1 64GB | UHS-I | 24MB/s | 76MB/s |
Transcend 300x U1 64GB | UHS-I | 24MB/s | 76MB/s |
Transcend High Endurance C10 64GB | UHS-I | 21MB/s | 22MB/s |
PNY Elite-X A1 V30 128GB | UHS-I | 45MB/s | 78MB/s |
PNY PRO Elite U3 128GB | UHS-I | 70MB/s | 74MB/s |
PNY Elite U1 128GB | UHS-I | 28MB/s | 76MB/s |
Amplim A1 V30 667X 128GB Gold | UHS-I | 38MB/s | 80MB/s |
Amplim A1 V30 667X 128GB Purple | UHS-I | 40MB/s | 81MB/s |
Amplim A1 V30 667X 128GB Green | UHS-I | 41MB/s | 81MB/s |
Netac Pro A1 U3 128GB | UHS-I | 37MB/s | 83MB/s |
Netac Pro U3 64GB | UHS-I | 35MB/s | 69MB/s |
Pariot U1 64GB | UHS-I | 20MB/s | 55MB/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.