For shooting fast-moving action photos in high resolution or writing and transferring large HD video files, the latest advances in SD cards make all the difference. The newest, fastest cards on the market are UHS-II SD cards, which can replace the earlier UHS-I cards. The UHS-II cards have a faster read and write speed than their predecessors, allowing you more efficiency in your workflow with less waiting time for data to write, read or transfer. UHS stands for Ultra High Speed, and with the UHS-II SD card, manufacturers have succeeded in keeping up with the ever growing file sizes of HD 4K video.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is a UHS-II SD card different from a UHS-I SD card?

These two types of SD cards look the same, but the difference lies in the hardware technology that links the card and the device. The high-speed bus is the interface that allows the card and the camera to exchange data. With a UHS-II SD card, the high-speed bus technology works faster than that of the original UHS-I SD card, so your images and video will not only write to the card faster, but also read and transfer data more quickly, too.

Can I use a UHS-II SD card in a device that takes UHS-I cards?

Yes. The new, lightning speed UHS-II SD cards have been designed to be backwards compatible, and they work with older card readers and cameras. However, if you’re using a card reader without advanced speed capability, then the data-related operations of the UHS-II card will be slowed down by your older SD card hardware. If you’re interested in all-around high speed, then you can purchase newer card readers and accessories made specifically for UHS-II SD cards.

Buying Guide

You’re excited to try these speedy little cards in your camera and see what a difference their quick responsiveness makes. However, choosing one is far from intuitive. It takes some reading, comparing, and thinking. Before you make your decision, here are some important points to consider when picking out the best UHS-II SD card for your needs:

Those little UHS-II SD cards all look the same. Literally. They’re all the same shape and size so that they’ll fit in any SD card slot. So, you’ve got to do some research to uncover the differences between brands and capabilities of various UHS-II SD cards. Luckily, we’re one step ahead, and we’ve evaluated many of the newer, faster SD cards on the market. See the list below of our top picks for the best UHS-II SD cards:

From a Trusted Name 

Lexar is a name known by photographers and videographers for their long history of making high quality digital products. This high-speed UHS-II SDXC card makes it quick and easy to work with the large files of high-definition images and video.

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Photographers depend on the reliable digital cards from Lexar, and now they offer a card in state-of-the-art UHS-II speed.

Super Durable & Waterproof

Sony’s TOUGH series is perfect for capturing and transferring photo and video out in the rugged outdoors. Shooting the rain? Changing your card in some inclement weather will not stop this SD card, and it both writes and transfers data at very high speeds.

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This hardy card from Sony’s TOUGH series will keep your images safe while you are outdoors or indoors.

Rigorous Quality Testing

ProGrade might be a lesser known name than the major electronic corporations, but its quality level meets or exceeds the big guys and its products are trusted by professionals.  ProGrade puts their products through an arduous testing process to ensure the quality of their SD cards.

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Quality is important to the people at ProGrade, and this SDXC card easily holds its own against more well-known brands.

Waterproof, Temperature-Proof & Shockproof

This Extreme PRO card from SanDisk is one trusted by many traveling professionals who shoot on location in a variety of conditions. It can stand up to water, extreme temperatures, and even tolerate airport X-rays well. All this, plus an ultra-fast transfer speed of up to 300 MB/sec.

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SanDisk’s Extreme Pro UHS-II SD card can handle just about anything, whether it’s a rainstorm, bumpy travel, or cold or hot temperatures.

From a US Small Business 

This fast-reading UHS-II SD card from Amplin is compatible with the vast majority of professional camera brands, and its durability for use in the field is impressive from a small business.

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Shoot and transfer video and high resolution images with ease with this speedy little 128-GB UHS-II SD card from Amplin.