Why you can trust TechRuther
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Learn more about how we test.
PNY MicroSD Express Card: Review
The PNY microSD Express card is one of the fastest Nintendo Switch 2 cards I’ve tested.
It also improves when it comes to read speeds, actually achieving above the claimed 890MB/s with 893.74MB/s in my testing. The difference is probably down to variations and equipment, but it’s safe to say that this card is faster. Its read speed is practically neck-and-neck with the licensed SanDisk MicroSD Express card for the Nintendo Switch 2.
What does all this mean in practical terms? Well, the PNY microSD Express card is fantastic for use with the Nintendo Switch 2. Providing internet, download games fast and everything runs smoothly while you play. I liked the choice Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition And Hitman World of Assassination – Signature Editiontwo very demanding Nintendo Switch 2 games, and neither observed a noticeable drop in performance—be it dropped frames, slower to load models, or increased load times.
Best of all, the 256GB PNY microSD Express Card is practically the same price as its larger competition. At around AU$100 au 59.99 / £59.99 / ar au, there’s a good reason to pick this card over the alternatives. There’s also the matter of the warranty, with PNY offering a five-year or “limited lifetime warranty” in some areas.
This refers to the life of the card (not you) and doesn’t cover you if PNY stops making them, but otherwise you should at least be looking at the life of the Nintendo Switch 2 – just make sure you stick to proof of purchase and retail packaging in case you need to claim it.
PNY is one of the few manufacturers that offers an affordable 128GB model, which. 44.99 / £39.99 (or even less on sale), allowing players with very modest storage to avoid paying more for storage they don’t need.
There’s a catch when you start looking at variants above 256GB. The recently released 512 GB model in the market. It comes in at 119.99 / around £150, but it seems to be very hard to find outside of the US right now. There’s no 1TB model yet, instead those with massive libraries are better left with the competing Lexar Play Pro microSD Express card.
PNY MicroSD Express Card: Price and Specs
Price | . 59.99 / £59.99 / AU$100 (256GB) |
Ability | 128GB / 256GB |
Reference reading speed | 890MB/s |
Referenced writing speed | 750MB/s |
Benchmark read speed | 893.74MB/s |
Benchmark write speed | 713.42MB/s |
Should I buy a PNY microSD Express card?
If you buy it…
If you don’t buy it…
Also consider
Here’s how the PNY microSD Express card stacks up against two major competitors.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | PNY MicroSD Express Card | Lexar Play Pro MicroSD Express Card | SanDisk MicroSD Express Card for Nintendo Switch 2 |
Price | . 59.99 / £59.99 / AU$100 (256GB) | . 58.98 / £59.45 / au$119.34 (256GB) | . 59.99/. 49.99 / au $ 79.95 |
Ability | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB | 256 GB |
Reference reading speed | 890MB/s | 900MB/s | 880MB/s |
Referenced writing speed | 750MB/s | 600MB/s | 650MB/s |
Benchmark read speed | 893.74MB/s | 831.97MB/s | 894.4MB/s |
Benchmark write speed | 713.42MB/s | 310.03MB/s | 674.1MB/s |
How I Tested the PNY MicroSD Express Card
- Tested over a period of several weeks
- Compared to other microSD Express cards
- Measured using standardized benchmark tests
I tested the PNY microSD Express card along with several other microSD Express units over a period of several weeks. During that time, I used the card with my personal Nintendo Switch 2, testing its performance in a range of the best Nintendo Switch 2 games.
To get comparison data, I benchmarked the card against the competition in a series of standard tests. I measured the read and write speeds of each card configuration using standard benchmarks by Crystaldisk at its default flash memory settings.
To do this, I relied on the Lexar Play Pro microSD Express card reader, which has an active cooling fan.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed November 2025
1 Comment
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.