Considering that the best SD cards in the world have now reached the 8TB mark, it’s surprising that most of them still come in flimsy plastic. And if you’ve been unfortunate enough to break one and lose a bunch of precious data, you might be interested in Lexar’s new Armor cards, which the company says are the first to be made of stainless steel.
First announced at the NAB 2024 video and entertainment trade show in Las Vegas, the Lexar Armor Gold SD UHS-II and Silver Pro SD UHS-II cards have now been fully revealed at IFA 2024 in Berlin. They’re made from “316 stainless steel,” to be exact, an alloy that’s highly resistant to corrosion and water damage.
Unusually for SD cards, this means both have an IP68 rating, denoting their resistance to small dust particles and submersion in water. That stainless steel casing also gives them some bending resistance, which should come in handy if they happen to become dislodged from their casing in a bag or pocket.
Much like Sony’s SF-G Tough series of cards (which are also among the few to boast an IP68 rating), the Armor Gold and Armor Silver Pro are fairly high-end affairs aimed at professional shooters. For starters, they’re both UHS-II rated, meaning they have a second row of pins for faster transfer speeds.
In terms of speed, the Armor Gold is of course better, with a peak read speed of 280MB/s and a peak write speed of 210MB/s, making it suitable for 8K or 4K video recording. The Silver Pro, meanwhile, matches its 280MB/s read speeds, but has a slower write speed of 160MB/s (meaning it will transfer data to your computer slower).
You can purchase both Armor SD cards in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB capacities. Pricing has not yet been announced, but we’ve reached out to Lexar for an update and will update this story once we have more information.
Not the speed kings
While many of the best CFexpress cards feature metal casings for added durability, SD cards are generally more fragile. So it’s good to see some sturdier, premium options, especially since mirrorless camera manufacturers are still largely reluctant to include built-in storage in their new bodies.
But while Lexar’s new Armor cards are tough, they’re not the fastest SD cards around – that honor goes to the new Professional Gold Pro SDXC Express Card. Since it follows the SD 8.0 specification, which the SD Association announced back in May 2020, it’s capable of blazing-fast read speeds of up to 1,700MB/s and write speeds of up to 1,000MB/s.
That’s actually comparable to the best CF Express 4.0 cards, and considerably faster than most other SD cards – though be aware that these are advertised speeds, so real-world performance may vary. Still, if you have a camera that’s compatible with the SD 8.0 standard’s PCIe 4.0 technology, it could be a solid new option for demanding video shoots.
If you’re lucky enough to have a camera with a CFexpress 4.0 slot, Lexar has an even faster option for you: the new Professional Diamond CFexpress 4.0 Type B card, which can reach read speeds of up to 3,700 MB/s and write speeds of up to 3,400 MB/s. You’ll also likely have to write a hefty check to snag one. We’ll update this story once we have pricing from Lexar.