Michael Crider
With phones now boasting insane 108 megapixel camera sensors and 8K video recording, to say nothing of the latest dSLR cameras that cost more than a used car, you’ll need flash storage that’s up to the challenge. Kingston is making it: the company’s newest Canvas series is specifically designed to handle the high-speed data requirements of those huge photos and videos.
The Canvas line of SD and MicroSD cards are available in three separate series: Canvas Select Plus, Canvas Go! Plus, and Canvas React Plus. The differences between them are subtle, so here’s a quick breakdown:
- Canvas Select Plus: up to 512GB
- Class 10 UHS-1, 100MB/s read
- Canvas Go Plus: up to 512GB
- Class 10 UHS-I U3, 170MB/s read, 90MB/s write
- Canvas React Plus: Up to 256GB
- SD – Class 10 UHS-II U3, 300MB/s read, 260MB/s write
- MicroSD – Class 10 UHS-II U3, 285MB/s read, 165MB/s write
The MicroSD cards are also certified for A1 mobile app support, with the Canvas Go! Plus line bumped up to A2. If you’re not sure what all the hubbub about UHS and U3 are, check out this How-To Geek primer on flash card nomenclature. Let me put it this way: if these tiny little cards were hot rods, you wouldn’t be able to resist getting a few speeding tickets.
Of course those are maximum speeds in ideal conditions. In order to take advantage of those read and write speeds, you’ll need a phone or camera with hardware compatible with the latest drivers. Sticking a faster card into a slower device isn’t a total loss, it just means you won’t be able to use the extra speed you’re paying for. To that end, Kingston is also releasing a line of MobileLite Plus card readers that can handle the read and write speeds of the fastest Canvas React Plus cards.
The new cards are available for purchase on Kingston’s online store today, and a few have already popped up on Amazon. Prices range from just $5 for the smallest, cheapest MicroSD to a whopping $266.50 for the biggest, fastest Canvas React Plus SD card with a freebie MobileLite Plus reader.
