GoPro Hero6 SD Card what is best? One of the if not most searched questions since the launch of GoPro Hero6 camera. As GoPro cameras have increased in video recording ability’s so have the demands in the memory cards in them. Hero6 now has the amazing performance of 4K 60 fps and 1080 240 fps. These require very high write speeds in micro SD memory cards.
GoPro Hero6 SD Card
Hero6 with its new GP1 chip inside seems to be very particular in what micro SD card is in use. Here is a look at what has worked best for some avid GoPro users. Currently, GoPro on their recommended cards page says use SanDisk Extreme Plus/Pro micro SD cards. These are the only ones that are recommended. It is hard to believe these are the only ones, this could be just a sales funnel? SD card memory technology like all computer/tech memory is constantly improving. Although after learning from personal and other GoPro users use these SanDisk cards do seem to be the most stable.
Are these the ONLY cards that work in Hero6? I have used my Lexar 633x, 1000x cards (that work great in GoPro Hero5 Black) personally without issue. Now, this has not been the same result for some other users. Since this camera has been a much more sensitive (SD card wise) GoPro camera to date. I have stuck with using the SanDisk Extreme Plus cards exclusively in my Hero6 cameras. Proceed with caution, unless you are specifically testing for card failure I say don’t risk losing your memories to the wrong SD card.
What to use?
- Size: Use 32gb min 128gb max
- UHS Speed Class: 30 (V30) U3 cards will always allow for a minimum write speed of 30MB/s. With the Hero6 recording at a high bit rate H.265 codec can run 80Mbit/s to 87Mbit/s. This can depend on the ProTune settings being used.
- Cards to stay far away from Sandisk Ultra, Samsung Pro+ 128gb. The Sandisk Ultra cards have caused more GoPro Hero6 issues than any other card. (I have talked to some users having some success with Samsung Pro+ 64gb cards, but be careful here.)
Here are links to the best GoPro Hero6 SD card to use.
SanDisk cards are generally excellent. Problems are usually a result of COUNTERFEIT cards, a big problem. From my professional high tech crime experience I would estimate that 20% or more of the memory cards on eBay are counterfeit, even the ones in (fake) retail packaging. To guard against fakes, buy from a major, reputable reseller.
For best results, it’s important when formatting to use the official SD Association Memory Card Formatter: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/
As of September 2018, easily the best card for GoPro Hero is the Samsung EVO Plus microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card (2017 Model), Class 10 U3 speed (up to 100MB/s Read and 60MB/s Write). 64GB with adapter widely available for only $21.
Yes, the Samsung Evo cards do work well with the GoPro Hero 2018 camera. I have heard (not from personal experience) of some users having great success on Hero 5/6 cameras with them. Although I currently still stick with Sandisc Extreme cards for Hero6 and now Hero7 Black cameras. Especially when using higher resolutions 4K 30/60 FPS and all of the HEVC codec formats.