Performance:
The test system used in this review was an HP 8200 Elite. The computer is equipped with an Intel Core i5-2400 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 1333MHz memory, Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3250312AS 250GB SATA 6 Gb/s hard drive, NVIDIA Quadro FX580 512MB PCIe graphics card, Intel 82567LM-3 gigabit network card, Patriot SuperSpeed USB PCIe host card and a Transcend TS-RDF5K USB 3.0 card reader. For the operating system, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 8.1 Enterprise.
To test the performance of Samsung's EVO Plus microSD card, I ran a series of benchmarks using CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 and ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46.
CrystalDiskMark 3.0:
First, I ran a few quick tests using CrystalDiskMark. This benchmark tool measures the performance of a storage device by testing its sequential read and write speeds as well as its random read and write speeds using blocks 512K and 4K in size.
 Samsung EVO Plus 64GB microSD |
 Samsung EVO 16GB microSD |
According to Samsung, the EVO Plus microSD card is capable of reading at 80MB/s and writing at 20MB/s. Looking at the screenshots above, you can see that it had no problems reaching these numbers in CrystalDiskMark's sequential read and write speed tests.
ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46:
I also used ATTO Disk Benchmark to test the EVO Plus microSD card's sequential read and write speeds. The test was run using blocks ranging in size from 0.5KB to 8192KB and the total length set to 256MB.
 Samsung EVO Plus 64GB microSD |
 Samsung EVO 16GB microSD |
When tested with ATTO, the EVO Plus microSD card's read speeds topped out at about 94 MB/s and its write speeds at 30 MB/s.
Final Thoughts:
The EVO Plus is a welcome addition to Samsung's already impressive line of SD and microSD cards. Filling the gap between the original EVO and the PRO, this consumer friendly memory card delivers a lot of bang for your buck. In addition to being water, temperature, X-ray and magnet proof, the EVO Plus offers Ultra High Speed (UHS-I) Class 1 level performance. Like Samsung's previous microSD cards, the EVO Plus performed quite well in our sequential read and write tests. It was able to read at speeds in excess of 90 MB/s and write at a respectable 30 MB/s. Given, these numbers aren't as high as what you'd see with Samsung's new PRO Plus card. However, they are a big improvement over the original EVO, making the EVO Plus an even better choice for use in smartphones, tablets, compact cameras and camcorders.
Samsung's EVO Plus microSD card is available now in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities. Prices on Amazon.com currently range from $29 up to $102, with the 64GB version reviewed here going for about $48.
