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Lexar Armor Gold: 30-second review
That we still use MicroSD cards in cameras, drones, handheld gaming devices and phones is quite remarkable considering that the Secure Digital (SD) card format first appeared in 1999 with a capacity of 8MB.
Lexar claims that the metal build makes these SD cards 37 times stronger than regular plastic cards if something bad were to happen to yours.
This card represents the top of Lexar's SDXC UHS-II line, faster than the Silver Pro and Silver series cards. Claimed performance is 280 MB/s read and 205 MB/s write, which is significantly slower than a typical external SSD, even when using USB 3.2 Gen 1.
However, it's good enough for capturing uncompressed 6K video, and it should handle 4K capture easily.
Until SD Ultra Capacity (SDUC) drives become commonplace, the Lexar Armor SD Gold drive is as good as it gets in a compact UHS-II form factor. However, UHS-III drives may be slightly faster if your hardware supports the standard.
The caveats are that it's only a full-size SD card and not a MicroSD card, many older cameras using this form factor can't access 1TB storage devices, and the asking price is high.
To effectively use this device, you need a system or camera that still uses SD cards, supports UHS-III standards, and supports up to 1TB of storage capacity. It's a bit of a narrow range of possibilities, but if you can tick all these boxes, it might be right for you.
Lexar Armor Gold: Pricing and Availability
- How much does it cost? $370 / £278 / €319
- When will it be released? Available worldwide
- Where can I get it? Sold through online retailers such as B&H.
This review is for the 1TB model, but Lexar makes this SD card in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and a 1TB variant.
However, finding some capacity in some regions has proven difficult. For example, the 64GB capacity is available in the UK through Camera World for £53, but I couldn't find it in the US or Europe. Likewise, the 512GB variant is not widely available.
The 1TB model reviewed here costs $369.99. Photos BiH in the US, £277.16 in the UK and €318.75 in Europe.
But be careful because some specialty photo stores charge much more for this capacity. Camera World in the UK incredibly wanted £426 for one.
However, this is not the most expensive SD card Lexar makes. The Lexar Professional 2000x, with 300 MB/s read speeds and the largest 512 GB model, costs $340.89.
Interestingly, if you resist the temptation of the metal design and instead opt for the Gold Series Professional 1800x, also from Lexar, the 1TB model, which has nearly identical performance, costs just $209.99.
As an alternative, SanDisk offers a 1TB Extreme PRO UHS-II SDXC card for $219.99 from B&H Photo, although it only reduces write speeds to 150MB/s.
Sabrent has a Rocket UHS-II V90 class card that may be a little faster, but it costs $449.99 for the 512GB model from Amazon.com or B&H.
Obviously, packaging flash modules capable of operating at such speeds increases the cost, and not just for Lexar.
It's also worth mentioning that if you have a camera or device that can use an external SDD, with much faster speeds than this card and 1TB capacity can be purchased very cheaply. A good example is the 1TB 1050MB/s Crucial X9, which costs just $79.99 on Amazon and can be purchased in capacities of up to 4TB for less than what this product costs for the 512GB option.
Lexar Armor Gold: characteristics
|
Model no. |
LSDAMGL001T |
|---|---|
|
Power |
64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB |
|
Tested Capacity |
1 TB |
|
Specified sequential performance (read/write) |
280/205 MB/s |
|
Tested sequential performance (read/write) |
250/184 MB/s |
|
Connection |
microSDXC compatible slot or reader |
|
Reliable protection |
IP68 |
|
Encryption |
Software only |
|
Weight |
6g |
|
Power supply |
Host device |
|
Guarantee |
Limited Lifetime Warranty |
Lexar Armor Gold: Design
- SD card
- Made of steel
- Features removed
Armor Gold is an SD card, and by definition it meets the size standards of that form factor. Or rather, it meets most of the specification, but as we'll see, Lexar decided to drop some aspects that it felt were unnecessary.
But before we get down to business, the unique feature of this design is that this SD card is made of stainless steel, making it noticeably heavier than a standard plastic SD card.
Then when I say heavier, you won't notice the difference when the module is in your camera. I weighed 6g, which is six times the weight of the plastic adapter and Lexar 633x microSD card combined.
According to Lexar, the design allows it to withstand a drop of five meters, or 16.4 feet if you're still using those dimensions.
Given how light this item is, I felt compelled to do some simple calculations based on its surface area and mass, and concluded that the card's terminal velocity would occur after a 100-foot drop of 70 mph. The irony is that the plastic card would reach its maximum speed after only 13 meters and reach a top speed of 30 mph, meaning it had a better chance of surviving a 15 meter drop than Armor Gold.
However, it could not withstand the same crushing force, and this design is IP68 rated, making it dustproof and waterproof.
What makes this SD card different from most regular SD cards is that it lacks two features, one of which is the plastic blades that typically separate the contacts on the bottom of the card. I concluded that they were removed because they were so thin that they could easily be bent, making it difficult to use or even damaging the reader.
Another missing feature is the removal of the lock switch, again because it can break, making it impossible to write-protect the card.
This change bit me again while I was testing it, as the mini PC I was originally using had an issue where it assumed that this SD card was locked and refused to write to it.
I've also seen Apple MacBook Pro M4 owners say it doesn't work with it, although I can't confirm this as I don't have Apple hardware.
While trying to get it to work with my mini PC, I later discovered that either the reader was not connected correctly, or the sensor reading the switch was in the wrong place, as it was writing to a different SD card with the lock set in the locked position. Unfortunately, without a switch, I couldn't get Armor Gold to work in the same way.
It might be possible to use tape to simulate this oddity, but Lexar will want that SD card returned and not covered in tape residue.
In conclusion, making it out of steel and removing some features didn't quite work for the Armor Gold, but if it works with the hardware you're using then it's not a major issue. But if so, it might be a good idea to buy it somewhere that accepts returns.
On a personal note, this card does not work with any of my cameras as it either uses MicroSD or, like my Nikon DSLR, pre-dates SDXC standards and only accepts cards up to 8GB in size.
Lexar Armor Gold: Performance
- Good performance for an SD card
|
Shop |
Test |
Lexar Armor Gold 1TB |
PNY PRO Elite Prime 1.5 TB |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CrystalDiskMark 8.05 |
Read by default |
250 |
200 MB/s |
| Row 1 – cell 0 |
Default entry |
182 |
172 MB/s |
| Row 2 – cell 0 |
Real world Read |
249 |
207 MB/s |
| Row 3 – cell 0 |
Real world writing |
184 |
171 MB/s |
|
AJA 64 GB system test |
Read |
243 |
100 MB/s |
| Row 5 – Cell 0 |
Write |
172 |
169 MB/s |
|
AS SSD |
Read |
251 |
198 MB/s |
| Row 7 – Cell 0 |
Write |
183 |
167 MB/s |
|
ACT |
Read |
249 |
199 MB/s |
| Row 9 – Cell 0 |
Write |
180 |
168 MB/s |
|
PCMark Data Drive Bench |
Check |
196 |
334 |
Clearly, the Armor Gold performs well with SD cards and is better than many V60-class devices I've tested. Here I compared it with the PNY PRO Elite Prime 1.5TB, a MicroSD card that is only rated V30.
The PNY loses in almost every test, although it does surprisingly better in the PCMark Data Drive test for a reason I can't figure out. I should also mention that the PNY is a 1.5TB MicroSD card and costs about half the price of the Armor Gold. In my opinion, this makes it more valuable, even if it is not as fast.
The bigger problem with these numbers is that compared to any external SSD they are slow, and if you had to transfer the entire card, even at 250MB/s, it would take you over 4000 seconds, so over an hour.
Lexar Armor Gold: final verdict
As interesting as this product is, there is a whole herd of elephants in this room that are impossible to ignore.
The first of these is the decline of SD cards, especially in the full-size form factor that only this model comes in. Yes, there are professional cameras that use them, but many manufacturers also offer CFexpress in some models.
But what's even more problematic is that all top-end full-frame mirrorless models, almost without exception, can connect an external SSD using USB-C.
When it comes to moving content from a storage device, the Lexar Armor SD Gold can't compete with an external SSD, even one that only supports USB 3.2 Gen 1.
If you use a drive that uses USB4, the data transfer speed to a suitable system can be eighty times faster, as some can reach 4000 MB/s over a 40 Gbps USB4 link.
Time is money, and 275 MB/s is a far cry from 4000 MB/s.
And the final nail in this coffin is the asking price. Considering the spot price of flash memory, this product is expensive.
If you have a budget, can use SD cards, and are very clumsy, then this product may be suitable for you, but not for this reviewer.
Is Lexar Armor Gold worth buying?
|
Value |
Expensive, but not the most expensive |
3 / 5 |
|
Design |
Steel construction makes it durable |
3 / 5 |
|
Performance |
Good for an SD card, but slow compared to an SSD |
4 / 5 |
|
General |
The peak of SD card popularity before everything goes downhill |
3.5./5 |
Buy if…
Don't buy it if…
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