Transcend 500S UHS-I V30 128GB SDXC Memory Card Review

Introduction

Transcend's new 500S provides up to 95MB/s read and 60MB/s write performance, as well as UHS-I V30 speed for capturing high definition video and photography. The 500S is similar to the previous 95/60 MB/s card, with the addition of the V30 speed rating. The V30 is a video specification that means the card can maintain at least 30MB/s continuous write speed for recording video streams. The 500S is offered in 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256 GB sizes. The 128GB capacity card TS128GSDC500S with UPC 760557841180 is covered in this review.

The 500S series cards use multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory technology to provide increased life and performance compared with less expensive flash memory types. The card has JIS IPX7 rating and can be submerged in up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) of water for a half hour. The operating temperature range is -13 to 185°F (-25°C to 85°C). The card is marked made in Taiwan on the back. Transcend cards come with a 5 year warranty (cards purchased before March 31, 2018 had a lifetime warranty).

Performance

The Transcend 500S 128GB SDXC card was benchmarked in several USB card readers for read and write speed. The maximum sequential read speed was 97.7 MB/s. The sequential write speed measured 68.9 MB/s in the highest benchmark, which is above the 60MB/s write speed quoted by Transcend. The performance is very similar to the 500S 64GB SDXC card tested previously.

Card: Transcend 500S V30 128GB
Benchmark: CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64
Program settings: 1000 MB, 5 passes, random test data
Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K @ 4.40GHz
RAM: 32GB DDR3 1600

The Transcend 500S 128GB card has been tested in digital cameras. The highest average write speed during continuous shooting is shown in the table below. More results will be added when available.

Cameras tested with this card: Canon EOS R, Fuji X-T3, Nikon Coolpix P1000

The following table contains information encoded in the SD card.

The internal card register shows this 500S 128GB SD card was produced in May 2018. The OEM ID J` and Manufacturer ID 0x000074 are consistent with Transcend SD cards.

Available sizes and prices

Compare prices on the Transcend 500S card. The lowest prices are highlighted in the table below. Prices are updated daily.