Sony Ups the Max Capacity of its V90 SD Cards to 256GB

Sony has announced a new 256GB capacity for its Tough-branded “G” series V90 SD cards, adding to the 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB options that were previously available.

Not to be outdone by ProGrade Digital which this morning added a 512GB option to its Gold series V60 SD cards, Sony has increased the maximum capacity of its Tough V90 cards to 256GB. These U3, UHS-II, V90 cards promise a maximum read speed of 300 MB/s and up to 299 MB/s read speeds which is a combination of high speeds both up and down that is still relatively unique in the SD card space.

Sony advertises the cards as having enough speed to “keep up with the latest Sony Alpha cameras and today’s fast-paced photographers, filmmakers, and content creators.”

ProGrade added a 512GB capacity Cobalt-series SD card earlier this year, which has the same V90, UHS-II, U3 specification as the Sony Tough cards, but don’t quite reach the loft speed promises: ProGrade’s Cobalt series brings the same 300 MB/s read speeds but cap out at 250 MB/s write speeds. Both cards, however, will never dip below 90 MB/s write speeds.

Also of note is that the 299 MB/s write speeds that Sony promises are categorized as “burst” write speeds, which is different than ProGrade’s “sustained” 250 MB/s write speed claims. Sustained is, typically, more important — this is especially the case for video — and Sony doesn’t publish its sustained write speed promises on its website.

Sony’s Tough cards bring a design that is, as the name suggests, tough and rugged. The company uses a rib-less and switchless design that it claims adds reliability and eliminates the risk of breakage and the cards are also IP68 rated, which is the highest level of dust and water proofing. Sony also claims the Tough cards are both crush and shock proof.

The speed performance combined with the ruggedized design doesn’t come cheap, however. Sony’s new 256GB capacity costs $400. The 128GB costs $210, the 64GB capacity retails for $110, and the 32GB card costs $60. For comparison purposes, ProGrade’s 256GB capacity Cobalt series card costs $270, which is significantly more affordable.

Sony’s new 256GB capacity card is available immediately from the company’s website and should be available from other distributors that already carry the lower capacity cards sometime soon.