TechRadar Verdict
The Pro+ never delivered the dizzying performance promised, something that could be due to our benchmark setup. Overall, it is not one of the best performers I’ve tested in this category. This is not helped by the presence of a slew of 1TB microSD cards that sell for less while delivering better performance.
Pros
- +
Headline speeds look great
- +
Lifetime warranty
Cons
- -
Average performance
- -
Require pro-grade card reader to reach headline speeds
- -
More expensive than its comparable rivals
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
One-minute review
Teamgroup’s latest addition to its roster of 1TB microSD cards is the Pro+ which as its name alludes to targets those looking for more oomph from their removable storage media. The company has the Elite (reviewed two years ago), the Go, the Expert and the Gamer - the first two being slower A1 models and the other three, A2 ones.
However, the test results suggest that the Pro+ is not faster. Despite boasting some of the best claimed read/write speeds in its category, the Pro+ failed to deliver what it promised with both synthetic and real life performance lacking. And that’s not good enough when you have competitors like Silicon Power Superior that offer slightly better performance at a lower price (in both cases we’re talking of single-digit percentages).
With plenty of competition both inside its own stable and from other rivals, the Teamgroup Pro+ will have a hard time justifying the current premium it carries over other challengers.
Teamgroup Pro+: Pricing and availability
- How much does it cost? $53.99 for one, $102.99 for two
- When is it available? Now
- Where can you get it? It is available for sale in the US, UK and Australia
The card is widely available in capacities varying from 128GB to 1TB with a 1.5TB model likely to launch in 2024. Note that multi-pack offers are also available; you can buy the 1TB card either on its own or in pair with the latter costing a bit less. A decent addition to our best microSD buying guide.
Teamgroup Pro+: Benchmark
The Teamgroup Pro+ microSD card scored lower than expected speeds, varying from 80 to 84.25 MB/s in read and from 79 to 82.25 MB/s in write, a far cry from the very optimistic headline numbers (160 in read and 110 in write). Looking at the small prints though revealed that these speeds could be achieved by using (unnamed) professional card readers, so there’s still some hope. Just don’t expect any miracles should you use this card with the internal readers found in laptops, tablets, smartphones or consumer-grade devices. Teamgroup told us that the faster speeds can be achieved using a UHS-II compatible card reader.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Read (MBps) | Write (MBps) |
| AJA | 80 | 79 |
| CrystalDiskMark | 84.25 | 82.25 |
| ATTO | 81.6 | 80.45 |
| AS SSD | 80.77 | 79.5 |
| Real Life | 80.8 | 80.8 |
Teamgroup Pro+: Specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
| Capacities available | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB |
| Size | 71.5 x 43.5 x 8mm |
| Weight | 1g |
| Enclosure material | Plastic |
| Connector | n/a |
| Technology | QLC |
| Warranty (in years) | Lifetime |
| Rated R/W speeds (MBps) | 160/110 |
| Software bundle | No |
Should I buy the Teamgroup Pro+?
Teamgroup Pro+ alternatives
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Silicon Power Superior | Sandisk Extreme Pro | Gigastone |
| Capacity | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB |
| Price | $49.99 | $119.99 | $119.99 |
| Speed | U3,A2,V30 | U3,A2,V30 | U3,A2,V30 |
| Warranty (yrs) | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Silicon Power Superior received a five-star award earlier this year and remains the top dog for this category as the best value for money microSD card around; it remains the cheapest 1TB microSD card on the market right now. It is good enough for the vast majority of tasks out there.
Gigastone is a challenger brand that is still earning its stripes. Despite being widely available online from reputable retailers beyond Amazon, I have yet to come across a single independent review of Gigastone products so I’d advise caution. Still it is the only brand that offers a 5-year free data recovery offer on its card.
Sandisk Extreme Pro is far more expensive than the Teamgroup Pro+ and while it earned its editor’s choice award fair and square, one needs to remember that it was three years ago, and that things have moved on significantly, especially when it comes to value for money.
How I tested the Teamgroup Pro+
After having formatted the Teamgroup Pro+ to exFAT, I test it the same way I test other storage components (external HDD, USB Flash drives etc). I use the latest versions of CrystalDiskMark, Atto, AS SSD and AJA benchmarks, noting the best scores achieved in each. They are all free and can be downloaded by anyone. I then transfer a folder of files, roughly 10GB in size, to get a rough idea of real life performance. I used a Startech USB Type-C card reader (SDMSDRWU3AC), connected to the Type-C connector of a Honor MagicBook laptop.
