There are four main factors you need to consider when purchasing a memory card for your drone: 

1. Size
2. Speed
3. Brand
4. Cost

Size is important because you need to make sure the card has enough storage to accommodate all the photos and videos you’ll be taking with your drone. When I first started I would get 32 gigs being cheap but this is not the way to go. I think that 128 gigs is the best size with most newer DJI drones filming 5.1k and higher. You also have to really make sure you have enough space when filming in the new 10 bit video options that your drone may offer. With better quality comes the need to have space to store it. 

Speed is important because it determines how quickly your drone can write data to the card. To ensure optimal performance, always purchase a card that is rated for at least 90 MB/s write speed. The speed class is also very important look for the U3 cards and you will be in the clear. You want a card with UHS Speed 3. Look for the U with a 3 inside of it.

While there are many different brands on the market, not all of them are created equal. Some brands are more reliable than others, and some offer better performance. As such, it’s important to do your research before settling on a particular brand. The brand I personally recommend in my hybrid drone bootcamp is Sandisk. The Sandisk Extreme Plus card has truly never let me down and I’ve been using them for years. 

 In terms of cost, you’ll need to strike a balance between price and capacity. Memory cards with a higher capacity will be more expensive, but they’ll also be able to store more data. Ultimately, the best memory card for your drone is the one you can afford. If you are on the fence I’d say try 64 gigs and then if you feel you need more then you can go up to 128. I don’t think 32 gigs is enough for most real missions unless it’s a shorter one. 

-Lemar