Lexar Professional 1800X SDXC GOLD Series Memory Card Review

Due for review is the Professional 1800x SDXC UHS-II Card GOLD from Lexar. This is a pro-level SDXC memory card with an MSRP of $189.99 USD or about ₱12,875.00 PHP locally – shipping and taxes considered.

Disclosure: Lexar sent the Professional 1800x SDXC GOLD Series for the purpose of this review, together with the Professional CFexpress Card Reader. The company did not ask me to say anything particular about the sample.

Technical Specifications

The Professional 1800x is expensive, but from a prosumer’s perspective, the price is justifiable due to its set of features. That includes its UHS-II class and V60 speed rating, along with its water, temperature, shock, vibration, and X-ray-proof design.

Storage
Capacity	512 MB
Cache	N/A
Flash Controller	N/A
Flash Memory	N/A
Form Factor	SD
Interface	SDXC
Sequential Read	280 MB/s
Sequential Write	205 MB/s
Random Read	N/A
Random Write	N/A
Endurance
MTBF	N/A
TBW	N/A
Dimensions
Length	32 mm
Width	24 mm
Height	2.1 mm
Weight	2 grams

Packaging and Accessories

The Professional 1800x SDXC comes in a simple blister packaging.

Scope of delivery are as follows:

• Lexar Professional 1800x SDXC (512 GB) GOLD

No bundled accessories here. Just the plain card itself.

Design, Build and Connectivity

The Professional 1800x SDXC looks like your typical SD card – complete with the usual mechanical write protect notch. It is however not as simple as it looks, featuring protections from the elements such as a water-proof shell, a maximum operating temperature of 70 °C and shock-proofing at up to 200 Gs. It is also vibration proof and X-Ray proof based on ISO standards.

The rear suggests that the card uses an SD Express interface. It is worthy to note that the Professional 1800X is an SDXC UHS-II card with a V60 speed rating – apt for 4K video capture and playback.

The card comes with Lexar’s limited lifetime warranty. For GOLD series products, that basically means 10 years of warranty.

Throughput

Starting off with the throughput, the Lexar 1800X fell a bit short on its rated performance by about 14% at most. This is well above the minimum for a UHS-II class drive.

IOPS

Lexar has not released information regarding the drive’s IO performance; however, our measurements indicates approximately 2279.05 IOPS in CrystalDiskMark’s Random 4K test. That said, the 1800X is well within the range of Application Performance Class 1 (A1) at the very least.

Access Time

Access times are fitting for a pro-level flash memory, easily outclassing thumb drives but still a bit slower compared to proper internal drives.

File Copy

As for file copy , we measured about 130.53 MB/s copy performance from and to the drive.

Results above translates to 8.23, 30.71 and 12.59 seconds respectively.

Compression

Compressed data performance is good – at least comparable to the drive’s sequential read and write.

Cache

The drive doesn’t feature a cache which is normal for any SD card. That aside, performance is mostly consistent up to 50 GB of continuous read and write.

Temperature

Thermal output is within its operating range, featuring an idle temperature around 42 °C. Load temperature measured is about 48.9 °C.

Final Thoughts

The Lexar Professional 1800x SDXC UHS-II Card GOLD is a premium option in the realm of pro-level SD cards, commanding a price tag of $189.99 USD or approximately ₱12,875.00 PHP in local soil.

Performance-wise, while the card slightly undershoots its rated throughput by approximately 14%, it maintains a commendable performance level, surpassing the minimum requirements for a UHS-II class drive. With an observed IOPS of approximately 2279.05 in CrystalDiskMark’s Random 4K test, it falls comfortably within the range of Application Performance Class 1 (A1) devices.

Its access times are yet another indication of its pro-level status, offering superior performance compared to consumer-grade alternatives, albeit slightly trailing behind internal drives. The card’s file copy performance also exhibits respectable speeds, along with commendable compressed data performance, aligned with its sequential read and write capabilities.

Now thermal management remains within optimal operating parameters, with observed idle and load temperatures well within acceptable limits, ensuring reliable performance even under demanding thermal conditions.

Despite its considerable cost, the Lexar Professional 1800x SDXC UHS-II Card GOLD justifies its value through its performance and an array of advanced features tailored to meet the demands of professional users. Its robust construction and reliable performance make it a worthy investment for demanding workflows where reliability and performance are paramount.