SD memory card data transfer speed. SD memory cards: types, generations, classes

Modern flagship phones have an internal storage of at least 8-16 GB, but for some users this is not enough. In this case, you can solve the problem using additional flash memory. But you need to know how to choose a memory card for a smartphone so that it lasts a long time and does not fail at an unexpected moment.

Why is it needed?

A memory card is needed to expand the memory on a smartphone when the internal storage capacity is not enough to store existing data (photos, audio, video recordings, etc.). It is connected to a special connector in the case.

Modern smartphone models have a slot for MicroSD memory cards. It allows you to reduce dimensions and make the most efficient use of useful space inside the case.

Some smartphone models have a universal slot in which a nano-SIM is installed in one cell, and either MicroSD or a second nano-SIM in the second.

Before buying a MicroSD card, make sure that your gadget supports it. This information can be found:

• on the website of the smartphone manufacturer;
• in the instructions for the model;
• looking through the case for the presence of a slot on which “MicroSD” is written or a memory card is drawn.

Characteristics

If you are sure that your smartphone supports MicroSD card connection, you should know what characteristics to look for before purchasing it.

Memory type

There are three standards for MicroSD memory cards.

MicroSDXC cards are compatible with regular MicroSD slots, but are not recognized by the OS if it does not support this standard. Therefore, before purchasing, make sure that the removable media is supported by your gadget.

Recording class/speed

The speed of data exchange with the device (file read/write speed) depends on the class of the memory card. There are models of three speed classes on the market:

• Speed ​​Class (denoted by the letter C);
• UHS Speed ​​Class (U);
• Video Speed ​​Class (V).

The read speed of information for most memory cards is always higher than the write speed.

Volume

The capacity of modern MicroSD cards varies between 1 GB – 2 TB. The higher this indicator, the higher the price.

Each smartphone has a limitation on the size of the memory card connected to it: if the gadget is designed to work with a card up to 16 GB, it will not recognize a model with a capacity of 32 GB, or it will recognize it, but it will not work correctly.

The amount of removable memory your phone supports is written in the instructions or on the manufacturer’s website in the model description.

Manufacturers

• Kingston;
• Transcend;
• SanDisk.

Recently, SanDisk and Silicon Power have become popular due to the fact that they offer inexpensive but high-quality solutions.

File system

The disadvantage of the FAT32 file system, in which most modern memory cards are formatted, is that it does not support volumes larger than 4 GB, which limits the amount of data that can be written.

In the exFAT file system, this limitation is removed. But to connect such cards you need a smartphone with backward compatibility.

Durability

Data in memory cards is stored in cells that have a limited rewriting resource. It varies between 10,000 – 1,000,000 thousand cycles. In practice, this figure is much lower.

The longevity of a MicroSD card depends on the environment of use and build quality. Models from little-known or unknown brands are not subject to strict quality control during production, so they may fail within a few days or weeks of use.

If you don’t want to lose the data stored on your smartphone’s memory card, buy a model from a popular manufacturer.

The best choice

*- a 256 GB card will be released soon.

We tried to select a line of memory cards with the best price/quality ratio so that they satisfy the needs of any user, regardless of what actions he will perform with the card: save photos or audio files, or record high-resolution video on it in extreme conditions.

ADATA Premier microSDHC The best choice!

Price: 500 rub.(16 GB model)

MicroSD cards of this series are excellent in terms of price/quality ratio for use in smartphones. They are durable, reliable and can record video in resolutions up to 1080p.

The maximum volume of the line, limited to models up to 128 GB, reduces the scope of their application, since some users store huge amounts of data on smartphones.

Advantages

• high recording speed;
• reliability;
• lifetime warranty;
• protection.

Flaws

• limited range in terms of volume.

Transcend MicroSDHC (Premium)

Price: 400 rub.(16 GB model)

In terms of characteristics, Transcend TS*USDHC10U1 corresponds to the previous memory card, but due to the fact that it costs more, it took second place. At the same time, Transcend has long established itself in the flash memory segment, so there should be no problems using this model.

At high data exchange rates, the model has one limitation - volume. The maximum capacity for this line is 256 GB.

Advantages

• high recording speed;
• reliability.

Flaws

• price.

SanDisk Extreme MicroSDHC

Price: 2,100 rub.(32 GB model)

The memory card is durable. Shockproof, waterproof, heat-resistant, X-ray resistant, it is perfect for use in extreme conditions. At the same time, the user is not limited by the amount of memory for recording data (the line has 16-128 GB). In addition, an adapter for SD is included in the package.

The main disadvantage of the SanDisk Extreme microSDHC is the price. But if you take into account the characteristics that the memory card has, it becomes clear why it costs so much.

Advantages

• protection;
• high recording speed;
• limited lifetime warranty;

Flaws

• limited range in terms of volume;
• price.

SanDisk Extreme Pro MicroSDHC

Price: 4,500 rub.(64 GB model)

Another card from the manufacturer SanDisk, designed to be used in extreme conditions. It differs from the previous line in increased data transfer speed, thanks to which the user can record video faster and in better quality.

But due to the fact that the line is represented by only two memory options (64 and 128 GB), not every user will want (decide) to purchase it. Therefore, it is ranked below SanDisk Extreme in the ranking.

Advantages

• protection;
• high recording speed;
• limited lifetime warranty;
• ability to use in extreme conditions.

Flaws

• price;
• The line is very limited in volume.

SanDisk Ultra microSDHC

Price: 350 rub.(8 GB model)

The memory card is suitable for installation in smartphones and cameras due to its technical characteristics. Due to the fact that this line is not intended for use in extreme conditions, the cost of a memory card is significantly lower than other models. But this limits the scope of its application.

At the same time, the buyer has access to models with different amounts of memory, which will allow him to choose the option that completely suits the buyer.

Advantages

• protection;
• high recording speed;
• limited lifetime warranty.

Flaws

• price.

Samsung EVO MicroSDHC

Price: 500 rub.(16 GB model)

The Samsung EVO line of memory cards is designed for use in everyday life and in extreme conditions, since it has moisture and thermal protection, as well as protection from X-rays and magnetic fields. In addition, it has a high data transfer speed.

Modern flagship and even budget phones are equipped with large built-in memory. They can even have 8-16 GB of memory (and flagship smartphones have all 128 GB), and this does not include a flash drive. However, for many users this is not enough. However, there is a good solution - choose a memory card for your smartphone. Which one is another question. To make the right choice, you need to know what cards are available, how fast they work, etc.

What is it for?

A memory card is designed to expand data storage space. If music, photos or videos do not fit on the phone’s “native” memory, then it is appropriate to think about which memory card to choose for your smartphone. Most phones have special connectors for connecting such cards. All of them support the MicroSD format. Cards of this format are compact and most efficiently built into the case itself, which is why they take up little space. Certain models use universal slots into which you can insert either a SIM card or a flash drive.

So users can choose: either expand the memory, or use two memory cards at once. Smartphones with this solution are most often budget ones. Before choosing a card, you need to find out whether your phone supports the required types of flash drives. This is indicated in the technical specifications for the phone and on the manufacturer’s website. Also on the case, in the area of ​​the flash drive slot, the format for the card that can be used is indicated.

Memory types

When choosing the best memory card for your smartphone, the first thing you need to consider is the type. There are only 3 standards:

1. MicroSD - the capacity of these cards does not exceed 4 GB.
2. MicroSDHC - up to 32 GB.
3. MicroSDXC - up to 2 TB.

The latter type of card can be inserted into a standard MicroSD slot, but it must be supported by the operating system. Therefore, when choosing such a drive, you must check whether the phone’s OS supports memory cards of this standard. Most often, drives of this type are supported by flagship phone models; budget phones are limited to the MicroSDHC standard.

Recording speed and class

The higher the card class, the faster the data exchange between devices (writing and reading files). Currently there are cards with three recording classes:

1. Speed ​​Class (letter C). Write speed can vary from 2 to 10 MB/s.
2. UHS Speed ​​Class (U). Speed ​​from 10 to 30 MB/s.
3. Video Speed ​​Class (V) - from 6 to 90 MB/s.

The final speed depends on the class. For example, a Class 10 memory card (Video Speed ​​Class 10) has a write speed of 10 MB/s or more. Such flash drives are used for recording videos in FullHD format, as well as for streaming.

Volume

Modern drives can have a capacity from one gigabyte to two terabytes (2000 GB). Of course, the price of memory cards greatly depends on the capacity. However, when choosing, it is worth considering that phones have limitations on the volume of storage devices that can be connected to them. Many budget smartphones are designed to connect a card up to 16 GB. Therefore, they will not be able to work with a 32 GB drive. Hence the misunderstanding among people whose smartphones do not see memory cards. The specifications must indicate what size card the phone can work with. And if you install a 32 GB flash drive into a phone that only supports 16 GB, it simply won’t recognize it.

Manufacturers

There are many second-rate manufacturers who offer their products in the market. However, the majority are occupied by well-known and well-established companies:

1. SanDisk.
2. Kingston.
3. Transcend.

Silicon Power products enter the market quite confidently, offering users inexpensive but fairly good solutions. When talking about which memory card to choose for a smartphone, we can first recommend the four manufacturers mentioned above.

File system

Most flash drives are formatted in the FAT32 file system. It has the disadvantage of not supporting volume sizes larger than four gigabytes. This means that trying to record a movie of at least 4.5 GB in size onto a flash drive will not work. The maximum file size cannot exceed 4 GB, which is bad because it imposes a number of restrictions on users.

Another drive file system is exFAT, and there is no such limitation. However, the device itself must support a similar file system in order to be able to read a flash drive of this format. Otherwise, you will encounter a situation where the smartphone does not see the memory card. This is also required in the specifications for the phone.

Durability

All information on media cannot be stored forever, since they have a certain service life. On average, the media resource is 10,000-1,000,000 rewrite cycles, although in practice the figure is lower. In general, the longevity of a MicroSD drive depends on its use and assembly. Models from unknown brands are not subject to strict control during production, so they may break after 2-3 weeks of use. Therefore, if you don’t know which memory card to choose for your smartphone, then it’s better to give preference to a well-known manufacturer, even if the price is a little higher.

Rating of the best

Considering the fact that almost all phones can shoot video in FullHD format, you need to choose a class 10 memory card. The best are the following:

1. ADATA Premier (volume available in the range of 8-128 GB).
2. Transcend MicroSDHC (8-256 GB).
3. SanDisk Extreme (16-128 GB).
4. SanDisk Extreme Pro (64-128 GB).
5. SanDisk Ultra (8-128 GB).
6. Memory cards for smartphone "Samsung EVO" (16-128 GB).

The cards mentioned above have an almost ideal price-quality ratio, they satisfy customer requests, collect positive reviews, work great and allow you not only to save photos, but to quickly record video in FullHD format.

ADATA Premier

The price of an ADATA Premier memory card will be 500 rubles for the 16 GB version. Flash drives in this series have a good price and high quality, are reliable and durable, and perform well when recording video in resolutions up to FullHD.

In general, this line includes memory cards with a capacity of up to 128 GB, but their price is higher. And they are only suitable for those users who store a lot of data on their phone.

1. Protection.
2. Reliability.
3. Lifetime warranty on the card from the manufacturer.
4. High recording speed.

Flaws:

1. The line is limited in terms of memory capacity.
2. Higher price compared to similar drives.

Transcend MicroSDHC

For 400 rubles you can purchase a model with a memory capacity of 16 GB. Its characteristics correspond to the previous memory card in the rating; it has a high data exchange speed. However, the entire line has a capacity limitation of 256 GB. In general, Transcend has long established itself as a reliable manufacturer of high-quality devices, so there should be no problems with their flash drives.

Advantages:

1. Reliability.
2. High recording speed.
3. Lifetime warranty.

SanDisk Extreme

The cost of this card is 2100 rubles, and this is for a model with a memory capacity of only 32 GB. A very expensive, but also durable card, different from standard models. It is shockproof, waterproof, and X-ray resistant. It is suitable for use in extreme conditions. The maximum capacity of a card in this line is 128 GB.

The price is the main disadvantage of this model. However, the technical characteristics fully justify the high price.

1. Lifetime warranty.
2. Write speed.
3. Can be used under any conditions.

1. High price.

There is also a more advanced version of this card - SanDisk Extreme Pro. It differs from the previous one (without the Pro console) by a higher recording speed, which allows you to record video in better quality and faster. But the fact is that the entire line is represented by only two models - with a capacity of 64 and 128 GB. Few users want to purchase it. Most often, such protection as a flash drive has is simply not necessary.

SanDisk Ultra

For just 350 rubles you can buy an inexpensive and good flash drive for your smartphone. It has classic characteristics, a low price, and the manufacturer is reliable and well-known. Given its parameters, the flash drive is cheaper than other models, and the model range includes cards with different memory capacities, so there is plenty to choose from.

Samsung EVO

These cards from Samsung cost an average of 500 rubles (price for the version with 16 GB of memory), they are water and thermal protection, and are also protected from magnetic fields and X-ray radiation. At the same time, the exchange speed is quite high. As for the price, it is slightly higher than the cost of similar models, but the price tag is due to the presence of protection.

Silicon Power

For a flash drive with 8 GB memory from Silicon Power you will have to pay 550 rubles. It's expensive for such a volume. In addition, the flash drive belongs to class 4, so the writing speed will be low. However, it is not intended for recording FullHD video; it is better to save photos and audio files on it.

Pros - durability. The memory card is actively used in phones that do not have high technical requirements. The disadvantage is the price. Given its characteristics (low recording speed, small volume), the cost of 550 rubles seems unfair. Therefore, models from Silicon Power can be recommended last. When choosing, you first need to consider models from manufacturers that are higher in this rating.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, you can answer common questions. In particular, many users want to know whether it is possible to buy cheap memory cards. In principle, it is possible, but it is advisable to store on them only information that you do not mind losing. The risk is large, so it is advisable to “dump” important documents in parallel onto other media.

It is also completely unnecessary to look for a class 10 memory card in order to insert it into an inexpensive smartphone. If the phone cannot shoot video in FullHD resolution, then a regular class 4 memory card is enough for it. As for the size of the card, everything is individual. Many users do not need a flash drive at all, since the built-in memory is enough for them. For others, even 128 GB of memory is not enough due to the large number of stored photos, music and video files. But in any case, when choosing a card, you need to take into account what maximum volume the smartphone supports. There's no point in trying to cram a 32GB card into a phone if it only supports a maximum of 16GB.

And one last thing. Almost all smartphones with a memory card slot support drives from all manufacturers. It does not happen that, for example, Samsung brand phones only support cards from Samsung.

Today, the most popular portable storage devices are flash cards - SD and the more portable version microSD. Such media are used in mobile devices, players, cameras and a whole list of devices. Despite the fact that all SD cards are similar in appearance, there are still differences. There are three generations of these cards and the oldest cannot function with its newer brothers. In addition, cards differ in operating speed. In this article you can familiarize yourself with the types of flash drives and learn how each class of them works.

First generation memory cards - Secure Digital
Flash cards from the first generation had 2 types, which differed in capacity:

• SD 1.0 - starting from 8 MB and ending with 2 GB
• SD 1.1 - reached the 4 GB mark.

If you delve into history, you can find out that the first SD cards appeared in the world not so long ago - only 1999. They replaced MMC-type flash drives and differed from them in that they had a microcontroller and an area that was specially protected. Thanks to this protection, the threat of the memory card being hacked was minimal. If you consider the name, “Secure Digital”, it already becomes clear that everything was built on security. In addition to the protected area, there was a switch on the left edge of the flash card, which was responsible for write protection. If you move the lever to the “lock” mark, it is impossible to write or delete files.
But there is one important point - an SD card cannot guarantee absolute protection using only a switch. This option must be supported by gadgets on which the card is installed.

Out of the box, removable media with a nominal value of up to 2 GB are reset according to the FAT16 standard, and with a capacity of up to 4 GB according to the FAT32 standard.

SDHC cards or “Secure Digital High Capacity”

This type of drive is the second generation, which appeared in 2006 and was called SDHC. The main difference from the more outdated model was that the card capacity has increased significantly. The minimum volume was 4 GB, and the maximum was 32 GB.

SDXC cards or "Secure Digital eXtended Capacity"

Today they are the most capacious and fastest flash cards. They first appeared in 2009. The minimum rating of such a drive is 64 GB, and the maximum reaches 2 TB. However, many people often use flash cards whose volume does not exceed 128 GB due to the fact that the larger the volume, the higher the price.
In 2013, an improved version of the SDXC flash card was presented. Its peculiarity is that the speed at which it processes data is 312 Mb/s. There are also a number of additional contacts – 17 for the regular form factor and another 16 for microSD.

Need to know!

Removable storage containers are not backward compatible with previous models. The “black sheep” can be called the SDXC 3.01 flash card, which could be compatible with some devices capable of reading information from SDHC cards. Past generations are quite successfully combined with the current ones - this means that gadgets of our time that read data from SDXC can easily use the SD and SDHC card format.

This problem can be clearly seen in the example of the LG K10 phone, which was presented in 2016. Its technical data indicates that it is able to support a flash card up to 32 GB. This means that the device is able to function with SD media, up to 4 GB, and SDHC format, up to 32 GB. But the device will no longer be able to read the SDXC type.

Types of SD cards

In the types of SD cards, 3 different manufacturing formats were counted:

1) SD - 32x24x2.1 mm (such cards are often used by photographers)
2) miniSD - 21.5x20x1.4 mm (practically useless because it is extremely rarely used)
3) microSD - 11x15x1 mm (the most famous type of cards can be found in players, phones and other devices with a slot)

It should be noted that microSD can easily be inserted into a larger slot, thanks to special adapters.

Speed ​​characteristics and classes of flash cards

One of the main characteristics of a flash card is the speed at which it reads data. The speed determines the comfortable display of video, without frame drops, listening to audio recordings and much more. The number of the lowest promised data recording speed is indicated directly on the card body itself; use the capital letter C as a guide.

Some vendors write the minimum speed of a flash card as before - numbers multiplied by “x”. "X" serves as the value 150 kbps. This speed is the minimum for playing a CD. This speed was generally accepted and was considered optimal as soon as SD cards began to appear.
A special point deserves a series of flash cards that support the Ultra High Speed ​​data transfer bus. These memory cards have acquired redefined assignments of several contacts in order to ensure 4-bit data exchange.

The first generation of cards had two types:

1) UHS-I Class 1 – the lowest data recording speed was 10 MB/s. The highest speed reached 50/104 Mb/s. It depended on the construction.
2) UHS-I Class 3 – had a guaranteed recording speed of up to 30 Mb/s, maximum – 50/104 Mb/s.

The second generation had the opportunity to demonstrate the most striking speed indicators in the entire history of SD cards. They had a UHS-II Class 3 marker, this was a guarantee that the speed when writing data would be stable - a minimum of 30 Mb/s, a maximum of 156/312 Mb/s, again, everything depended on the architecture. On the surface of a memory card of a certain UHS class, the numbers 1 or are indicated, which are framed by the letter “U”.

Brief scenarios for using memory cards of various speed classes

The full potential of removable storage media that supports UHS can be unleashed on devices with a compatible controller. In the worst case, the memory card will function like a regular SD card at low speeds.

Worth knowing

Before you buy a flash card, first find out what maximum capacity your smartphone can handle. For example, the maximum allowable capacity of a memory card in budget phones and other similar devices is 32 GB. At the same time, cameras and video cameras of our time can accommodate an SD card of about 2 TB.

The price of flash cards depends entirely on its capacity, speed parameters and, of course, the brand plays an important role. Some manufacturers are so confident in their products that they offer a lifetime warranty. This action significantly tips the scales in favor of the world-famous vendor. In addition, removable drives from trusted brands are protected against X-ray and electromagnetic radiation. This can save you at the airport. And there is protection from water, shock and other adversities. This is an important aspect when choosing a flash card for those who love an active lifestyle.

When you use a memory card, do not fill it completely. Such procedures can cause not the most pleasant consequences - formatting of some or all files. It is also possible to damage the “filling” of the flash drive. If information can be returned using utilities, then no one will restore damaged memory cells to you. In extreme cases, you must contact the service center.

How to choose an SD and microSD memory card: Overview of classes and formats of SD cards

Surely, you have more than once encountered the problem of choosing a memory card for a camera, tablet, video recorder or smartphone; even if the device has built-in memory, it will not be enough to fully work with photos and videos. Of course, at first glance it will seem to you that they are all the same not only in appearance, but also in internal characteristics, but this is not so. Today I will tell you how to choose the right flash drive for your phone, etc., so that your valuable memories remain in a reliable source. At the end of the article, I suggest you watch an interesting video clip, as well as view the best models in different price categories.

Type

There are many types of devices available on the market. The characteristics of a suitable one are indicated in the description of the device for which it is intended. Most cameras use the SD type. In turn, this type is divided into two subtypes - cards of larger and extra-large capacity. Digital cameras manufactured in 2005 and earlier may not be compatible with the high capacity card. And models released a few years earlier may not support a card with an ultra-high capacity. Professional cameras are mainly equipped with a CF (CompactFlash) flash card. They differ slightly from other types in some characteristics, in particular larger capacity and faster recording speed. But before buying one, you should make sure that the camera can provide high transfer speeds. The device must also be equipped with a direct memory access function. Tablets and smartphones, which are compact, support a smaller version of microSD, as do DVRs. These may be supported by some models of pocket cameras.

Miniature cards are not inferior to other types in either properties or functionality!

The speed and storage capacity of microSD is the same as SD. Many camera manufacturers are developing their own types of flash drives. In this case, the camera should have two separate slots or a combined one.

How much memory card capacity do you need?

The capacity of the memory card will help determine the number of pictures or videos that can fit on it. Of course, higher capacitive devices are significantly more expensive. Modern SLR cameras, even mobile devices, have image resolutions of up to 40 million pixels, and I advise you to install at least 16 GB of memory in the video recorder. On average, the number of pixels ranges from 12 to 20 million. Therefore, the higher the resolution of a photo, the more space it takes up.

Therefore, for home use I chose 16 GB, if you are no longer an amateur, then 32 GB, but 64 and 128 are only for professionals!

The volume that an image occupies on the card depends on the quality of the image, that is, the number of small details. The same applies to video files. Videos with higher quality and resolution take up more space. Thus, video in RAW format weighs up to 30 megabytes per frame. Few people like the situation when the memory of a flash drive runs out at the most inopportune moment. To avoid trouble, you need to buy a memory card with a capacity of up to 32 gigabytes. Below is a very useful table that clearly tells you the number of 3.5 megabyte JPG photos and Full HD videos that can be recorded on different memory cards.

Which class of memory card is better?

Surely you do not pay attention to such a parameter as speed. But it is no less important than volume, because it is responsible for the scope of application. A slow memory card will not be able to provide decent Full HD video recording, because the recording will be interrupted. Shooting a series of frames on a flash drive at low speed will cause the camera to freeze. This is a rather inconvenient circumstance that can be avoided if you learn to correctly distinguish a slow card from a fast one. On SD cards, which are the most common, the speed class is indicated, it happens:

This number indicates the write speed. That is, the second class indicates a speed of 2 megabytes per second, the fourth at four megabytes, and so on. Only the last class indicates speeds that can reach above ten megabytes per second. The device always indicates the actual write speed, be it 45 MB/s or 60 MB/s. Also for Compact Flash cards. For Full HD video, at least speed class 6 is suitable, but class 10 is still better. These same flash cards are suitable for everyday shooting. Faster cards are suitable for photographing people and events where several shots are taken in a row. This way you can shoot in a short continuous series. And slower flash drives may miss interesting shots while the device records previous shots. If you need to shoot moving objects, then the speed requirements are even more stringent. You need to shoot in a series almost continuously, so the best speed in this case is 45 MB/s. The speed of zo MB/s is acceptable for shooting motion; it will also minimize the interval between series when recording frames taken on a memory card. For a professional photographer, you need a flash drive with a speed of 100 MB/s. This way you can take a continuous series of pictures until the memory runs out.

A less important parameter is reading speed. It is either higher or equal to the write speed. Therefore, if you bought a memory card with a high write speed, then be sure that the read speed will be sufficient.

It is important to know

The memory card is fully protected while it is in the device. But it is at great risk if removed from a camera or mobile device. Falls, scorching sun, severe frost - all this negatively affects the flash drive. It's worse if water is spilled on it or the card is exposed to x-rays at the airport. So it is better to buy a memory card that is protected from such negative effects.

The best memory cards

Based on the above characteristics, you can choose a suitable memory card for a tablet, camera, video recorder, and for everything else. Each device parameter is important in its own way in different shooting conditions. Therefore, the choice must be made based on the type of camera or mobile device. Pay attention to the rating of the best memory cards of 2014-2015, as the best models that are distinguished by their reliability are presented there. Undoubtedly, you need to focus on customer opinions, because a proven device is trustworthy. Check out the video on this topic to reinforce the material.

Best SD Memory Card

• Kingston SDHC 16GB Class 10 (SD10V/16GB) - recommended for everything
• Transcend SDHC 16GB Class 10 (TS16GSDHC10)
• Transcend SDHC 32GB Class10 UHS-I 300X (TS32GSDU1) - recommended for everything
• Kingston SDHC 32GB UHS-I Class 3 (U3) (SDA3/32GB) - the choice of professionals
• Transcend SDXC 64GB Class 10 (TS64GSDXC10)
• Kingston SDXC 64GB Class 10 (SDX10V/64GB)
• Kingston SDXC 128GB Class 10 (SDX10V/128GB) - the choice of professionals

Best MicroSD Memory Card

• Transcend MicroSDHC 16GB Class 10 + SD-adapter (TS16GUSDHC10)
• Kingston MicroSDHC 16GB Class 10 + SD-adapter (SDC10/16GB)
• Kingston MicroSDHC 32GB Class 10 + SD-adapter (SDC10/32GB)
• Transcend MicroSDHC 32GB Class 10 + SD-adapter (TS32GUSDHC10)
• Kingston microSDXC 64GB Class 10 + SD adapter (SDCX10/64GB)

All these models can be placed anywhere, since the kit includes an adapter for SD. That is, with a small one we get a large one, you just have to decide on the volume.

Best Compact Flash Memory Card

• Transcend CompactFlash 16GB 400x (TS16GCF400)
• SanDisk CompactFlash Extreme 32GB (SDCFX-032G-X46)

The history of SD card development goes back more than 10 years. During this period, drives changed several generations, increased the maximum memory capacity, increased speed and became commonplace for the average technology user. Let's figure out how SDHC memory cards differ from SDHC and SD. We’ll also look at their characteristics and how to choose the right drive for your device.

SD drives are different from SDHC and SDXC.

The abbreviation SD stands for Secure Memory Card. This type of media has been produced since 1999. Of course, today no one uses cards in their original form for obvious reasons. Over time, the creators began to increase the characteristics and volume, releasing new generations, which will be discussed further.

The main difference, as mentioned above, is capacity. However, devices also differ in read/write speed and support across different devices (cameras, phones, etc.). There are 3 types in total:

• SD High Capacity;

Let's look at the differences between SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards in all characteristics separately.

Volume difference

The oldest and most unclaimed type is MicroSD. The first generation holds only up to 2 GB of information (version 1.0) and up to 4 GB in version 1.1. These figures are currently extremely small for the modern consumer, given the size of the high-quality videos and photos that new smartphones and cameras produce. Such media may only be useful for transferring small files. It makes no sense to specifically purchase such media. FAT16 is used as the file system.

The second type is SDHC cards. They differ from regular SD ones in the increased amount of space and file system. Now the maximum capacity is up to 32 GB, using the FAT32 file system.

The most modern type is SD eXtended Capacity. The standard was officially released in 2009 and remains in demand to this day. Compared to the previous generation, the SDXC standard, which differs in volume, can accommodate up to 2 TB of information. File system - exFAT with support for formatting in FAT32.

Now you know the main difference between SDHC and SDXC memory cards, which is worth paying attention to when choosing a drive for your device.

Device and operating system support

As of 2017, the SD generation is supported by all devices that have the appropriate slot. All devices that only support the SD standard will not be able to read information from HC or XC media. Cameras and smartphones that support SD eXtended Capacity are compatible with all three generations. There is no backward compatibility.

SD can also differ from High Capacity and eXtended Capacity in terms of support by operating systems:

• Due to exFAT, SDXC drives are not supported by the Windows XP operating system without installing a special update;
• MacBook and Mac OS have supported SD eXtended Capacity since 2011;
• flagship Android devices support SD eXtended Capacity. For all other smartphones and tablets you will need a special driver from Samsung.

Difference between Micro and Mini

Now let’s figure out how MicroSD and MicroSDHC memory cards differ from their Mini counterparts. As you might guess, the main difference lies in size. For compact equipment, a Mini version has been created, which is usually supported in smartphones (usually installed on the second SIM card slot). The difference between MicroSDHC, SDXC and SD is that they connect to the card reader without an adapter, while the Mini version requires an adapter.

Speed ​​difference

Now let’s look at the differences between all SD, SDHC, SDXC memory cards in terms of information reading speed. Speed ​​classes are marked on the case of each drive: 2 (from 2 MB/s), 4 (from 4 MB/s), 6 (from 6 MB/s), 10 (from 10 MB/s). The class designation indicates the minimum write speed, so in practice the performance of a single drive may be higher. Manufacturers indicate characteristics in Mb/s, and not according to the established classification. Also, SDHC and SDXC can support Ultra High Speed ​​technology (up to 25 Mb/s).

When choosing a drive, pay attention to its type and capacity. SDHC and SDXC are relevant today. Also, before purchasing, check compatibility with the device for which you are purchasing the media to avoid incompatibility.