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).

Write speed	Speed ​​Class	UHS Speed ​​Class	Video Speed ​​Class	Application
from 2 MB/s	Class 2 (C2)	—	—	Record standard definition video
from 4 MB/s	Class 4 (C4)	—	—	HD and FullHD video recording (from 720p to 1080p/1080i)
from 6 MB/s	Class 6 (C6)	—	Class 6 (V6)
from 10 MB/s	Class 10 (C10)	Class 1 (U1)	Class 10 (V10)	FullHD (1080p) video recording, HD burst shooting, streaming and large HD video files
from 30 MB/s	—	Class 3 (U3)	Class 30 (V30)	4K video recording (60/120fps
from 60 MB/s	—	—	Class 60 (V60)	8K video recording (60/120fps)
from 90 MB/s	—	—	Class 90 (V90)

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 exchange speed.

Android smartphones are not capable of boasting a large amount of built-in memory - on budget models, megabytes may not be enough even to save one video in HD format. Therefore, smartphone users prefer to buy memory cards for their smartphones along with the gadgets themselves, and quite often they take something that is not what they need. Please note how numerous the inscriptions are on the flash drive itself and on its packaging: each of them is important, so you should not base your choice on just one parameter – memory capacity.

A user who comes to the salon and asks for the most expensive flash card, expecting that the smartphone will “fly” with it, may be disappointed: it is likely that the gadget (especially if its price is low) simply will not see such a card. When choosing a flash drive, you must take into account the capabilities of the device itself - it is better to check with a consultant which SD card is suitable for a particular model.

There are several card standards:

1. MicroSD– can be combined with any gadget, but are rapidly losing popularity because they cannot offer the user more than 2 GB.
2. . The abbreviation HC stands for High Capacity, that is, increased capacity. Such cards are the most common - their volume is limited to 64 GB. Owners of gadgets released before 2008 are not recommended to buy an SDHC flash drive - the risk is too great that the smartphone will not “see” it.
3. MicroSDXC (Extended Capacity). The upper limit on the memory capacity of such SD cards is 2000 GB. It makes no sense to expect that an Android phone costing 3-4 thousand rubles will work freely with an XC flash card. MicroSDXC flash cards have a different file system (exFAT) compared to other SD cards, and therefore are not compatible with digital devices and card readers that only work with SD. To make sure that the gadget and card are compatible, you should look for the SDXC logo on the device itself or its packaging.

How to choose a memory card that suits its class?

The class of a memory card reflects the data transfer speed - this parameter is no less important than the capacity of the flash drive. There are cards of the following classes:

1. Class 2. The write speed on such a card is only 2 MB/sec. Class 2 flash cards are suitable for MP3 players and photo frames, but not for modern smartphones and tablets that work with huge data flows.
2. Class 4. Despite the instability of their work, such cards are still often offered by consultants for smartphones. When using a 4th class flash drive in a budget smartphone, the user most likely will not have any complaints.
3. Class 6. 6 Mb/s is considered the optimal data transfer speed for a smartphone with average functionality. It is recommended to buy a card of this particular class for your smartphone, although you will have to overpay 100-150 rubles.
4. Class 10. There is no need for the average person to buy a Class 10 flash drive - he will not notice any difference in operating speed compared to Class 6. As a rule, microSD 10 is installed in professional video cameras that shoot FullHD. The disadvantage of such cards is their high cost.
5. UHC Speed Class. There are UHC-1 and UHC-3: the latter are theoretically capable of transmitting data at a speed of 321 Mb/s. The actual transfer speed reaches 30 Mb/sec. UHC – technology of the future; For now, a minimum number of gadgets are compatible with such flash drives.

The class can always be seen on the card itself - it is usually expressed as a number enclosed in the letter C.

What capacity cards are best for a smartphone?

Many concerns about the capacity of flash cards are far-fetched: if the user installs a card with a capacity of 16 GB instead of 8 GB, nothing bad will happen. When deciding on the volume, you need to assume how the gadget will be used. Movie buffs will need at least 16 GB, because one season of their favorite series in good quality will weigh about 8 GB. If the user uses memory only for rare photographs or work documents, 4 GB is enough.

Which memory card to choose for a smartphone: the best manufacturers

The final parameter that you need to pay attention to when purchasing a flash drive is the manufacturing company. It is recommended to buy a memory card for your phone from one of three “whales”: Kingston, Transcend or SanDisk. All these companies provide a long warranty on their products and have been on the market for a long time. For example, a Taiwanese company Transcend, which has been around since 1988, claims a lifetime warranty on SD cards and Flash drives.

You should avoid buying flash drives with the brand of a retailer - for example, in MTS stores there are cards of the same name on display in the windows. It is very difficult to find out who really is the manufacturer of such microSD, which means you cannot be sure of the quality of the product.

Conclusion

“Trust, but verify” is the main principle of communication with salon consultants. It’s worth asking for help in choosing a flash card, however, if the consultant starts selling goods with “his” brand (for which the commission is always higher), it is better to go to another, more sincere seller or choose a memory card for your phone yourself, based on the functional features of the gadget and the amount you have.

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Currently, the cost of large-capacity memory cards no longer seems exorbitant. The development of modern technologies and the expected drop in the cost of storing 1 GB of information on flash media makes the purchase of large-capacity memory cards attractive. In addition, with the advent of 4K video recording and playback devices in our time, old cards simply do not meet modern requirements, both in terms of the amount of stored information and the writing/reading speed.

Why did we decide to review microSD memory cards? All modern devices (phones, tablets, action cameras, quadcopters, video recorders, etc.) have a microSD slot. Essentially becoming a standard.

Brief instructions before purchasing a microSD card

Before choosing a card, you should understand what the icons and inscriptions on it mean, and what parameters you should use to choose. There is a huge selection of microSD cards on the market. They are all different, although they look the same in appearance.

Volume

Cards with the highest read/write speeds are labeled HC. As a rule, cards with this marking are produced in capacities from 4 to 32 GB. MicroSD with a capacity above 32 GB are designated as XC (stands for extended capacity). Currently, the largest card you can buy is 200TB, and that size doesn't seem like anything special anymore. HTC has already announced support for 2 TB memory cards in its new flagship smartphone HTC 10.

Please make sure your device supports microSDHC cards before purchasing.

Speed

Based on the recording speed, microSD cards are usually divided into 3 categories. The slowest cards are marked with the letter “C”. The number indicates the minimum recording speed. For example, a class 6 memory card means that the maximum writing speed reaches 6 MB/s. Let us clarify that data is written sequentially and maximum speed is achieved only when writing large amounts of data.

A large class of devices require high recording speed. Class 10 memory cards provide write speeds of up to 10 MB/s. This is the minimum write speed. For UHC type cards, you need to look at the coefficient. For example, if the number on the microSD card is 1, the recording speed is 10 MB/s, if 3 is 30 MB/s.

There are also UHS-I and USH-II cards. This marking indicates the card production technology. Memory cards supporting the UHS-I interface support recording speeds up to 104 MB/s, UHS-II up to 312 MB/s. True, such speeds can only be achieved on devices that support this interface.

Determining which interface the microSD card uses is easy. Drives that support the UHS-II interface differ from UHS-I in the second row of contacts.

At MWC 2016 in Shanghai, SanDisk presented the world's fastest 256 GB microSD memory card - SanDisk Extreme microSDXC UHS-I 256 GB.

Exposure to temperature, X-rays, shockproof properties

MicroSD memory cards are very small in physical size and are easy to lose. You can purchase various covers for them. With covers it will be much more difficult to lose the card. But how will a memory card behave, for example, on a trip, when it will be exposed to high temperatures, X-ray radiation, when passing through metal detectors, and the possibility of falling? Will all the data on it be lost, or maybe the flash drive will no longer be detected, etc.

Many manufacturers claim that their memory cards are water and X-ray resistant. However, these characteristics are common to all memory cards. The data on it is not stored on magnetic media, so it is not at risk of X-ray radiation at the airport. MicroSD are not afraid of water. Of course, if you try to connect it underwater, it will fail. It is a fact. But if water gets on it, you just need to thoroughly wipe the contacts dry and you can safely use the card further.

The declared operating temperature range of microSD cards is from - 25 to 85 degrees. And she can withstand blows well. If you don't hit it with a hammer, then a normal fall will definitely not cause any harm.

Our criteria for choosing the best microSD card of 2016

When determining the best card in our opinion, we relied on cards from well-known brands: Toshiba, Samsung, SanDisk, Lexar, Kingston and Verbatim and others. Manufacturers of such cards guarantee full performance of their products for the entire declared service period. In the event of a breakdown or manufacturing defect, you are guaranteed a replacement card with a similar one.

You can find a wide variety of so-called “fake” cards on the market. They are usually cheaper than microSD cards from reputable manufacturers. But no one can guarantee that such a card will not quickly fail. And it’s not a fact that the recording speed will also correspond to the declared one.

Quadcopters/action cameras- if you are buying a microSD card for the purpose of recording 4K video on it, it is better to opt for cards with a UHS-I class interface. They are also ideal for recording 1080p video.

Phones/tablets- mobile devices generally do not require high recording speeds. The recorded files are small in size. Therefore, it will be unnecessary to spend money on expensive cards. MicroSD cards from the mid-price range will be quite affordable.

DVRs- here the requirements for microSD cards are similar to the requirements for cards used in drones and action cameras. We recommend using cards of at least grade 10.

What is UFS format?

Samsung has introduced a new card format designed to replace microSD, known as UFS (Universal Flash Storage). UFS is available in capacities of 32, 64, 128 and 256 GB. The writing speed of such cards reaches 530 MB/s, which is much faster than conventional microSD.

Samsung promises that a 5 GB HD movie will be written to a flash drive in 10 seconds. Whereas for a microSD with a UHS-I interface this will take 50 seconds. However, UFS card technology is a technology of the near future. UFS and UHS cards are not interchangeable.

How we tested

For our test, we used the Crystal DiskMark utility. It supports recording in blocks of both large and small sizes (4 KB each). Each block is written sequentially.

The computer is built on an Intel i7 processor platform with a USB 3.0 interface. A Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot card reader was used as an adapter for microSD cards.

Comparison test results

Summary testing of 20 32 GB SDHC memory cards

Now, no matter what store you go to, there are a huge number of memory cards from various manufacturers on the shelves. They differ from each other in format, class and, ultimately, in the speed of reading and writing data. But how big is the difference in practice? This is what we will check in our new testing!

If you format the card using standard OS utilities or in a device that does not support the SDXC standard, it will end up with a different file system (for example, FAT32). The SD Association warns that the card will no longer be compatible with devices that support SDXC. Fortunately, for some card readers, cameras, etc. it is enough to update the driver or firmware.

⇡ Increase in speed: fast, faster, even faster!

Along with the capacity of memory cards, the data transfer speed also increased. In the early days of SD, it was measured in multipliers or “speeds.” One multiplier (or one “speed”) was equal to 150 KB/s - everything like CDs in their time. It’s just that such multipliers sometimes indicated the maximum access speed obtained under ideal conditions, be it reading or writing, and this is not the best option for the buyer. Therefore, the SD Associations decided to put an end to this disgrace, and in 2006 (SD Specifications V. 2.0), together with SDHC standard cards, four speed classes were approved for them: 0, 2, 4 and 6. Each class designated the minimum data transfer rate in decimal megabytes per second, both for reading and writing. Except zero class. This includes all cards released before the adoption of the specified specification, regardless of performance. A unified standard for marking memory cards was also approved: the number indicating the speed class was written inside the capital letter C.

Memory card speed classes

Alas, humanity is designed in such a way that it always lacks land, oil, minerals or memory card speeds. Therefore, in the next specification (SD Specifications V. 3.01 - the same one that describes SDXC cards), the 10th speed class was introduced, with a rating of 10 MB / s (again, in decimal format), and the UHS-I bus (Ultra High Speed, version 1), which could be used in SDHC and SDXC format cards. Using this bus increases the maximum theoretical data transfer rate to 104 MB/s (when the bus is supported by a card reader or other device) and does not entail any backward compatibility issues between new cards and older readers (provided that the latter support SDHC or SDXC formats).

On memory cards that support the UHS bus, you can find a mark in the form of the Roman numeral 1, and also a UHS bus speed marking - numbers 1 or 3 inscribed in a capital letter U. The first UHS class is equivalent to the usual tenth SDHC speed class (10 MB / s ), and the third speed class, as you might guess, should provide an access speed (sequential reading and writing) of at least 30 MB/s.

Then, in June 2011, the SD specification version 4.0 appeared, describing the UHS-II bus, which should increase the maximum throughput up to 312 MB / s. In addition, the use of the UHS-II bus provides for an increase in contacts on the card by eight pieces. Separately, I would like to note the preservation of backward compatibility between UHS-II and UHS-I cards.

The Roman numeral II is used to mark memory cards that support the UHS-II bus.

As of this writing, data transfer speeds of 312 MB/s are still fantastic. And there are very few memory cards themselves that support the UHS-II bus; they cost the same as a good SSD drive, and with a larger capacity. Take for example Panasonic Micro P2: capacity 32 or 64 GB, maximum sequential read speed - 2 Gbit/s. Price - about 11 or 16 thousand rubles, respectively.

Memory card with UHS-II bus

It turns out that over the 14 years of its existence, SD memory cards have undergone many changes and were divided into several formats. But only reading devices are backward compatible with previous formats, but not cards (see diagram).

⇡ Memory card labeling options. How not to make mistakes when buying?

Now let's briefly summarize everything that was said above. At the time of writing this article, SD memory cards of two formats may be available on sale: SDHC and SDXC. They differ from each other in maximum capacity and file system. The maximum capacity of SDHC is 32 GB, and SDXC - 2 TB, although in reality it is very difficult to find an SDXC card with a capacity of more than 128 GB. We were able to find the “largest” card with a capacity of 256 GB only from Lexar. It costs $399 on Amazon, but is not found in Russian stores.

Before moving on to further selection of a memory card, it is worth figuring out what capacity you need. If it is more than 32 GB, then you should go for SDXC and check all devices in which you plan to use this card for compatibility with this standard. It’s worth checking old card readers and cameras especially carefully, because modern equipment (unless we’re talking about a laptop with Linux and a camera from three years ago) should not have any problems with SDXC (or rather, with the exFAT file system). If your camera does not support SDXC, then you should search the Internet for new firmware and a description of it - sometimes the manufacturer can add SDXC support in the new firmware. As, for example, this was done with the Pentax K-x camera.

So, speed. In order to determine the approximate data transfer speed of a memory card, you need to look at its speed class and support for the UHS-I or UHS-II bus.

On some memory cards from among those that took part in our summary testing, we also found not only the usual tenth class marking, but also the speed indicated in the “multipliers” - this is a normal, albeit rare phenomenon.

The best option would be the card that has an established write or read speed tested by the manufacturer on the packaging or front side. When purchasing such memory, you can be sure that the sequential read or write speed will be higher than the minimum acceptable level for class 10. And for very expensive memory cards (for example, SanDisk Extreme Pro), the sequential read and write speeds stated on the packaging can reach values ​​of 90 MB/s. But in practice, memory cards with the specified speed are more expensive than others, which is quite normal - you have to pay separately for fast and tested memory. In addition, sometimes there are markings like “up to 60 MB/s” without indicating what type of data transfer this speed refers to - reading or writing.

The image below shows examples of speed class designations on memory cards. OltraMax card: simply tenth class; Transcend card: class ten supporting UHS-I bus and UHS speed class one; SanDisk: Class 10, UHS-I, Class 1 UHS-I and claimed speed of 95 MB/s.

⇡ Test participants, specifications

Our summary testing involves 20 different memory cards from different manufacturers - popular and not so popular. Among them there are both copies without a declared data transfer speed (but not lower than class 10), and cards with data transfer speeds of up to 90 MB/s. If the speed was indicated on the card packaging, but it was not written what it refers to (reading or writing), then so much the worse for the cunning manufacturer. In our table, we recorded this speed in the “read” and “write” cells labeled “total”.

Before moving on to the description of our experimental subjects, I would like to remind you about the cost of memory cards. We have indicated two prices in the table. The first is the average retail price taken from 3DNews, and the second is obtained using other sources. Since the prices are average, the cards we selected can be found in Moscow online stores even cheaper than indicated in the table. Everything will depend on the total number of offers on the market, the relevance of a particular memory card and, quite likely, on fluctuations in the dollar exchange rate in recent months.

⇡ Transcend Premium TS32GSDHC10, Premium 300x TS32GSDU1 and Ultimate 600x TS32GSDHC10U1

The trio from Transcend can serve as another illustration of the description of memory card labeling. The youngest card (Premium TS32GSDHC10) only indicates the 10th speed class, but the other two (Premium 300x TS32GSDU1 and Ultimate 600x TS32GSDHC10U1) indicate the 10th general and first UHS class, as well as speed in “multipliers” that are almost equal to the speeds in MB/s indicated on the packaging. This is roughly what manufacturers do when they want to make their cards more attractive to the buyer, because “300x” and “600x” at first glance look “more” than 43.5 or 87.9 MB/s, respectively.

Although the fastest memory card, Transcend Ultimate 600x TS32GSDHC10U1, has one advantage over other test participants. The manufacturer stated that it uses MLC memory, while on the packaging (and in the specifications) of other cards it is not possible to find a word about the chips used. However, the MLC (Multi-Level Cell) marking, by definition, can designate cells with both two and three (also called TLC) charge levels. Both options are used in memory cards.

⇡ Kingston Ultra SD10V/32GB, Elite SD10G3/32GB and Ultimate SDA10/32GB

There will also be three memory cards from Kingston, another well-known storage manufacturer, in our testing. The youngest card, Kingston SD10V/32GB, only has speed class ten, but other cards, Kingston Elite SD10G3/32GB and Ultimate SDA10/32GB, have stated read speeds of 30 and 60 MB/s, respectively. For Kingston Ultimate and 35 MB/s, write speeds are also stated.

⇡ SanDisk Ultra SDSDU-032G-U46, Extreme SDSDXS-032G-X46 and Extreme Pro SDSDXPA-032G-X46

SanDisk cards are a pleasant exception in our test. The thing is that all three cards from this company we use have a maximum access speed indicated. The youngest card, SanDisk Ultra (SDSDU-032G-U46), has 30 MB/s for sequential read, while SanDisk Extreme Pro has 95 and 90 MB/s for sequential read and write, respectively.

⇡ ADATA ASDH32GCL10-R, ASDH32GUICL10-R and ASDH32GUI1CL10-R

ADATA is a manufacturer of storage devices of various types and purposes. The company's product line includes RAM, external hard drives, solid state drives and SD cards. We took the last three devices from ADATA for testing.

Before us is an almost standard set of three cards: the simplest ADATA ASDH32GCL10-R class 10 without specifying access speeds and two more complex cards. Thus, the ADATA ASDH32GUICL10-R has an overall speed of up to 30 MB/s, and the most advanced one, ADATA ASDH32GUI1CL10-R, has a total speed of 95 MB/s for sequential reading and 45 MB/s for writing.

⇡ Silicon Power SP032GBSDH010V10, Elite SP032GBSDHAU1V10 and Superior SP032GBSDHCU1V10

Silicon Power can be called a direct competitor of ADATA, because on the official website of this company you can find almost the same range of products as on the website of the previous manufacturer.

The cheapest Silicon Power card - SP032GBSDH010V10 - only has speed class 10, but other models have speeds of 40 and 15 MB/s (Silicon Power Elite SP032GBSDHAU1V10), as well as 90/45 MB/s (Silicon Power Superior SP032GBSDHCU1V10) for reading and writing respectively.

⇡ OltraMax OM032GSDHC10, OM032GSDHC10UHS-1 and OM032GSDHC10UHS-1 95 MB/s*

The OltraMax company, unlike all other test participants, is practically unknown to the average consumer. But inside the packages of two fast OltraMax cards it is written that the company uses Samsung components - this is good advertising for the card manufacturer. The only pity is that in order to see such advertising, you need to buy a memory card and open the package.

The OltraMax trio is almost no different from the previous trios. The simplest and cheapest card from this manufacturer, OltraMax OM032GSDHC10, is marked only with class 10; the average memory card, OltraMax OM032GSDHC10UHS-1, also cannot boast of any marks other than class 10 and UHS-I. But the coolest card, OltraMax OM032GSDHC10UHS-1 95 MB/s*, promises speeds of about 95 MB/s, which is very interesting.

⇡ Qumo QM32GSDHC10 and Toshiba FlashAir SD-F32AIR(BL8

The next two cards are a little out of the general list. We received only one class 10 drive from Qumo for testing. And the Toshiba FlashAir SD-F32AIR(BL8) stands out because it is capable of providing access to content via Wi-Fi.

Memory cards with Wi-Fi have long been no longer considered something unusual or innovative - many manufacturers have such models, but their small variety hints at their modest popularity. Judging by the characteristics, you shouldn’t expect high speeds from the Toshiba FlashAir SD-F32AIR (BL8) - this card doesn’t even support the UHS-I memory bus. But it has Wi-Fi and even the ability to distribute wireless Internet if you add a name to the card settings and access password to another network

Having purchased a smartphone or tablet computer, you immediately want to try using a variety of interesting applications, download a cool game and much more. But to open an application for a smartphone or other device, you must first download and install it. And for this, of course, you will need a certain space in the internal memory. Music, movies, documents and other files - all this is stored on the device’s resources and sometimes takes up too much space on the built-in storage. You can expand the volume using an SD card. But not all of us know how to choose the right memory card that is not expensive and at the same time high-quality. We will also find out what classes of memory cards there are and what characteristics you should pay attention to when purchasing. This or that gadget supports specific types of equipment - if you buy another one, it simply will not work. In addition, you also need to know how much volume your smartphone or tablet supports - this is of great importance.

Types of SD cards by form factor

Previously, MultiMedia Card (MMC) was used. Then they were replaced by SD memory cards. Their physical dimensions are the same, however, they are made using completely different technologies. SD has a controller and has a security area that will not allow someone to “climb” into the system unnoticed. There is also a special switch installed that can block the ability to delete information (switched manually).

So, what types of memory cards are there and how to choose them? There are three types of SD:

• Standard SD measures 32 by 24 by 2.1 mm.
• miniSD is a little smaller - 21.5 by 20 by 1.4 mm.
• The smallest is microSD – 11 by 15 by 1 mm.

Using special adapters designed for this, any of the cards presented can be inserted into any slot that supports SD drives.

What are the classes of memory cards?

Among other things, drives differ by class. Let's figure out what a memory card class is and what does this parameter affect? So, it determines at what speed data is written. To put it in slightly different language, the higher it is, the sooner you can record data and play large video or audio recordings without loss of quality.

To help a potential buyer understand the capabilities of flash drives, the SD card association classifies them according to SD Speed ​​Class - what is it? Speed ​​characteristics: on drives, the speed is indicated based on a certain multiplier, where 1 is 150 kb/sec.

Memory cards can be manufactured in the following varieties:

• Class 2;
• Class 4;
• Class 6;
• Class 10;
• Class 16.

When choosing a memory card for a DVR or other device, you need to pay special attention to this parameter. Among other things, you need to choose a drive only from a reputable manufacturer. The fact is that many companies indicate a classification that does not correspond to speed indicators. Or it will mean not the speed of recording information, but its reading.

The type will be of no small importance for those who like to watch movies with HD resolution, the difference between them is noticeable. The higher it is, the more stable the data flows will be and there will be no slowdowns. In the documentation for the device where this or that card will be used, you should carefully read the information about the minimum speed for playing HD video.

In general, flash drives with 10th grade are considered the most popular and in demand. The speed of reading and writing information is at the most optimal level and can reach more than 10 MB/s, which is good news.

Memory card capacity

Before buying a memory card, you should check the maximum capacity your device can support. It is also recommended to pay attention to the type:

• Regular SD cards can have a capacity of no more than 4 GB;
• SDHC – up to 32 GB;
• SDXC – up to 2 TB;
• SDXC II, SDHC II, SDXC I, SDHC I – maximum available quantity.

The larger the memory card, the better - as you can store more information on it. For example, a capacity of 8 GB is enough for a thousand songs in mp3 format or 21 minutes of video recording with Full HD resolution.

Read and write speed

The speed of reading and loading information onto the card depends on its class and type.

Different types of memory cards have different data transfer speeds. What does a specific characteristic mean:

• SD – 12.5 Mb/s;
• SDHC – 12.5 Mb/s (the difference from the previous one is only in a larger volume);
• SDXC – 25 Mb/s;
• SDXC II, SDHC II, SDXC I, SDHC I - very high speed (UHS I architecture - 50 Mb/s, UHS II architecture - 156 Mb/s or 312 Mb/s).

How to determine the class of a memory card based on information exchange speed? Class characteristics:

• Class 2 – no less than 2 Mb/sec;
• Class 4 – no less than 4 Mb/sec;
• Class 6 – no less than 6 Mb/sec;
• Class 10 – no less than 10 Mb/sec;
• Class 16 – no less than 16 Mb/sec.

Selecting an SD card

Despite the huge range of memory cards, it’s not difficult to figure out which one is better. The main thing is in which device the drive will be used. Standard SD format cards are most often inserted into camcorders and digital cameras. It is necessary to highlight two modifications of SD cards: SDHC and SDXC, which are characterized by increased capacity (32 GB - 2 TB). If you need a flash drive for a mobile phone or tablet, then you should look at miniSD and microSD. Despite their miniature size, these varieties are characterized by the same speed and capacity as a full-fledged SD, and differ only in an increased price.

When choosing a memory card, you also need to take into account the fact that modern formats may not be compatible with outdated devices. It is worth noting that if the gadget contains a slot for a large SD flash drive, then you can use the most ordinary microSD, provided you have a special adapter, which is almost always included with the purchase.

As for the card's capacity, it all depends on what files you plan to store on it, and in what volume. One of the most important characteristics when choosing is the speed with which it can receive and store data. For example, recording burst photos or Full HD video files on a slow card is not feasible. When playing videos, the video will “slow down” all the time. To understand how to find out the speed? You need to pay attention to the special marking - class. As was said earlier, a good memory card has a high class, and in our time it should at least be “10” for comfortable work without delays in writing and reading.

Additional information

If you are the owner of a mobile device or other gadgets, then you should know about other important parameters that need to be taken into account when choosing a memory card. Cells are provided to save all data on a flash drive. During repeated formatting and rewriting of information, these cells can “wear out”; modern drives are designed for 10,000-1,000,000 cycles of data rewriting. As practice shows, this figure can be much less. It depends on the conditions of use of the flash drive, its resistance to influences, etc. Thus, a high-quality card must be resistant to mechanical damage, high humidity, and changes in temperature conditions.

Conclusion

Choosing a high-quality memory card is not difficult. The main thing is to first study their main varieties, classes of memory cards and criteria to which you should pay especially close attention. First of all, you need to start from the device for which the drive is intended. You also need to decide on your needs that the flash drive should satisfy.