MicroSD, SD or CompactFlash? How to choose the right memory card for your smartphone, camera, camcorder and other equipment
CompactFlash memory cards
One of the oldest memory card formats, which does not think to retire due to the combination of high speed, capacity and reliability. These are relatively expensive and large cards (size 43 by 36 mm), which are used mainly in professional photo and video equipment. There are two types that differ in size. However, in nature there are mainly CF Type I cards, so Type II can be put aside.
SD (Secure Digital) memory cards
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You can say the "classic" card format 24 by 32 mm, which is still actively used in cameras and camcorders. A distinctive feature of such cards is the mechanical Lock switch, which can lock or unlock the card in order to write data, delete data, or format the card. This is done on purpose so that when a camera or camcorder is connected to a computer, the user does not accidentally delete important service files.
In total, there are three generations of SD memory cards, primarily differing in volume.
SD - the original version with a capacity of up to 2 GB and formatted in FAT16. In fact, an extinct species that is as difficult to find on sale as it is to meet a Leprechaun.
SD High Capacity (or SDHC) is a higher capacity variation of SD. The volume varies from 4 to 32 GB using FAT32 formatting.
SD Extended Capacity (or SDXC) - high-capacity cards, as a rule, their volume varies from 64 to 512 GB, and exFAT is used as the file system.
MicroSD memory cards
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A smaller version of the popular 11x15 mm SD format, which is mainly used in devices that require maximum compactness: smartphones, music players, e-readers, etc.
The beauty of the format is its reverse versatility: MicroSD often comes with special one-to-one adapters with a regular SD card. With it, the same card can be rearranged from a smartphone to a conditional camera, laptop or card reader with the appropriate SD slot.
Since progress does not stand still, MicroSD has come a long evolutionary path and has acquired various subspecies. They differ in the maximum amount of available memory and speed indicators. The type of card itself is usually indicated on the front side.
Like conventional SD cards, microSD cards have gradation in volume. The very first options had a modest volume from 2 to 4 GB, which is why they gradually went to the dustbin of history.
More modern microSDHC decently increased the volume, and 32 GB became their ceiling. Due to the affordable price, cards of this format are still popular. Conditional Kingston Canvas Select Plus 32 GB can now be bought for 5 - 7 dollars.
microSDXC is the newest high-capacity microSD subspecies. As a rule, popular basic models such as Samsung EVO Plus are found in volumes from 64 to 512 GB. However, today's smartphones are setting increasingly stringent storage requirements - just look at how much toys like Need for Speed: NL and Modern Combat 5 weigh, or how much space is taken up by videos shot on the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus in 4K resolution. Therefore, manufacturers of memory cards are tearing their navels in an attempt to build up additional gigabytes. And in the summer of 2019, SanDisk introduced the world's first 1TB microSDXC. At this rate, up to 2 TB is not far.
Exotic: Huawei's new Nano Memory format
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In 2018, Huawei released “its answer to Chamberlain” - a new type of NM (Nano Memory) memory card, which, in its opinion, should replace microSD in the future. These cards are identical in size to a regular SIM card, which allows smartphone manufacturers to abandon a separate slot for a memory card. At the same time, in terms of speed, they do not have significant advantages over microSD, tests of the first models showed quite ordinary figures of 90 MB / s when reading and 75 - 80 MB / s when writing. In our opinion, the prospects for this format are rather vague, it is unlikely that other major players in the smartphone market like Samsung and Xiaomi will want to follow the lead of their main competitor, just to change the format. Especially since hybrid SIM/MicroSD slots seem to suit everyone. Yes, and US sanctions on Huawei have significantly reduced demand for their products.
What are the classes of memory cards?
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When choosing a drive for a digital device, it is not enough to look only at the type of card and its capacity. This is just the tip of the iceberg, the most interesting begins further. If you like the analogy with cars, then now we talked about the difference between sedans, hatchbacks, jeeps and crossovers. But, as you understand, the sedan is different, compare the Tesla X with its electric engine (acceleration to 100 km / h in less than 4 seconds) and the simple Nissan Leaf. Face difference.
Speed classification, what is the UHS class and why is it better than the “C” index?
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Memory card manufacturers have divided them into classes so that you can quickly understand what kind of card is in front of you without looking at its passport data. And everything is so simple: the higher the class of the memory card, the faster you can record and save information, or shoot / play video in high resolution without worrying that the video will be interrupted or the sound will be interrupted due to a lack of card bandwidth .
Initially, the classes were designated with the letter “C” (for example, Class 6, Class 10), then a more relevant division into UHS (Ultra High Speed) classes appeared. At the moment, there are three generally accepted speed classes that apply equally to both SD and microSD cards. The class of the card is indicated directly on the front side with the letter U, in which a number from 1 to 3 is entered. The higher the number, the greater the speed.
UHS-I Class 1 (U1) - such a card works with data at speeds of 10 MB / s, allowing you to record Full HD video at 120 frames per second or 4K with a maximum frame rate of 60 frames per second.
UHS-I Class 3 (U3) is the best option for today's flagship smartphones and cameras. Bandwidth starts at 30 MB/s and hits a ceiling of 160-170 MB/s. This speed is enough to record 4K video at 120 fps or even 8K video with a limit of 30 fps.
UHS-II Class 3 (U3) is the fastest card and is required mainly for professional video shooting and work with heavy ultra-high quality video content.
What are Video Recording Classes and How is VPG Different from VPG
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If you're not confused enough about formats, subtypes, and speed classes, then keep adding. Since classes like U1 and U3 denote general speed indicators, manufacturers have introduced such an additional concept as "video recording class". For SD and microSD cards, it is denoted by the letter "V", and for CompactFlash cards, the VPG index is used.
There are five classes of video recording for SD and microSD, but in practice there are mainly two:
V10 - recording speed from 10 to 100 MB / s, which is enough for shooting video in Full HD. When compared with speed classes, then V10 is the same U1, only under a different sign.
V30 - write speed from 30 MB / s to how lucky. The market is full of cards with a ceiling of 90 MB / s for writing and reading, but sometimes monsters like SanDisk Extreme Pro 2000x come across that can write information at a speed of 260 MB / s. In any case, V30-class cards are enough for comfortable work with 4K resolution and frame rates up to 120 frames per second.
There are also V60 and V90 classes that allow you to work with 8K resolution, but finding such models for sale is quite difficult.
With Compact Flash, the same story: the VPG20 class is designed to work with Full HD resolution, VPG65 for shooting in 4K, and you are unlikely to find the fastest VPG130 on sale, so that's it.
Class A: what is important for games and applications
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If you are looking for a memory card for your smartphone, then it is better to focus not on speed classes, but on the so-called “application class”, which is denoted by the letter “A”. The fact is that when recording video, the stream recorded on the flash drive has a stable size and requires a constant speed value. However, for the daily work of a smartphone, it is much more important how quickly the card copes with chaotic input / output operations (IOPS). The point is that the data of applications, games and the system itself is written and read not in a continuous stream, but in separate fragments that the card “grabs” in random order.
Class A1 - simpler cards with a minimum of 1500 IOPS when performing read operations. In fact, these are ordinary cards that are suitable for comfortable work with toys that are not too heavy. If we draw an analogy with gaming computers, then when performing read operations, this is a conditional analogue of a conventional hard drive.
Class A2 - top cards with a minimum of 4000 IOPS when performing read operations, which is enough for comfortable work with very heavy games of several gigabytes. Here, a comparison with an SSD in a gaming computer is already more appropriate.
What is Endurance Card for Loop Recording
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It's simple, Endurace are so-called "hardened" microSD cards that are suitable for continuous video recording. Perfect for surveillance cameras or DVRs. With an ordinary card, such tricks will not work, because after a while it will simply fail. Endurance cards are also designed to work in harsh environments: they are not afraid of extreme temperatures, are resistant to shock, are not afraid of exposure to water and will survive exposure to X-rays without any problems.
Conclusion
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We hope that by the end of the text your head has not exploded from the abundance of designations, classes and indices, and now it will be easier for you to choose exactly the memory card that is best suited for your tasks.
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