SD Memory Card (2024)

FAQs

What is difference between SD card and memory card? ›

Typically, an MMC is used as storage media for a portable device, in a form that can easily be removed for access by a PC. Secure Digital (SD) is a flash (non-volatile) memory card format and is used for storage. MMC and SD cards differ in their physical size, capacity and their usage.

An SD card can be used for various purposes. You can use it to expand the storage capacity of your smartphone or tablet, allowing you to store more photos, videos, apps, and other files. Additionally, you can use an SD card to transfer files between devices or to backup important data.

Selecting the right micro SD card requires careful consideration of so many factors: storage capacity, speed class, UHS speed class, application performance class, compatibility, durability, warranty, price and future compatibility are all things you'll want to research and learn about.

SD cards currently come in three tiers describing memory capacity ranges: Standard SD cards go up to 2GB; SDHC (High Capacity) cards range from 4GB to 32GB, and SDXC (Extended Capacity) cards go from 64GB up to 1TB (with the capacity to go up to 2TB eventually).

MicroSD cards are the smaller-sized version of SD cards and the biggest difference between the two is the form factor. They're also more versatile since they're often available with an SD adaptor that allows you to use microSD cards in hardware devices that only support SD cards.

There are three primary classifications for all SD Cards regardless of manufacturer. Those classes are Speed Class, UHS Speed Class, and Video Speed Class. We'll go into greater detail about UHS Speed Class in a moment, as it's the most common speed class used by photographers.

The important factors in choosing a memory card are speed, capacity and the type of device you're using it in. Having the most capacity at an affordable price is ideal but it's also important to have a memory card that has a fast enough write speed to capture all your footage without any errors.

Compatibility. Memory cards come in various shapes and sizes, and different cameras use different memory cards. Hence, before all else, you have to know what type of memory cards are compatible with your camera. You can usually find this information in the user's manual or on the manufacturer's website.

Note: Not all phone or tablet models support microSD cards. On these models, there will only be a slot for the SIM card. MicroSD cards give you tons of space on your phone or tablet, but they are really tiny.

A Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC) card is a very small flash memory card that has greater storage capacity than the original SD (Secure Digital) memory cards. SD and SDXC cards facilitate portable storage among devices such as smartphones, eBooks, digital cameras, camcorders, music players and computers.

How many photos can 32GB hold? ›

A 32GB memory card can typically store a maximum of 22,888 JPEG photos. But hold on—the number of photos you can put into that card also depends on factors like picture quality and megapixels. For example, if all your photos are 22 megapixels, you'll fit around 4,161 JPEGs.

If you have a microSD card in your device, it lets you expand memory space and exchange pictures, music, or data with microSD compatible devices.

Secure Digital cards (SD) are small flash memory cards designed explicitly for high-capacity memory with a high data transfer rate and low power consumption. SD cards use flash memory that provides non-volatile storage, which means a power source is not needed to retain any stored data.

While USB drives are generally used for storing data and for frequent transferring of files from one device to another, SD cards are most of the time an integral storage component of a device such as cameras, tablets, and other small electronic devices that require data storage.