What is the difference between memory card classes

The miniSD card never gained much traction, however, so devices that use it are relatively uncommon. Often, miniSD cards will come with an adaptor that can convert it into a full-size SD card, which makes it easier to use with laptop card readers. The microSD is the smallest version. You might have also seen it referred to as TransFlash or abbreviated as a TF card. MicroSD cards, as the name implies, are physically tiny and came about predominantly to be used in smartphones that would benefit from a much smaller card.

The next area of confusion is around speed classes. High-resolution and high bit rate video requires a lot of data to be written to the card very quickly. Stills cameras with high resolutions and fast burst shooting will also take modern cards to their limits. The SD Association devised a way to standardise the speed ratings for different cards. Many SD card manufacturers will also list a specific speed alongside the Class rating.

This is mainly useful for camcorders, video recorders and other devices with video recording capabilities. Regarding bus mode, it is necessary to use a bus mode fast enough that does not affect memory write speed. Video Speed Class is defined to answer a demand for high resolution and high quality 4K8K video recording and it also has an important feature to support next generation flash memory such as 3D NAND. SD Speed Class. Speed Class supported host can indicate Speed Class symbol somewhere on the product, package or manual.

According to PCMag. The largest class is Secure Digital Extended Capacity, or SDXC, with storage capacities commonly ranging from 64 to gigabytes, though some have the potential to store up to 2 terabytes. Memory card speed categories range from Class 2 to 10, slowest to fastest. Speed class is determined by the type of device. A camera that records high-definition video will need a faster class than a cell phone that takes photos.

Here are the associated SD class speed logos, in order from slowest class 2 to fastest UHS class 3 :. Class 2 cards are a bit on the slow side these days, so you may want to avoid them for all but the cheapest digital cameras.

Even a cheap smartphone can record HD video, after all. For example, in the below photo, the middle SD card is speed class 4, while the two other cards are speed class 6. If you see no speed class symbol, you have a class 0 SD card. These cards were designed and produced before the speed class rating system was introduced. They may be slower than even a class 2 card. SD cards also come in different sizes.

They measure 32x24x2. Most consumer digital cameras for sale today still use standard SD cards. This is the least common size today. These cards are used in most cell phones and smartphones that support SD cards.

Choosing a size is really just about what fits into the device you have. SD cards will only fit into matching slots. Below, you can see an adapter that lets you use a microSD card in a standard SD card slot. Like USB flash drives, hard drives, solid-state drives , and other storage media, different SD cards can have different amounts of storage. At this point, the vast majority of devices should support SDHC. SDXC is newer and less common.

Browse All iPhone Articles Browse All Mac Articles Do I need one? Browse All Android Articles