Choosing an SD card for a smartphone. Choosing a good memory card for a smartphone

The owner of any gadget sooner or later has a desire to increase its memory. Fortunately, most often this is possible thanks to memory cards. Tablets, smartphones, e-readers, video cameras, cameras - far from full list devices, most models of which have a memory card slot.

A memory card may be needed not only to increase the memory capacity of the device - in some cases, copying a file to a memory card is the fastest and in a simple way exchange information with other devices.

The algorithm for choosing a memory card for specific equipment is clear and seemingly quite simple:
1. Decide on the form factor of the memory cards.
2. Determine the minimum speed required for the gadget to operate.
3. Select the memory capacity of the card based on your needs and financial capabilities.

Unfortunately, in reality everything may not be so simple, because the speed of the card can be described by as many as four different parameters. Therefore, before you start choosing a memory card, you should figure out what each parameter is responsible for.

Characteristics of memory cards

Form factor(card standard that describes its size, number, location and purpose of pins) is primarily determined by the gadget in which the card is supposed to be installed. There is usually a marking next to the memory card slot indicating which cards the slot is intended for. And of course, a complete list of supported memory cards will be given in the gadget’s instruction manual.

There are many form factors of memory cards, but the most common today are:
- microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC;
- SD/SDHC/SDXC;
- JetDrive Lite;
- MS Pro Duo:
- Compact Flash:
- XQD.

microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC And SD/SDHC/SDXC belong to one type of card – Secure Digital. They are presented in three formats (SD, SDHC, SDXC) and three form factors (SD, miniSD, microSD), although miniSD is practically not found today. SD cards of the same format and different form factors differ only in size, they have the same filling - many cards of the microSD form factor even come with an adapter that allows them to be used as SD form factor cards.

The formats differ in the possible maximum volume:
- SD can have a capacity of up to 2 GB;
- SDHC – up to 32 GB;
- SDXC – up to 2 TB (currently the maximum capacity among cards produced is 1 TB; on sale there are capacities of up to 512 GB).
The formats are compatible from top to bottom, i.e., a device that supports SDHC cards will also support SD, but SDXC cards will not work on this device.

JetDrive Lite can also be classified as SD format. The JetDrive Lite card is an SD card with slightly different dimensions - it is shorter than the original one. The size of the card has been changed so that when installed in MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, it does not protrude beyond the dimensions of the laptop.
Card reader depth different models MacBooks are different, so JetDrive Lite cards also come in different sizes:

Memory Stick is a memory card used in Sony devices; now the most common type is Memory Stick PRO Duo ( MS Pro Duo). The characteristics are similar to the SDHC format, but have a much higher price. Fortunately, in most cases, instead of an MS Pro Duo card, you can use microSD cards with an appropriate adapter.

Compact Flash- old-timer among modern maps memory, produced since 1994. Despite such a venerable age, CompactFlash cards are still popular in video and photographic equipment due to their high write/read speed and large capacity: latest edition The standard limits the speed to 167 MB/s, and the volume to a completely unrealistic 128 Petabytes. In addition, the data exchange standard for cards (ATA) does not change, and in cameras fifteen years ago you can use modern cards (if the capacity is supported), as well as vice versa - insert ancient CF cards into modern cameras (if they are “fast enough”).

XQD– the memory card format developed by SanDisk, Sony and Nikon is intended for devices that are particularly demanding in terms of write/read speed. Today it is considered the most promising format for modern high-resolution video and photo cameras.

Speed ​​class memory card determines its speed performance. Most often, you can find out the minimum recording speed from the class - this indicator is very important for cards on which real-time video is recorded. Speed ​​class mismatch can result in frame loss and recording errors. There are several speed class designation standards.

SD (microSD) cards have four speed levels Class2, Class4, Class6 And Class10. The class is indicated by a number inside the letter “C” and corresponds to the minimum write speed (in MB/s) - for a Class6 card the minimum write speed will be 6 MB/s.
SDHC and SDXC cards can support the UHS (Ultra High Speed) protocol. UHS speed class is indicated inside the letter “U” and corresponds to the minimum write speed in tens of MB/s. A card with a UHS U3 speed class will have a minimum write speed of 30 MB/s. There are also speed specifications for Video Speed ​​Class - (the minimum speed in MB/s is indicated after the letter "V") and Application Performance Class, indicated by the letter "A" and has a minimum write speed of 10 MB/s.

The latest modification of SDHC / SDXC cards with support for the UHS-II protocol has an additional row of contacts on the body and read/write speeds of up to 300 MB/s. But such cards have not yet received wide distribution.

Cards MS PRO DUO provide a minimum write speed of 4 MB/s.

Cards JetDrive Lite provide a minimum write speed of 60 MB/s.

Cards XQD provide a minimum write speed of 125 MB/s.

When choosing a memory class, you should focus on the requirements of the device for which you are purchasing the memory card. If, for example, the device does not support the UHS protocol, there is no point in buying a card with the U3 class - it will not work faster than C10. If the card is intended to be used in various devices, when choosing a speed class, you can refer to the following table:

Since read speed is usually much faster than write speed, manufacturers sometimes indicate the read speed class as multiplier(similar to CD-ROM speeds), with 1x = 150 KB/s. That is, a card with a speed of 133x will have a read speed of 133*150/1024 ≈ 20 MB/s, and a 1067x card will have a read speed of 156 MB/s.

Often manufacturers also indicate maximum values write speed And reading– they can be many times greater than the corresponding values ​​obtained by the speed class of the card. But it should be understood that such speeds are achieved under ideal conditions; in reality, the speed will always be lower, sometimes by several times. Therefore, when choosing a card, you should be guided by the minimum recording speed, and take other speeds as additional information.

Card volume determines how much information will fit on it. On the one hand, the more memory, the better. On the other hand, larger capacity cards are more expensive. In addition, the maximum capacity of memory cards on many devices is limited to a value less than the maximum capacity of a card of a given format. A device, for example, may support SDXC cards, but have a maximum memory card capacity of 128 GB. There is no point in buying a 256 GB SDXC card for such a device. Such subtleties should be clarified before purchasing in the device’s instruction manual.

Memory card options

If you need to increase the memory of your smartphone by 2-8 GB, first of all you should make sure that it has this option. If there is a memory card slot, most likely it is designed for microSD cards. Suitable for smartphone

The internal storage of modern smartphones has grown significantly in volume, but the option of expanding memory using microSD cards is still in demand. There are a great variety of memory cards on the market, and choosing the right one is more difficult than it seems at first glance. Let's figure out which ones are best suited for a smartphone.

To choose the right memory card, you should focus on the following characteristics:

• Manufacturer;
• Volume;
• Standard;
• Class.

In addition, the technologies that your smartphone supports are also important: not every device will be able to recognize and use a microSD with a capacity of 64 GB or higher. Let's take a closer look at these features.

Memory card manufacturers

The rule “expensive does not always mean high quality” also applies to memory cards. However, as practice shows, purchasing an SD card from a reputable brand reduces the likelihood of running into defects or various kinds of compatibility problems. The main players in this market are Samsung, SanDisk, Kingston and Transcend. Let's briefly look at their features.

Samsung
Korean corporation produces different types consumer electronics, including memory cards. It can be called a newcomer to this market (it has been producing SD cards since 2014), but despite this, its products are famous for their reliability and quality.

MicroSD from Samsung are available in series Standard, Evo And Pro(the last two have improved options with the index «+» ), for the convenience of users are marked different colors. It goes without saying that options are available in different classes, capacities and standards. The characteristics can be found on the official website.

There are also some drawbacks, and the main one is the price. Samsung memory cards cost 1.5 or even 2 times more than competitors. In addition, sometimes the cards of the Korean corporation are not recognized by some smartphones.

SanDisk
This company founded the SD and microSD standards, so everything latest developments in this area - the authorship of its employees. SanDisk is currently the leader in production volumes and available selection of cards.

SanDisk's range is truly extensive - from the now familiar memory cards with a capacity of 32 GB to the seemingly incredible cards of 400 GB. Naturally, there are different specifications for different needs.

As with Samsung, SanDisk cards may seem too expensive for the average user. However, this manufacturer has established itself as the most reliable of all existing ones.

Kingston
This American company (full name Kingston Technology) is the second in the world in the production of USB drives, and the third in memory cards. Kingston products are generally seen as a more affordable alternative to SanDisk solutions, and in some cases even superior to the latter.

The Kingston memory card lineup is constantly updated, offering new standards and capacities.

In terms of technology, however, Kingston is in a catching-up position, so this can be attributed to the disadvantages of this company’s cards.

Transcend
The Taiwanese giant produces a variety of digital storage solutions, and was one of the first Asian manufacturers to enter the memory card market. In addition, microSD from this manufacturer are very popular in the CIS due to their loyal pricing policy.

It’s interesting that Transcend provide a lifetime warranty on their products (with some caveats, of course). The choice of these products is very, very rich.

Alas, the main drawback of memory cards from this manufacturer is their low reliability in comparison with the brands mentioned above.

We also note that there are many other companies that produce microSDs on the market, however, when choosing their products, you should be careful: there is a risk of running into a product of dubious quality that will not last even a week.

Memory card capacity

The most common memory card sizes today are 16, 32 and 64 GB. Of course, cards of smaller capacity are also present, as well as the seemingly incredible 1 TB microSD, but the former are gradually losing relevance, and the latter are still too expensive and compatible only with some devices.

• A 16 GB card is suitable for users whose smartphones have a large capacity internal memory, and microSD is needed only as an addition for important files.
• A 32 GB memory card is enough for all needs: it can accommodate movies, a music library in lossy quality and photos, as well as cache from games or.
• MicroSD with a capacity of 64 GB and higher is worth choosing for those who like to listen to music in lossless formats or record wide-screen video.

Note! Large storage drives also require support from your smartphone, so be sure to re-read the device specifications before purchasing!

Memory card standard

Most modern memory cards operate according to the SDHC and SDXC standards, which stands for SD High Capacity and SD Extended Capacity, respectively. In the first standard maximum volume cards is 32 GB, in the second – 2 TB. Finding out what microSD standard is very simple - it is marked on its body.


The SDHC standard has been and remains dominant on most smartphones. SDXC is now supported mainly by expensive flagship devices, although there is a tendency for this technology to appear on devices in the middle and lower price ranges.

As we have already mentioned, optimal for modern use are cards with a capacity of 32 GB, which corresponds to the upper limit of SDHC. If you want to purchase a larger capacity drive, make sure that your device is compatible with SDXC.

Memory card class

The available speed of reading and writing data depends on the class of the memory card. Like the standard, the class of the SD card is indicated on the case.


Relevant today among them are:

• Class 4 (4 Mb/s);
• Class 6 (6 Mb/s);
• Class 10 (10 Mb/s);
• Class 16 (16 Mb/s).

The newest classes – UHS 1 and 3 – stand out, but so far only a few smartphones support them, and we will not dwell on them in detail.

In practice, this parameter means that the memory card is suitable for quickly recording data - for example, when shooting video in FullHD resolution and higher. The class of the memory card is also important for those interested - Class 10 is preferred for this purpose.

conclusions

Summarizing the above, we can do next output. The best option today for everyday use would be a microSD with a capacity of 16 or 32 GB of the SDHC Class 10 standard, preferably from a large manufacturer with a good reputation. For specific tasks, select drives of suitable capacity or data transfer speed.

MicroSD memory cards are the simplest and most convenient way add additional space for your files on your Android smartphone or tablet. You can easily download photos, videos and music to the external card, thereby freeing up precious internal space for important applications.

Some phones even allow you to use memory cards to install applications on the SD drive. The microSD standard has been around longer than Android, and not all memory cards work equally well with smartphones. This selection contains only the best microSD cards for your phone, which will not slow down or cause lags on the device.

One of the coolest microSD cards from Samsung. In fact, this is the most expensive memory in our ranking. True, for the price of $150 you get the highest possible performance, speed and capacity. The write speed of the Samsung EVO (256 GB) is 90 MB/s, and the read speed of information is 95 MB/s.

These power figures will last you a long time, and this card will be especially useful if you shoot a lot of 4K video on your smartphone. This memory is also protected from moisture, magnetic and other types of radiation.

If you are looking for a good and productive microSD memory card for your Android smartphone, but you don't want to spend more than $100 on such a purchase, pay attention to the Samsung EVO Select 128 GB.

This card offers quite a lot of memory with excellent performance and speed: 100 Mbps and 90 Mbps for writing and reading information. EVO Select costs approximately $50-60, depending on the store, and is the most balanced additional memory for a smartphone or tablet.

If speed is more important to you than memory, then take a look at the Lexar Professional card. The stated reading speed from this microSD card is 150 Mbit/s, and the built-in storage capacity is 32 GB. This flash drive also supports UHS-II for writing and reading and costs approximately $30-35 in popular stores. Another nice bonus of this memory card is the included USB adapter for PC. With it, transferring data to a computer will be much faster and more convenient.

This memory card won't break your budget too much and is priced around $40-$50. At the same time, SanDisk Extreme Pro offers 64 GB of memory, which is enough in most cases and has good performance. For example, the write speed is 90 Mbit/s, and the read speed is 95 Mbit/s.

This memory card comes with a complete full SD adapter, so it can be used not only with your smartphone, but also with a camera.

Don't know which MicroSD card to buy? Capacity is not the only criterion. What good is a “capacious” drive if the write speed is only 2 MB/s? Large files will be downloaded to it very slowly. The technology used and bus frequency also matter. View the rating of MicroSD memory cards to choose the option with suitable characteristics and price.

The SD drive contains its specifications. But all the parameters with explanations simply do not fit on such a small device. Therefore, the information is given in abbreviated form.

• Capacity/Memory. Measured in Megabytes (“MB”), Gigabytes (“GB”) and Terabytes (“TB”). It determines how many files will fit on the card. 16 GB storage media are popular now. 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB. A card with a small capacity is marked "SD", with a high capacity - "SDHC", with an extended one - "SDXC".
• Write speed. May be indicated on the front of the drive.
• Class. On the MicroSD case, the parameter is indicated as a number inside the letter “C”. For example, “Class 7” is 7 Mb/s, “Class 9” is 9 Mb/s. A multiplier can be specified instead of a class. To calculate the speed, multiply it by 0.15 to get the result in Megabits per second. Marking “x200” is 30 Mb/s, “x400” is 60 Mb/s.
• UHS-I. If the media has a designation in the form of the letter “U” with a number, then it is made using Ultra High Speed ​​technology. Maximum speed recording speeds in such cards reach 104 MB/s. The minimum depends on the model: U1 - 10 Mb/s, U3 - 30 Mb/s.
• UHS-II. These drives have another row of contacts. It should also be on the SD-MicroSD adapter. Peak speed of cards is 312 Mb/s. This the new kind MicroSD cards, so many devices do not support it.
• VSC. Technology - Video Speed ​​Class. Designation - letter "V".
• If there is a Roman numeral II on the case, it means the UHS-II bus is used.

IMPORTANT. One carrier may have several markings: “C”, “U”, and “V”. The card will not consistently operate at the peak speeds specified in the specifications. These are the maximum possible values.

How to choose a card?

First, read the instructions for the device for which you are looking for a card. See what SD formats it supports. Often there are restrictions like “MicroSD up to 64 GB”. This means that the gadget will not fit 128 GB media.

The choice of drive depends on the conditions in which you will use it. Which memory cards are best for a smartphone, camera, video camera? Are there priority characteristics?

To shoot videos, you need high speed. Otherwise, the recording will slow down or even be interrupted. For HD video, it is recommended to use SD class 10 or higher. For 4K - U3. And if you decide to work with 8K, look for the V60 or V90.

Such speeds are for professionals: cameramen, editors, filmmakers, bloggers. V-cards are unlikely to be suitable for “home filming”. And it's not even about the price. If you make amateur videos, you won't need half of the drive's functions. The same goes for car DVRs. But in action cameras, V-drives will come in handy.

For extreme sports (like Go-Pro motorcycle racing or rock climbing), choose media that can handle an active lifestyle. It would be a shame if the card fails and you lose valuable footage. The specifications say whether it is affected by temperature, sharp jumps, shocks or impacts. Also look at the conditions under which the warranty expires.

If you want to use UHS-II for your phone, laptop, or any other gadget, it must support this technology. That is, read information from the second row of contacts. Otherwise, what's the point of them?

The best memory cards

It is impossible to say for sure which memory cards are worse or better. They are used for different purposes. One drive is suitable for a camera, another for a phone, and a third for storing information. And users have different preferences. View the ratings, which describe the advantages and disadvantages of various MicroSDs. This way you can choose the appropriate option.

Transcend

Transcend has several first-class SD media. One of them is TS*USDHC10U1. This is a 10th class card made using UHS-1 technology. 8, 16 and 32 GB options are available. Stable recording speed - 45 Mb/s. And very high read speed - 90 MB/s.

This card will work well in DVRs. Ideal for smartphones and tablets. You can watch HD videos, listen to music, run applications and games. There will be no brakes or crashes. The price of the drive is from 1200 rubles for 32 Gigabytes, 800 rubles for 16 Gigabytes and 500 rubles for 8 Gigabytes.

• These memory cards have a long service life.
• High reading speed.
• Good combination of price and quality. This is the best MicroSD storage you can buy for the price.
• There are practically no defective products.

• The maximum capacity is only 32 Gigabytes.

SanDisk UHS-3

Now let's turn our attention to SanDisk products. For example, on Extreme MicroSDXC Class 10 UHS Class 3. Its write speed - 40 MB / s - is not suitable for shooting in 4K. The reading speed also does not break records - it is about 60 MB/s. So why is this one of the best MicroSD memory cards? As the name suggests, it uses UHS-3 technology. Moreover, its maximum capacity is 64 Gigabytes. These indicators are quite enough for smartphones, tablets and laptops in the mid-price category. This SD card can definitely handle video in FullHD resolution.

However, the drive itself is quite expensive - from 3,000 rubles for 64 GB. And it is better not to connect it to the GoPro 4 Black camera. The MicroSD will get very hot in it. But if you don't shoot in 2.7K and 4K, then there won't be any problems.

• 64 GB options available.
• Very low chance of failure.
• Not bad speed indicators. Although it is not suitable for action cameras and professional equipment.

• Price.
• You should not use this card in devices that shoot in 4K resolution.
• Doesn't work well with GoPro 4 Black.

Another representative of the SanDisk family is Extreme Plus UHS-I U3. And here it has speed indicators that can be envied: writing - 90 MB/s, reading - 95 MB/s. The maximum volume is 128 Gigabytes. There is 4K support. This is an excellent option for video equipment. When recording in high definition, there will be no freezes or crashes. The price of the product is from 2000 rubles for 32 Gigabytes, 5000 rubles for 64 Gigabytes and 8000 rubles for 128 Gigabytes. With such characteristics it is quite acceptable.

The manufacturer's website states that the card is suitable for extreme conditions. You can shoot video in the mountains or on a hike. Even if your camera or smartphone breaks down, the drive will save your files.

• There are 128 GB models.
• High speed. You can record 4K without any problems.

• Such indicators are only useful in a professional video camera. They will be useless for a regular phone or tablet.

The first thing you should pay attention to in the SanDisk Ultra is the capacity. Such a small card can hold as much as 200 Gigabytes. You can download several seasons of a TV series or movies in HD. Music lovers will like it - after all, 10,000 music tracks will “fit” on it.

The drive is made according to the UHS-1 standard. Reading speed - 90 MB/s. You will be able to watch movies on the screen of your tablet or laptop - there will be no interruptions or loss of quality. Recording speed is about 40 Mb/s. Of course, you won't be able to shoot in 4K resolution. But it is suitable for “home” use.

The price of the product is from 5000 rubles.

• Memory 200 Gigabytes.
• High reading speed.

• The recording speed does not allow for high-resolution shooting.

Kingston is a fairly well-known brand. The company provides a lifetime warranty on all its products. So the purchased Kingston UHS-I U3 is unlikely to ever fail. It is suitable for video and photographic equipment, game consoles, and action cameras. The SD card has an impressive read-write speed of 95 and 90 MB/s.

This model has affordable price. The line includes drives with a capacity of 32 and 64 GB. They can be purchased for 800 and 2000 rubles, respectively. But the 128 GB option is expensive - about 5,000 rubles.

Another representative of “high-speed” cards is Kingston SDCA3. It is unlikely to be used in smartphones, as its characteristics are more suitable for professional equipment. Write - 80 MB/s, read - 90 MB/s.

Of course, the drive can be purchased for phones. But it is expensive - 1,500 rubles for 32 Gigabytes, 2,500 rubles for 64 Gigabytes and 5,000 rubles for 128 Gigabytes.

And here is Kingston for mobile phones. The SDCA10 model has an average write speed of 45 MB/s. But for smartphone cameras it is ideal. Even if the device shoots in HD. But the reading speed is high level- 90 Mb/s. You won't be able to record a video in 4K, but watching it is fine.

The price of the card is quite high for such parameters: 1300 rubles for 32 Gigabytes and 2500 rubles for 64 Gigabytes.

Conclusion

These are the best MicroSD memory cards on this moment. They have advantages and disadvantages. These drives are used in various fields of activity. Therefore, one product is unlikely to suit everyone at once. And technology does not stand still. Someday there will be carriers with higher performance.

Nowadays, a smartphone is the main source of information, with which you can also take excellent quality photos and videos. At the same time, file sizes and their number are growing every day: photos in JPG and RAW, videos in Full HD and 4K resolution, music in mp3 and lossless formats... All this requires memory, which may not be enough on the internal drive.

Do you know that the map microSD memory is not just a flash drive small size, but a serious tool that expands the capabilities of a smartphone? And most importantly, cards differ not only in volume, but also in speed class and reliability.

In this article you will learn how to choose a microSD memory card for your smartphone.

Why does a smartphone have a memory card?

Many modern smartphones are equipped with microSD card slots. This is necessary to expand the memory: you can download video files, photos and music to it, as well as install some applications. The latter has become a serious problem for many smartphone manufacturers, because users choose cards that do not support the required speed. In Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google has returned the ability to install applications not in the smartphone’s memory (which is always in short supply), but on microSD.

Moreover, in Android 6.0 Marshmallow, on a number of devices, a microSD memory card is installed as an internal drive: the smartphone’s memory and flash drive are combined into one “disk”. For example, buy a device with 16 GB on board and expand the memory to at least 200 GB. Isn't that great? To do this, you need to choose the right card type and speed. What is it correct map memory?

microSD memory cards

The dimensions of such a card are 15 by 11 mm (it can be compared with a nanoSIM card), and the volume reaches 200 GB. microSD memory cards can be divided into three types:

• regular microSD: their capacity does not exceed 4 GB;
• microSDHC (High Compatible): high-capacity memory cards (up to 32 GB);
• microSDXC (Extra Compatible): ultra-high capacity cards (more than 32 GB).

Now on sale there is a SanDisk Ultra Plus microSDXC memory card with a capacity of 200 GB.

What is important for a smartphone owner to know about these types of cards? Smartphone slots are not backwards compatible. And if the device only supports microSD, then microSDHC will not work in it. It is important to pay attention to how much additional memory supports smartphone. Most modern flagships are compatible with microSDXC. Most often in technical specifications You can find information that the device supports memory cards up to 128 or 200 GB, less often - 2 TB of memory on microSD. There are no maps of this volume yet, but with a high probability this height will be reached in the near future.

Memory card capacity

There are cards of almost any size: from 8 to 200 GB. Cards with a capacity of up to 8 GB are difficult to find, since they are not in demand, especially since a 16 GB card costs about 300 rubles.

Regarding memory capacity, we can give only one piece of advice. If you are going to record video in 4K resolution, listen to music in lossless formats and take photos in RAW, it is better to purchase a memory card with a capacity of at least 64 GB.

It’s better not to skimp on volume, but you should definitely check in the smartphone’s specifications what maximum volume is supported by your model.

Write speed

In fact, this is the main indicator in modern flash drives. It is often ignored, paying attention only to the volume of the media. Despite the small size of microSD, you can find a lot of valuable information on the card itself: type (microSD, microSDHC or microSDXC), capacity and speed class. Let's learn to read these symbols.

On regular maps speed is indicated by a number inscribed in the Latin letter C: 2, 4, 6 and 10 (these are standard speed classes). In fact, they show how many megabytes can be written to a memory card in one second. In the case of Class 10, the speed can be higher than 10 MB/s. It is important to note that today most classes with the letter C are already outdated, and even Class 10 sometimes does not allow you to work comfortably if the actual speed is less than 30–40 MB/s. Usually, the manufacturer additionally indicates the exact recording speed in megabytes per second directly on the memory card - this is what you should focus on.

There are also microSD with increased speed records. This standard is called UHS (Ultra High Speed). It is indicated by the speed class number written inside Latin letter U.

In the case of this type, we mean the minimum recording speed: UHS Speed ​​Class 1 - from 10 to 104 MB/s, UHS Speed ​​Class 3 - from 30 to 312 MB/s.

But it is very important not to get confused here. Along with UHS, there is a similar designation for card types: UHS-I and UHS-II.

Externally, UHS-II is very easy to distinguish: on back side two rows of contacts. This is a new format that provides even greater data transfer speeds. We also note that so far none of the smartphones support UHS-II. These cards are backwards compatible and will work in all modern devices like UHS-I.

How can a card become the internal memory of a smartphone?

When talking about speed, it is important to note the ability to use a memory card as an internal drive on smartphones running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. To do this, you need to select UHS Speed ​​Class 1 (U1) or UHC Speed ​​Class 3 (U3). Speed ​​class U1 (using SanDisk products as an example) is supported by Ultra Plus series memory cards, and U3 cards are labeled Extreme (Extreme, Extreme Plus and the fastest of all, Extreme Pro). SanDisk's division into series is the most convenient and understandable. Other companies may have nothing on the card other than capacity, speed class and card type. There may be a specific designation to allocate a specific speed to a separate class.

But the most important thing is that not all devices support this feature. It is closed at the software level in the new flagships of Samsung and LG, as well as in Sony Xperia smartphones, which recently received an update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. At the time of writing, it is known that this option is supported in Moto devices, as well as HTC. So be sure to study the specifications of your model!

Reliability

Small memory cards are at risk. Firstly, they can be lost. Secondly, they can fall into water, onto asphalt, or be exposed to cold or heat. If the first is almost inevitable due to size, then from most others possible problems cards can be protected. Manufacturers often mention the degree of protection of the card on the packaging or in the specifications. The card can be protected from water, shock or X-rays. SanDisk guarantees this protection.

Different goals - different memory cards

SanDisk recently celebrated the release of its two billionth microSD memory card. The company has a huge number of solutions for every taste. And now we will focus on the most interesting products in this class.

If you need super speed, are planning to shoot photos and videos in huge volumes and the highest resolutions up to 4K, and try to use a memory card as an internal drive, then Extreme PRO microSDXC UHS-II is for you. This is the fastest card to date. True, no smartphone yet supports its type (UHS-II). This means that on maximum performance It won't be fast, but it will still remain the fastest card. Extreme PRO microSDXC UHS-II is available in two capacities: 64 or 128 GB, with speed class U3. This drive features the world's fastest data transfer speeds of up to 275 MB/s. The kit includes a special USB 3.0 adapter. Additionally, the card is shockproof, waterproof, operates over a wide temperature range, and is X-ray protected. No matter what happens, the files on this memory card will remain safe and sound.

Extreme Plus microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-I is suitable for formatting as an internal drive, recording 4K video, storing and transferring “heavy” files. Available in 16, 32 and 64 GB capacities that support UHS Speed ​​Class 3 (U3): write speeds up to 90 MB/s, read speeds up to 95 MB/s.

Another high-speed solution that is suitable for working with video in 4K resolution, large files and for use as an internal drive is Extreme microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-I (16, 32 or 64 GB). What's the difference? The read speed is also high (90 MB/s), but the write speed is noticeably lower (40 MB/s), so we recommend using it for storing files and filming with the camera. If you format the card as an internal drive, applications may still run slower. So the latter is at your discretion. Nevertheless given value enough for 4K video. Speed ​​class - C10 and U3. It seems that today this is the optimal solution for a flagship smartphone in terms of speed and sufficient data storage.

If you consider 4K in a smartphone to be nothing more than pampering, and will record Full HD, work with images and store data, then Ultra Plus microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-I is suitable for you. It is interesting and important that these memory cards come in capacities from 16 to 128 GB. Speed ​​classes are C10 and U1, data reading speed reaches 48 MB/s. They are protected from water, shock and X-rays, as well as temperature changes.

A record-breaking card that allows you to record Full HD video, work with large files and can be used as an internal storage device for a smartphone - Ultra microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-I with a capacity of 200 GB. An ideal choice for photographers and video bloggers! Its main feature is, of course, a record amount of memory. Speed ​​class 10 (C10). At the same time, the read speed can reach 90 MB/s, the write speed is lower.

Summary

Of course, it is important to decide on the amount of memory, because today there are solutions from 4 and 8 to 128 GB, as well as a cosmic 200 GB. But the main thing when choosing a memory card is to pay attention to the speed classes. These small icons are there for a reason: they indicate the speed of microSD and its scope.

Also, do not forget about reliability. If you have a choice, it is better to give preference to a memory card that is protected from water, shock, X-rays and temperature changes.