Types of Memory Cards,Classes of Micro SD Cards Explained

At some point, everyone needs an extra storage on their Android phone or tablet. So there comes Micro SD cards. Nowadays storage space of micro SD cards is increased. it ranges from 1 GB to 512 GB for mobile phones. So how to find the best micro SD cards for your smartphone. As when you search for micro SD cards on any e-commerce you get lots of memory cards with lots of specifications different storage different class different sizes. So before purchasing any memory card for your phone follow this guide. It will tell you the different types of memory cards, their classes and which are the best memory cards for your smartphone.

What are the Different Types of Memory Cards?

There are different types of memory cards based on their use. Memory cards for camera, Camcorder, Mobile Phones etc

1. SD Cards

SD cards are probably the most popular digital memory card format used in compact cameras. These are fairly small memory cards, which are about the same size as a postage stamp. They’re actually identical in appearance to the MMC memory cards, but also has a lock switch to write protect the contents of the card. SD Cards are compatible with any device with the SD card mark on it, and they will also work in devices supporting SDHC and SDXC cards.

SD Cards are pretty much universal on compact cameras, with only a few brands choosing to use their own type of memory card. SD Cards also include SDHC cards, which are available in capacities above 4GB.

2. MMC Cards

MMC Cards are the same size as SD cards but are not available in the same capacities. Anything which accepts an SD card can also use MMC cards, however, anything which only supports MMC cannot use SD cards.

3. Compact Flash Cards

Compact Flash memory cards are also very common, as these are often used in Digital SLR cameras. They are bigger than SD cards, however, are generally cheaper and also very reliable. The standard has also been around for a long time. Rather than using contacts, there are a series of holes which accept pins from the reader. Compact flash does not normally include a write protect switch, although it is possible to protect the card’s contents on most cameras.

4. Mini/Micro SD

Mini and Micro SD use the same basic technology as SD cards, however, the memory cards are much smaller. These are designed for portable devices, such as mobile phones and MP3 players. Adaptors are often included to make them compatible with SD card readers.

Mini and Micro SD cards are the standard memory card format, used in small portable devices where a full SD card is too big.

Mini SD cards or Micro Sd cards are required for our smartphones. Your smartphones data transfer speed from computer to micro SD card or MIcro SD card to Computer is depended on Class of the memory card.

What are different types of Micro SD cards or Memory Cards?

SD Cards 

SD capacities range from 128MB to 2GB

Default Format: FAT16

SD cards will work on all host devices that support SD, SDHC, or SDXC

SDHC Cards

SD High Capacity (SDHC™) card is an SD™ memory card based on the SDA 2.0 specification.

SDHC capacities range from 4GB to 32GB

Default Format: FAT32

Because SDHC works differently than standard SD cards, this new format is NOT backward compatible with host devices that only take SD (128MB – 2GB) cards.

SDXC

SD Extended Capacity (SDXC™) card is an SD™ memory card based on the SDA 3.0 specification.

SDXC capacities range from 64GB to 2TB

Default Format: exFAT

Because SDXC uses a different file system called exFAT and it works differently than standard SD cards, this new format is NOT backward compatible with host devices that only take SD (128MB to 2GB) or host devices that only take SDHC (4GB to 32GB). Most host devices built after 2010 should be SDXC compatible.

What are the different classes of SD cards?

Speed class ratings define a minimum guaranteed speed of SDHC/SDXC cards. Speed class rating is important for HD video mode or camcorders, where the device is actually saving a steady stream of data. The resolution and format of the video determine the amount of steady stream data.

For a smartphone, you will require SDHC memory cards having below speed classes

Speed Class

Class	Minimum Speed
2	2MB/s
4	4MB/s
6	6MB/s
8	8MB/s
10	10MB/s

UHS Speed Class 

UHS Class	Minimum Speed
1	10MB/s
3	30MB/s

Top 10 Micro SD cards for your mobile

1. SanDisk Ultra MicroSDHC 16GB UHS-I Class 10 Memory Card (Upto 80 MB/s Speed),with adapter

2. SanDisk Ultra MicroSDHC 32GB UHS-I Class 10 Memory Card With Adapter (Upto 80mbps Speed)

3. SanDisk Ultra MicroSDXC 64 GB UHS-I Class 10 Memory Card + SD Adapter

4. SanDisk Ultra MicroSDXC 128GB UHS-I Class 10 Memory Card (Upto 80 MB/s Speed) with Adapter

5. Samsung EVO Plus Grade 1, Class 10 32GB MicroSDHC 95 MB/S Memory Card with SD Adapter (MB-MC32GA/IN)

6. Samsung EVO Plus Grade 3, Class 10 64GB MicroSDXC 100 MB/S Memory Card with SD Adapter (MB-MC64GA/IN)

7. Samsung EVO Plus Grade 3 Class 10 128GB MicroSDXC Memory Card with SD Adapter (MB-MC128GA/IN)

8. Strontium Nitro 16GB Class 10 UHS-1 MicroSDHC Card (SRN16GTFU1R)

9. SanDisk Ultra MicroSDHC 16GB UHS-I Class 10 Memory Card (SDSQUNB-016G-GN3MN)

10. Aeston Micro SDHC 128 GB UHS-1 Class 10 Memory Card with SD Adapter