SD Card Stands for Secure Digital Card, first invented in 1999. You can store any kind of data on it, like audio, video, images, documents, etc. SD Cards can be classified by Size, Technology, Capacity & Class (speed).
SD Card (also known as Memory Card) is often used in our daily lives. But, when you try to purchase an SD Card, you will come across different types of SD Cards. Here we will show you How to Choose the Best SD Card for you.
STEP 1. See what Types of SD Card is supported by your Device.
Memory Cards come in 3 physical sizes.
– Full-Size SD Card
– Micro SD Card
– Mini SD Card
STEP 1:
Full-Size SD Card:
Full-Size SD Cards are usually used in Laptops, Digital Cameras, DSLR Cameras, etc. They are large in size.
STEP 1:
Mini SD Card:
Mini SD Cards were previously used in Mobile Phones. But they got replaced by the Micro SD Cards. They are rarely used now.
STEP 1:
Micro SD Cards:
These are the Memory Cards we use in our Mobile Phones and some other smaller devices like MP3 Players.
STEP 1:
Micro SD Adapter:
These days, people mostly use Micro SD. So, a Micro SD Adapter was invented that lets you insert Micro SD into Laptops & Cameras. Insert the Micro SD Card into the Adapter, and it works as a Full-Size SD Card.
STEP 1:
STEP 2. Decide how much storage you want, depending on your usage and device compatibility. SD Card comes in different Sizes like 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 12GB, 16GB, 24GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 258GB, and more.
STEP 2:
Based on Technology, we can categorize SD Cards into three Types.
(Basic) SDSD HCSD XC
STEP 2:
SD (Secure Digital):
The technology used to manufacture these cards supported a storage capacity of only 2 GB. Moreover, the SD Card support only FAT 12 & FAT 16 File Systems
STEP 2:
SD HC (SD - High Capacity):
A New Technology was introduced called SD HC. This technology allowed us to manufacture SD Cards up to 32 GB. They use the FAT32 File System.
STEP 2:
SD XC (SD - Extreme Capacity):
As we are using 4K and 8K resolution now, even 32 GB won't be enough. Hence, an even more advanced Technology was introduced that increased the storage capacity of SD Cards from 32 GB to 2 TB.
STEP 2:
SD UC (SD - Ultra Capacity):
It is the future-proof SD Card technology that will have a storage capacity of 128 TB. Moreover, you will get transfer speeds of nearly 1 GB/s. The XC and UC SD Cards use the exFAT File System.
STEP 2:
STEP 3. Choose the Class. We can also classify the Types of SD Cards based on their Class. The Class is indicated with a number in a circle. The class basically indicated the speed of the SD Card.
STEP 3:
Classes of SD Cards:
– Class 2
– Class 4
– Class 6
– Class 10
– Class 10- UHS 1
– Class 10- UHS 2
– Class 10- UHS 3
- Extreme
STEP 3:
A card with a Class 2 logo will support a minimum write speed of 2 MB per Sec. Similarly, Class 10 SD Cards can have a minimum write speed of 10 MBps. Class 10 has three more advanced versions indicated as U1, U2, and U3.
STEP 3:
The UHS 1 (Ultra High Speed) standard SD Cards can have a transfer speed of 50 MBps to 180 MBps. The UHS 2 SD Cards can offer a speed of 156 MBps to 321 MBps. And, the UHS 3 SD Cards can have a transfer speed of 312 to 624 MB/s
STEP 3:
There is also the latest technology called SD Extreme or EX Extreme that can have a transfer speed of 950 MB/sec to 400 MB/sec
STEP 3:
More Classes:
If you purchase the latest SD Card model, you will see three more specs on the Card that are indicated by the letters A, V and X.
STEP 3:
Application Performance Class (A): You will get faster loading and better app performance if the SD Card has A1 & A2 Standards. A1 has write & read speed of 400 IOPS & 1500 IOPS. A2 has write & read speed of 2000 IOPS & 4000 IOPS.
STEP 3:
Video Speed Class (V):
They are usually indicated as V6, V10, V30, V60, and V90.
V6 SD Cards indicate Class 6, which has a maximum bitrate of 45 Mb/sec.
V10 indicates the Class 10 UHS 1 with a max speed of 75 Mb/sec.
STEP 3:
V30, V60, and V90 indicate the Class 10 UHS 3 with a max bitrate of 220 Mbps, 460 Mbps, and 700 Mbps respectively.
STEP 3:
What are the Numbers with X?
Some SD Cards have specs like 633x, 1800x, etc. on it. It indicates that the Speed of the SD Card is 633 times more compared to the first memory card. Basically, it doesn't matter much.
STEP 3:
STEP 4. Choose the brand.
Some of the leading and trusted SD Card Manufacturers are
– SanDisk
– Samsung
– HP
– Lexar
– Transcend
– Kingston
– PNY
– Gigastone
STEP 4:
The Price of the SD Cards will increase with increasing speed and capacity. Moreover, some brands offer it less price and some have a comparatively high price. Choose the Best Specs that are suitable for you.
NOTE
Read more on Different Types of Storage by Clicking on the Link Below.