SD cards provide inexpensive additional storage space on several devices, ranging from portable video game consoles to drones. This mature storage technology has been around for a while, and manufacturers are always coming up with new and better storage solutions.
Types of SD Cards
Before we go deeper, we need to get familiar with the types of SD cards currently available on the market. The “SD” in SD Card stands for Secure Digital. There are three types of SD cards, the standard full-sized SD card, the Mini SD card, and the Micro SD card.
The mini SD card got phased out by the Micro SD card and is was rarely seen in 2022. Most devices either use the full-sized or the Micro SD card.
SD Cards and Speed
SD cards are further divided by their speeds. Thankfully, the Official SD Association Memory Classification has clear labels that make identifying the cards easier.
- SD – The SD capacity ranges from 128 MB to 2 GB. Its format is FAT16.
- SD HC – The SD High Capacity cards have storage space from 4 GB to 32 GB. the default format is FAT32. This type is based on SDA 2.0 Specification.
- SD XC –The SD Extended Capacity is from 64 GB to 2 TB. The 2 TB here is the theoretical max and is yet to be available in the market. The default format on these cards is exFAT.
As technology advanced, Ultra High-Speed Phase I (UHS-I) was introduced on both SD HC and SD XC cards. It increased the theoretical maximum transfer speeds on the cards with two bus architecture options. The UHS-50 had 50 MB/s while the UHS-104 had 104 MB/s data transfer speeds. Similarly, in the SD Spec 4.0 Ultra High-Speed Phase II (UHS-II) was added to SD HC and SD XC cards. The specification has options for 156 MB/s and 312 MB/s.
SD Cards Speed Class and Rating
The speed class rating is the minimum speed of data transfer an SD card can support. The speed rating is crucial if you want to record video on cameras, smartphones, action cams, or drones. The resolution of the video dictates how much data needs to be written to the SD card, slower cards won’t be able to record 4K or 60fps videos. Here’s a chart with all Speed Class SD Bus.
| SD Card Class | Minimum Speed Offered |
| 2 | 2 MB/s |
| 4 | 4 MB/s |
| 6 | 6 MB/s |
| 8 | 8 MB/s |
| 10 | 10 MB/s |
| UHS Card Class | Minimum Speed Offered |
| 1 | 10 MB/s |
| 3 | 30 MB/s |
SD Card Manufacturers
There are many SD card manufacturers in 2023, all offering compelling options. The performance is almost the same in the same class of SD cards, regardless of the manufacturer. However, reliability can be a deciding factor when choosing an SD card for your device. Here are the top SD card makers in 2023:
- Samsung
- Kingston
- SanDisk
- Lexar
- PNY
- Transcend
- Sony
- Integral
Some manufacturers are the favorites for DSLR storage expansions, while some are great for Nintendo Switch. Overall, the classes perform the same. Some manufacturers offer “tougher” versions for outdoor adventures. These versions are great for action cameras like GoPros.
The Future of SD Cards
Where is the storage technology headed and how expensive is the trip going to be?
The Mystery of 2 TB SD Cards
We’ve already seen 1 TB SD cards available for purchase by multiple manufacturers. However, the 2 TB cards are nowhere to be seen, with the recent Micron SD card being the only one surpassing 1 TB… Why is that?
Price – The price of 1 TB cards is ridiculously high, sure you can get one for around $50, but it is going to be slow and outdated. A modern speedy 1 TB SD card will cost around $200-400. The price of 2 TB would be even higher.
Demand – The 1 TB cards are for a niche market. Only 0.3% of consumers want a 1 TB SD card worldwide. As not a lot of people are asking for it, the manufacturers aren’t interested in making it.
Reliability – SD cards while reliable to a certain extent are not permanent storage solutions. They are prone to damage and due to their small size can easily be misplaced. Samsung for instance would rather have you purchase their external portable SSDs than invest in higher capacity SD Cards.
Dwindling Market
While SD cards are essential for professional cameras, drones, and action cameras, most modern smartphones are dropping support.
Apple’s iPhone or iPad never supported SD cards to begin with, even the Pro versions, and Samsung has recently dropped their support from their flagship smartphone too. Some mid-range to budget smartphones still allow the usage of SD cards, which is mainly due to their low internal storage.
The internal storage of smartphones is faster and more reliable than SD cards as well. Smartphones are pushing the video recording capabilities too, some offering 8K video recording. Most MicroSD cards, while fast, aren’t fast enough to store high-resolution footage in real-time.
The Portable Game
SD cards are popular among Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck gamers, providing an inexpensive way to store games. You can even play installed games directly from the Steam Deck Micro SD on.
SanDisk sells Nintendo Branded SD cards that work great with the console. Their SanDisk microSDXC card comes with 64 or 128 GB storage and can reach read speeds of up to 100 MB/s. As the console only needs to read data during gameplay, the write speeds only matter when installing a game.
Supply Chain Issues
Just like any other piece of technology, SD cards, especially the lower capacity ones, saw supply chain issues in 2020-2022. The major reason is the constraints due to the shortage of controller-ICs. Controller scarcity also affected the prices. Thankfully, the prices are settling back down to normal as supply chains are restored after the pandemic.
Where is The Technology Headed?
Faster SD cards are what manufacturers are aiming for. Better reliability and affordability are their main goals. So far, none of the mainstream SD card companies are racing to make higher-capacity SD cards. Most don’t even offer 1 TB capacities in their lineup.
Sure, we can eventually see a higher capacity SD card, but we will surely see better read and write speeds and lower prices first.
One Reply to “Gadgets: The State of SD Cards in 2023”