Which are the best memory cards for Android smartphones?
Many smartphone manufacturers decide to produce their top models without the possibility of microSD memory expansion. And if you are lucky and encounter a model that allows it, it is very important that you choose the right memory card. The same rule applies when you buy video camera.
Manufacturers of smart phones have their own philosophy in the development of top models. They want to make them as closed systems which can not be upgraded. First of all it refers to the expansion memory, or to change the battery. Today we deal with the memories.
Users in most cases have very negative reaction to the fact when they can not upgrade their devices. We assume that producers “closed system” want to ensure responsive performance and safety ( on the microSD card you can insert a virus ), while people love freedom and choice. This is a story that we can spin forever, but we’re going to get back to our subject – and if you buy a microSD memory card for your smart phone ( or video camera ), which will you choose?
The formula is very simple – we all want faster memory card and one with a higher data throughput! It is logical to think that the faster memory cards are more expensive cards, and this is generally true. But often you can find action prices of certain cards and so can buy it at lower prices. It is not important what manufacturer is, but the most prestigious names are certainly SanDisk, Lexar, Transcend and Samsung. The very size and capacity are less important, the question is how much money you want to invest.
What we have to pay attention to is the speed of the card. Speed must also be a virtue! It affects the speed of the device, the speed of data between the card and the mobile device – viewing images and videos you have recorded, you are listening to music or applications installed on the memory card ( if your mobile device permits ). The objective is to make your mobile device work faster, which is provided by faster memory card.
What does marks SDHC and SDXC, as Class 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 stand for, and what is UHS?
Basic two marks that you see on the cards are SDHC or SDXC. The difference is in the data transfer speed, or the amount of data that can be stored. Theoretically, SDHC ( Secure Digital High Capacity ) cards store 32GB and SDXC ( Secure Digital Extended Capacity ) up to 128 GB, and even more – from March 2015, SanDisk made the first microSD card SDXC with a capacity of 200 GB.
The most important tag is “class” . The rule is – higher class, faster card. Many mobile devices do not support SDXC card, you must study the instructions. This is the most important parameter on the card. There are five basic classes and their minimum read and write speeds – Class 2 carries a minimum of 2 GB / s, Class 4 carries 4 MB / s and Class 10 carries 10 MB / s. They are better, can “pull” and up to 95 MB / s, but they are very expensive ( for example: SanDisk Extreme Pro ).
Can it go faster? It can, of course, is especially recommended for video camera. Let us also mention that some cards support the UHS-1 and -3 UHS, it is the third mark, and brings the minimum speed is 10 MB / s and 30 MB / s, which you can see in the table below. Otherwise, the maximum rate of climb and up to 312 MB / s.
And that would be about all you need to know about the SD / microSD cards. To sum up – faster is better ( higher class ), capacity is in the background ( depending on how much money you want to invest ). Which card to buy? Where and how to buy and at what price you will need to bring it yourself. Below you can check our choice of best memory cards for android smartphones :
