What Is An SD Card?
Secure Digital, abbreviated as SD, is a proprietary, non-volatile flash memory card format developed by SDA. It is a removable memory card that is primarily used in a variety of mobile electronic devices to store and read large amounts of data.
SD Card Format
- SD Card Standard Capacity: SDSC cards have a capacity range of 128MB to 2GB, and the default file system format for SDSC cards is FAT16.SD cards in this format are no longer in production.
- SD High Capacity: SDHC cards (Secure Digital High Capacity Cards) were first introduced in 2006, and according to the SDA2.0 specification, the capacity range of SDHC cards is 4GB to 32GB, and the default format of the file system of SDHC cards is FAT32.SD Extended Capacity: SDXC cards (Secure Digital Extended Capacity Cards) were first introduced in 2009, and according to the SDA3.0 specification. The capacity of the SDXC card ranges from 64GB to 2TB, and the default file system format of the SDHC card is exFAT (Extended FAT).
- SD Ultra Capacity: The SDUC card (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity) was first introduced in 2018, The SDUC card can support 128TB when using the exFAT default format.
What Is A Micro SD Card?
A micro SD card is a removable flash memory card used to store information and is a miniature variant of the SD card used in portable electronics. It is commonly used in other digital devices such as car recorders and drones to store data and read data.
Micro SD Card Format
- Micro SD cards have a maximum capacity of 2GB and can be used inside any Micro SD slot.
- Micro SDHC has a capacity range of 2GB to 32GB and can be used in hardware that supports SDHC or SDXC.
- Micro SDXC has a capacity range of 32GB to 2TB and can only be used in SDXC-compatible devices.
- Micro SDUC has a maximum capacity of up to 128TB and can only be used in devices that support SDUC compatibility.
Common Data About Micro SD Cards
Micro SD Card Speed Class
The speed class of a memory card refers to the minimum write speed of the card, which is measured in megabytes per second, and is generally categorized into Class 2 (greater than 2MBps), Class 4 (greater than 4MBps), Class 6 (greater than 6MBps), and Class 10 (greater than 10MBps).
UHS Speed Classes for Micro SD Cards
The UHS speed class of a Micro SD card refers to the minimum write speed of a Micro SD card that displays support for UHS-I, UHS-II, and UHS-III bus speeds, and is generally categorized as U1 (greater than 10MBps) and U3 (greater than 30MBps).
Difference Between SD Card And Micro SD Card
Size Difference
The size of SD card and Micro SD card are different in size, Micro SD card is usually smaller than SD card. The size of the SD card is usually 24mm X 32mm X 2.1mm, Micro SD card is 15mm X 11mm X 1mm. A Micro SD card is also known as a TF card.
Difference In Weight
The weight of the SD card is about 2 grams, the weight of the Micro SD card is usually less than 0.5 grams, Micro SD card is much lighter than the SD card.
Different Origins
SD cards were developed by Panasonic, Toshiba, and SanDisk, while Micro SD cards are the latest generation of memory card specifications introduced by Motorola and SanDisk.
Different Security Technologies
SD card has a protection switch for data security, while Micro SD card does not have such a protection switch. the encryption function of an SD card can ensure the privacy and security of the data, and in general, it is not possible to access the contents of the SD card without the user's permission.
Maximum Capacity Differences
The latest SDUC ultra-large capacity card supports a maximum capacity of up to 128TB, while the Micro SD card only supports a maximum capacity of 1TB.
Different Applications
SD card is mainly used in cameras, computers, and other portable devices, while Micro SD card is mainly used in smartphones, tablets drones, and other digital devices.
Different Card Readers
SD cards require a standard card reader to read the data on the card through a computer, while Micro SD cards require a specialized Micro SD card reader to read the data. In addition, Micro SD cards can be converted to be called SD cards with a Micro SD to SD card adapter. When the SD card is connected to the standard ATA IDE interface, it can be used as an IDE storage device and is also able to store some software installation programs.
Different compatibility
SD cards are only able to be compatible with SD host devices, while Micro SD cards can be compatible with smaller devices such as cell phones and drones.
Similarities Between SD Cards And Micro SD Cards
Can Use The Same Slots
Because Micro SD cards and SD cards have the same underlying architecture and the same electrical pin connections. So when users want to read data from the card on a computer device, they can simply plug in the adapter and use the SD card slot that comes with the computer.
Data Can Be Stored And Read
Both SD cards and Micro SD cards can store data and read data when used in related devices to help users save data.
Choose An SD Card Or Micro SD Card.
Most users will choose a Micro SD card because Micro SD cards are usually sold with an SD adapter so that the Micro SD card can be inserted into a regular SD card slot. In terms of price, a Micro SD card will cost less than an SD card of the same brand and capacity. In terms of transfer speed, most Micro SD cards will make it faster and easier to transfer data between your cell phone.
Whether you choose an SD card or a Micro SD card depends most importantly on the electronic device you are using.
Things To Keep In Mind When Using Memory Cards
When using a new SD card or Micro SD card, you need to format the card first to make sure that you can use it better for reasonable work.
Before you can use the memory card on some devices, you need to convert the format of the memory card that you have to some relevant format.
Users need to take the help of disk management tools to manage the memory cards in a better way.