Samsung has just introduced a new generation of SD Express microSD cards that offer speeds of up to 800 MB/s, as well as a 1 TB capacity microSD card, although this model does not support the same speeds.
According to BGR, the 800 MB/s speed achieved by the SD Express card is quite impressive as it is faster than a SATA SSD which has a maximum speed of about 560 MB/s. Samsung says these microSD cards can provide differentiated memory solutions needed for future mobile computing and on-device AI (artificial intelligence) applications.
Notably, this is not suitable for Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 high-end smartphone line because the company has stopped supporting microSD cards for a while. One of the main reasons microSD cards are being discontinued has to do with performance. Older microSD cards are not as fast as on-board flash memory, leading to reduced performance. Additionally, removing the microSD card is also for waterproofing purposes as well as freeing up internal space to increase battery size.
Now the new SD Express card should fix the performance issue. With a maximum sequential read speed of 800 MB/s, this memory card delivers higher performance, with speeds up to 4 times faster than UHS-1 memory cards, which only offer a maximum speed of 200 MB/s. The new SD Express card uses Samsung’s Dynamic Thermal Guard (DTG) technology to maintain optimal performance for extended operation.
Along with that, to meet the need for more memory on the device for future AI and mobile computing applications, new 1 TB microSD cards are developed by Samsung, including Evo Plus and Pro Plus versions. These cards feature 8 layers of Samsung’s 8th generation 1 terabit (Tb) V-NAND. While not as fast as the SD Express, they will be more durable, with Samsung saying it will offer “water resistance, extreme temperatures, a drop-proof design, abrasion resistance as well as protection from X-rays and magnetism”.
At the current stage, the SD Express card only has a maximum capacity of 256 GB and it is unclear whether the Korean company will launch larger variants or not. Meanwhile, 1 TB microSD cards will hit the market in the third quarter of this year. Price information for these microSD memory cards has not yet been confirmed.