The tiny SanDisk 1TB microSD cards are breaking speed records

By Hillary K. Grigonis February 25, 2019

Western Digital

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An entire terabyte of data can now fit on a microSD card — and now data can be recorded as fast as 160MB per second. On Monday, February 25, Western Digital announced the 1TB SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSDXC card during Mobile World Congress. While the new microSD is not the first to reach that 1TB capacity, the company says the new card is the fastest 1 TB UHS-1 microSD card yet. Micron also launched a 1TB card, joining Lexar’s 1 TB announced earlier this year.

The new SanDisk card can record with 90MB/S write speeds with up to 160MB/s read speeds. Western Digital says the card can transfer files with twice the speed of standard UHS-1 microSDs. That’s paired with 1TB of storage, designed to expand the memory of a smartphone or to manage large files in action cameras and drones. The card will also launch in a 512GB version.

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“People trust SanDisk-brand cards to capture and preserve their world. Our goal is to deliver the best possible experience so consumers can share the content that’s important to them,” Brian Pridgeon, director of marketing for SanDisk-branded products for Western Digital, said in a press release.

Western Digital says the new speeds are made possible through the company’s own flash technology. For smartphone use, the card fits in an a2 specification for running apps.

As part of the Extreme line, the card is designed to withstand shock, extreme temperatures, moisture, and X-rays. SanDisk also has 400GB, 256GB, 128GB, 64GB, and 32GB sizes available in the same series, though cards lower than 128GB have slower speeds.

Micron also announced a 1TB card, the Micron c200 1 TB micro SDXC UHS-1. The read speeds aren’t quite as fast as the SanDisk at 100MB/s, but write speeds have a slight edge at 95MB/s and the card also meets A2 specifications for running apps. The microSD uses a 96-layer 3D quad-level cell NAND design. Micro calls it “cost effective” but hasn’t yet shared a list price for the new card.

The 1TB SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSDXC card will launch in April. Pre-orders are available now for about $450, or $200 for the 512GB version.

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Hillary K. Grigonis

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