Largest-ever microSD card hits the market with 400 GB

By Heather Hamilton, contributing writer

SanDisk just introduced what they claim is the world’s largest microSD card at the IFA 2017 conference, and at 400 GB, they’re right. The need for more storage arises from the introduction of more widespread high-resolution images, which take up a lot of space. Just one year ago, Samsung introduced a microSD  that was 256 GB, which quickly rendered itself obsolete. 

“Mobile devices have become the epicenter of our lives, and consumers are now accustomed to using their smartphones for anything from entertainment to business,” said Jeff Janukowicz, research vice president at IDC, in a press release . “We are collecting and sharing massive amounts of data on smartphones, drones, tablets, PCs, laptops, and more. We anticipate that storage needs will only continue to grow as people continue to expect more sophisticated features on their devices and desire higher-quality content. We estimate [that] mobile device users worldwide will install over 150 billion applications alone this year, which requires a ton of memory on all of our favorite devices.” 

According to SanDisk, the SanDisk microSXDC USH-I can reach transfer speeds of 100 MB, which, as Engadget  points out, equates to 1,200 photos every minute. Rated for full 1080p video, the microSD card holds, as Wired  writes, twice as much as the biggest iPhone and almost half as much as the PS4. 

While the card costs $250, it holds approximately 40 hours of full HD video and meets A1 App Performance Class specification, which means that apps will load more quickly. 

Engadget also reports that, while there have been rumors of a 512-GB microSD card from Microdia, there isn’t anything to back them up as of late. Those cards were said to retail  for $1,000. 

“We continue to push technology boundaries and transform the way consumers use their mobile devices,” said Sven Rathjen, vice president of product marketing at Western Digital, SanDisk’s parent company, in a press release. “By focusing on achieving new technology milestones, we enable consumers to keep up with their mobile-centric lifestyles with storage solutions [that] they trust.” 

Western Digital said that they achieved this chip capacity by leveraging proprietary memory technology and design and production processes that allow for more bits per die. Western Digital believes that the chip will be ideal for Android phone and tablet users. Through a free downloadable app, users will be able to locate, organize, transfer, and back up data, which includes tagged content from Facebook and Instagram. 

Sources:  SanDisk, SanDisk press release, Engadget, Wired, CNET
Image Source:  SanDisk