SanDisk Crams 128GB on microSD Card: A World First
SanDisk launched a microSD card with a 128 GB capacity.
This week during Mobile World Congress 2014, SanDisk introduced the world's highest capacity microSDXC memory card, weighing a hefty 128 GB. That's a huge leap in storage compared to the 128 MB microSD card launched 10 years ago.
"The new SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card again demonstrates how SanDisk continues to expand the possibilities of storage so that consumers can benefit from our latest technology advancements," said Susan Park, director, retail product marketing, SanDisk.
The company reports that the high capacity is possible on such a small form factor thanks to an "innovative" proprietary technique that allows for 16 memory die to be vertically stacked. Each one is also shaved to be thinner than a strand of hair.
"With 128 GB of removable storage, consumers will enjoy the freedom to capture and save whatever they want on a smartphone or tablet, without worrying about running out of storage space," added Park.
Of course, you'll need a device that supports capacities of this size. Smartphones and tablets, the major audience for this card, typically support cards of 64 GB or less. SanDisk provides these as well, offering 64 GB, 32 GB, 16 GB and 8 GB, with a starting price of $29.99. Read speeds are up to 30 MB/s.
The product notes show that the card provides Class 10 performance for recording Full HD video. The card is also waterproof, temperature-proof, X-ray-proof, magnet-proof, shockproof, and comes with an SD adapter for digital camera compatibility.
In addition to launching the new 128 GB card, SanDisk also unleashed a new version of its Memory Zone app for Android. This app allows users to easily view, access, and backup their files from the device's internal storage. Memory Zone also has a new feature called OptiMem, which automatically sends old photos and videos to the memory card.
The new SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card is available now exclusively at Best Buy and Amazon, costing $199.99 USD. For more information about the new 128 GB card, head here.
^^What he said. We are eventually going to reach diminishing returns in the manufacturing die and capabilities of current design in flash memory. There will be a finite limit to how much smaller memory cells can get with higher capacity. It's not a question of fabrication technology but instead physics. We will need an entirely new form of data storage to get 128TB on something as small as a microSD. At least as we currently understand it anyway. Some visionaries are talking about going to light and crystals in a few decades to really step the game up.
Several smartphones already do but it's undocumented due to lack of validation. In practise it should work fine with any high-end Android (cheaper Androids seem to have trouble even with 64GB), WP8 and even Symbian.
Current NAND gates are based on plain old electricity and relatively big components (2 transistors separated by a metal-oxide layer). We are reaching scales where even at very low voltage levels, electron leakage occurs (same goes for CPUs) - in layman's terms, an electron can jump to another conductor - the higher the voltage, the farther the electron can jump. That is why we're trying to lower the voltage, BUT whether a certain bit gate returns 1 or 0 depends on the threshold voltage, which we have to measure and as you lower the voltage, it gets harder.
Luckily, there are different methods of data storage using spintronics or nanoplasmonics (quantum memory), that will allow much higher memory densities and even smaller devices - by this time, regular HDDs might be replaced by holographic "discs" (basically a 3D HDD) with exabyte capacities. But as soon as these technologies become commercial, we'll probably see the same rapid improvements as with current SSDs.
@dgingeri: while phase change memory does have much better performance and durability, it doesn't allow much higher memory densities than flash (they are heat-based) + they are harder to scale below 45nm than flash.
Nah improvement is slowing. Look at X86 CPUs, now they only advance 10-15% per year.
But thank all you guys for informing me. I love this website because the community is great because of informed readers like you guys. I learn new things everyday.