Since the start of Computex 2018, a number of companies have announced 512GB microSD cards, but the first product came from Integral Memory based in London back in January. Since then Adata, PNY, and now Lexar have unleashed products with the same capacity. But the new Lexar is different from the rest: it's the only product to gain A2 certification, making it the fastest available for running applications on your smartphone or tablet.
"Turning it up to two" just doesn't have a strong enough ring to it, but it's the equivalent to 11 when it comes to SD application performance, because the rating indicates that a product is capable of at least 4,000 read and 2,000 write IOPS. Here's what having an A2 certification entails:
"The Application Performance Class 2 (A2) is defined by SD Physical 6.0 specification. It makes SD memory card much higher performance than A1 performance by using functions of Command Queuing and Cache. Efficient flash memory management can be supported by Maintenance functions. Application Performance Class can be applied to UHS SDHC/SDXC Memory Card product family."
We broke the story of Lexar's acquisition last August, and since then the company has focused on building its brand and establishing a network of retail sellers. Its parent company, Longsys, is the largest buyer of Samsung flash memory and the largest SSD manufacturer in China. You probably don't recognize the Longsys name but you do know its products; it manufactures SSDs and SD-type products for the world's largest brands.
It's easy to see how the acquisition of Lexar, one of the most trusted brand names in the U.S., will play out over time with the backing of such a strong and diverse company behind the wheel. The company has a number of interesting products in the works that are just begging to be revealed.
Aside from the A2 certified microSD card, Lexar also announced a new high-speed USB portable SSD called the SL100 Pro. This drive reaches up to 850 MB/s sequential performance and will ship in capacities of 240GB, 480GB, and 960GB. The USB 3.1 Gen 2 drive features a small, yet sturdy enclosure that fits well in your shirt or jeans pocket with room to spare.
