Comparison of memory cards

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Template:Short description This table provides summary of comparison of various flash memory cards, since 2025Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".. Of memory cards (i.e. intended as such, to use e.g. internally), SD cards allow for largest capacity by far (with SDUC variant up to 4 TB max. currently available, and the spec allocs up to 128 max.), though the much bulkier CFexpress cards can also match the capacity. The relatively large (external) USB flash drives allow for more capacity, and are available with 8 TB.

Common information

Unless otherwise indicated, all images are to scale.

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Card family Standards organizations Varieties Entry date Maximum commercially available capacity Picture[1] Main features
CompactFlash SanDisk I 1994 512 GB (CF5 128*250 bytes) File:Compactflash-512mb.png Thinner (3.3 mm), flash only, now up to 512 GB, although standard goes up to 128 PB since CF 5.0[2]
II Thicker (5.0 mm), older flash, but usually Microdrives, up to 128 PiB[2]
CFexpress CompactFlash Association 1.0 2017 1 TB File:Delkin CFexpress.png CFexpress Type B: XQD form factor (38.5 mm × 29.8 mm × 3.8 mm), PCIe 3.0 x2 (1.97 GB/s), NVMe
2.0 2019 4 TB[3] CFexpress Type A: 20 mm × 28 mm × 2.8 mm, PCIe 3.0 x1 (1.0 GB/s), NVMeScript error: No such module "Unsubst".

CFexpress Type C: 54 mm × 74 mm × 4.8 mm, PCIe 3.0 x4 (4.0 GB/s), NVMeScript error: No such module "Unsubst".

– – – – PCIe 3.0 x8 (8.0 GB/s), NVMe
MultiMediaCard Siemens AG, SanDisk MMC 1997 16 GB File:MMC.png Slim and small (24 mm × 32 mm × 1.4 mm), up to 16 GB
RS-MMC/MMC Mobile 2003/2005 16 GB File:RS-MMC.png Compact (24 mm × 18 mm × 1.4 mm), up to 16 GB
MMCplus 2005 16 GB File:MMCplus.jpg Compact (24 mm × 32 mm × 1.4 mm), swifter, optional DRM, up to 16 GB
MMCmicro 2005 4 GB File:Mmc-micro.PNG Subcompact (14 mm × 12 mm × 1.1 mm), optional DRM, 16 MB to 4 GB
Nano Memory proprietary (from Huawei) 2018 512 GB[4] Subcompact (12.3 mm × 8.8 mm × 0.7) smallest dimensions as of 2024. Can use Nano-SIM slots.
Secure Digital SanDisk, Panasonic, Toshiba, Kodak, SD Association SD 1999 2 GB[5] File:Secure Digital Kingston 512MB.png Small (32 mm × 24 mm × 2.1 mm), DRM, up to 2 GB.[5] (2 GB cards use larger block sizes and may not be compatible with some host devices. See Article)
miniSD 2003 2 GB[5] File:MiniSD Card 256MB.png Compact (15 mm × 11 mm × 1 mm), DRM, up to 2 GB.[5] (2 GB cards use larger block sizes and may not be compatible with some host devices. See Article)
microSD 2005 2 GB[5] File:MicroSD card.jpg Subcompact (15 mm × 11 mm × 1 mm), DRM, up to 2 GB.[5] (2 GB cards use larger block sizes and may not be compatible with some host devices. See Article)
SDHC 2006 32 GB[5] File:SDHC memory card 8GB.png Same build as SD but greater capacity and transfer speed, 4 GB to 32 GB (not compatible with older host devices).
miniSDHC 2008 32 GB[5] File:SecureDigitalCard Mini.svg Same build as miniSD but greater capacity and transfer speed, 4 GB to 32 GB. 8 GB is largest in early-2011 (not compatible with older host devices).
microSDHC 2007 32 GB[5] File:MicroSDHC-Card.gif Same build as microSD but greater capacity and transfer speed, 4 GB to 32 GB.[6] (not compatible with older host devices)
SDXC 2009 1 TB File:Crystal128-sd-mmc-unmount.svg Same build as SD/SDHC, but greater capacity and transfer speed, 32 GB and higher. Standard goes up to 2 TB (not compatible with older host devices).
microSDXC 2009 2 TB[7] File:MicroSD Card Bottom.svg Same build as microSD/microSDHC, but greater capacity and transfer speed, 32 GB and higher. Standard goes up to 2 TB (not compatible with older host devices).
SDUC 2018 4 TB File:Crystal128-sd-mmc-unmount.svg Same build as SD/SDHC/SDXC, but greater capacity and transfer speed. Standard goes up to 128 TB (not compatible with older host devices).
SmartMedia Toshiba 3.3/5 V 1995 128 MB File:Smartmedia card.jpg Very slim (45.0 mm × 37.0 mm × 0.76 mm), no wear leveling controller, up to 128 MB. This particular example shows the write protect sticker (the silver disc).
Memory Stick Sony, SanDisk Standard 1998 128 MB File:Memory Stick 64MB.png Slim and narrow (50 mm × 21.5 mm × 2.8 mm), optional DRM, up to 128 MB
PRO 2003 4 GB File:Memory stick.jpg
(not to scale) 		Slim and narrow (50 mm × 21.5 mm × 2.8 mm), swifter, optional DRM, up to 4 GB
Duo 2003 128 MB File:MemoryStickDuo32MB.jpg Compact (31 mm × 20 mm × 1.6 mm), optional DRM, up to 128 MB
PRO Duo 2002–2006 32 GB File:MS-PRO-DUO.JPG Compact (31 mm × 20 mm × 1.6 mm), optional DRM, up to 32 GB
PRO-HG Duo 2007–2008 32 GB File:SDMSHX3-008G-J31.jpg Compact (31 mm × 20 mm × 1.6 mm), swifter, optional DRM, up to 32 GB
Micro (M2) 2006 16 GB File:Sony Memory Stick Micro M2 - 1GB-0423.jpg Subcompact (15 mm × 12.5 mm × 1.2 mm), optional DRM, up to 16 GB
Sony PS Vita Memory Card 2012 64 GB File:Sony Playstation Vita Memory Card 16GB.jpg Subcompact (15 mm × 12.5 mm × 1.6 mm[8]), compulsory DRM, up to 64 GB, proprietary (can be used on PS Vita only)
P2 (storage media) Panasonic MicroP2 2012 64 GB MicroP2 is a SDXC/SDHC card conforming to UHS-II (Ultra High Speed bus), and can be read by common SDHC/SDXC card readers.
xD Olympus, Fujifilm, Sony Standard 2002–2007 512 MB File:XD card 16M Fujifilm front.png Slim and small (20 mm × 25 mm × 1.78 mm), electrically identical to SmartMedia, no wear-leveling controller, up to 512 MB[9]
Type M 2005 2 GB File:XD card typeM 1G Fujifilm.png Slim and small (20 mm × 25 mm × 1.78 mm) but slower read/write, no wear-leveling controller, up to 2 GB[9]
Type H 2005 2 GB File:XD card typeH 512M Olympus.png Slim and small (20 mm × 25 mm × 1.78 mm) and swifter, no wear-leveling controller, up to 2 GB[9]
XQD card Sony & Nikon Standard 2011–2012 240 GB File:DS7 4260 PK.jpg High-capacity, high-speed standard using PCIe as interface. Claimed max. allowed in spec is 2 TB (or over, but no product has come close to that).
Universal Flash Storage Card Extensions Samsung UFS Card 2016 >256 GB Packages the flash memory, currently soldered in shipping smartphones, into a removable card form factor. Uses the SCSI command set including queuing. The electrical interface makes use of differential signaling, which enables high bus speeds and robustness under noisy conditions and reduced pin count (compared to parallel bus alternatives such as UHS-I).
USB flash drive Various USB 1.1/2.0/3.0/3.1 2000/2001 8 TB[10] File:Geil David 1GB AB.jpg
(not to scale) 		Universally compatible across most non-mobile computer platforms, their greater size suits them better to file transfer/storage instead of use in portable devices

Physical details

Note that a memory card's dimensions are determined while holding the card with contact pins upwards. The length of cards is often greater than their width. Most cards show a directional arrow to aid insertion; such an arrow should be upward.

File:Memory card parameters.svg
Card Width (mm) Length (mm) Thickness (mm) Volume (mm³) Mass (g)[11]
CompactFlash, Type I 43.0 36.0 3.3 5,108 3.3
CompactFlash, Type II 43.0 36.0 5.0 7,740
SmartMedia 37.0 45.0 0.76 1,265 2.0
MMC, MMCplus 24.0 32.0 1.4 1,075 1.3[12]
RS-MMC, MMCmobile 24.0 18.0 1.4 605 1.3
MMCmicro 14.0 12.0 1.1 185
SD, SDHC, SDXC, SDIO, MicroP2 24.0 32.0 2.1 1,613 2.0
miniSD, miniSDHC, miniSDIO 20.0 21.5 1.4 602 1.0
microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC 11.0 15.0 1.0 165 0.27
Memory Stick Standard, PRO 21.5 50.0 2.8 3,010 4.0
Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo, PRO-HG, XC 20.0 31.0 1.6 992 2.0
Memory Stick Micro (M2), XC 12.5 15.0 1.2 225 2.0
Nano Memory 12.3[13] 8.8 0.7 76
PS Vita Memory Card 15 12.5 1.6 300 0.6[8]
XQD card 38.5 29.8 3.8 4,360
xD 25.0 20.0 1.78 890 2.8
USB varies varies varies varies varies

Speed comparison

Standard SD UFS Card CFast XQD CFexpress
Version 3.0 4.0 6.0 7.0[14] 1.0/1.1 3.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 ?
Launched 2010 Q2 2011 Q1 2017 Q1 ? 2016 Q2 / 2018 Q1 2020 Q4 2008 Q3 2012 Q3 2011 Q4 2014 Q1 2017 Q2 ?
Bus UHS-I UHS-II UHS-III PCIe UFS 2.0 UFS 3.0 SATA-300 SATA-600 PCIe 2.0 x1 PCIe 2.0 x2 PCIe 3.0 x2 PCIe 3.0 x8
Speed

(full-duplex)

104 MB/s 156 MB/s 624 MB/s 1970 MB/s (?) 600 MB/s 1200 MB/s 300 MB/s 600 MB/s 500 MB/s 1000 MB/s 1970 MB/s 7880 MB/s

Technical details

Template:Sticky headerTemplate:Sort under

Card Varieties Max storage capacity (nom. in GiB) Theoretical max. capacity (nom. in GiB) Max read speed (MB/s) Max write speed (MB/s) Read-write cycles Low-level access Operating voltage (V)[15] Controller chip[16] # of pins
CompactFlash I 512 128 PiB[2]
(134,217,728 GiB) 		167[17] 167[17] NOR/NAND 3.3 and 5 Yes 50
II 12Script error: No such module "Unsubst". 128 PiB[2]
(134,217,728 GiB) 		167[17] 167[17]
SmartMedia 128 MiB
(0.125 GiB) 		2 1,000,000 NAND 3.3 or 5 No 22
MMC MMC 8 128 2 2 1,000,000[18] 3.3 Yes 7
RS-MMC 2 2[19] 2[19] 3.3 7
MMCmobile 2 15[20] 8[20] 1.8 and 3.3 13
MMCplus 4[21] 52[22] 52[22] 3.3 13
MMCmicro 2 1.8 and 3.3 10[23]
eMMC 2 TiB
(2048 GiB) 		104 104 1.8 and 3.3 Yes Varies
Secure Digital[24] SD (SDSC) 512 4 25[25] 25 3.3 Yes 9
miniSD 8 25 25 11
microSD 4 25 25 8
SDHC 32[26] 32 104 (UHS-I) 104 (UHS-I) 1.8 and 3.3 Yes 9
miniSDHC 4[27] 104 (UHS-I) 104 (UHS-I) 11
microSDHC 32[6] 104 (UHS-I) 104 (UHS-I) 8
SDXC 512[28] 2 TiB
(2048 GiB) 		104 (UHS-I) 104 2.7–3.6[29] Yes 9
microSDXC 1 TiB [30] 104 (UHS-I) 104 (UHS-I) 8
Memory Stick Standard 128 MiB
(0.125 GiB) 		128 MiB
(0.125 GiB) 		2.5 1.8 3.3 Yes 10
PRO 4 2 TiB
(2048 GiB) 		20 20 3.3
PRO Duo 32[31] 20 20 3.3
PRO-HG Duo 32[32] 30 (actual;[33]
theoretical: 60[34]) 		30 (actual;[33] theoretical: 60[34]) 3.3
Micro (M2) 16[35] 32 20 20 1.8 and 3.3
xC 2 TiB
(2048 GiB) 		60 60 3.3
xD 512 MiB
(0.5 GiB) 		512 MiB
(0.5 GiB) 		5 3 3.3 No 18
Type M 2 8 4 2.5
Type H 2 8 5 4
Type M+ 2 8 6 3.75
XQD 64 2+ TiB
(2+ GiB) 		168 168 5
USB Full speed (USB 1) 2048[36]
(2 TiB) 		No hardware limit 1 1 5 Yes 4
High speed (USB 2.0) 40 40
Super speed (USB 3.0) 240 160

Consumer details

Card Write protection switch
  1. REDIRECT Template:Hair space

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DRM
CompactFlash No Template:No Y
SmartMedia Partial, sticker Partial (optional)
MMC, RS-MMC No Template:No Y
MMCMobile Template:Yes N, secureMMC
SD Yes
  1. REDIRECT Template:Hair space

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rowspan="3" Template:Yes N, CPRM
miniSD No
microSD No
Memory Stick Standard, PRO Yes Optional, MagicGate
Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo No Optional, MagicGate
Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo No Optional, MagicGate
Memory Stick Micro (M2) No Optional, MagicGate
PS Vita Memory Card No Template:Yes N, Proprietary
xD No Partial
  1. REDIRECT Template:Hair space

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USB Sometimes Template:No Y

Compatibility

File:MiNe-KissX 100-7096R (705470547).jpg
Chain of adapters:
microSD→miniSD→SD→CF

The following chart gives details on availability of adapters to put a given card (horizontal) in a given slot or device (vertical). This table does not take into account protocol issues in communicating with the device.

Following labels are used:

  • + (native) – A slot is native for such card.
  • D (Directly compatible) – A card may be used in such a slot directly, without any adapters. Best possible compatibility.
  • M (requires a Mechanical adapter) – Such adapter is only a physical enclosure to fit one card sized into another; all electrical pins are exactly the same.
  • EM (requires an Electro-Mechanical adapter) – Such adapter features both physical enclosure and pins re-routing as terminals are sufficiently different. No powered elements in such adapter exists, thus they're very cheap and easy to manufacture and may be supplied as a bonus for every such card.
  • E (requires an Electronic adapter enclosure) – These adapters must have components—potentially requiring external power—that transform signals, as well as physical enclosure and pin routing.
  • X (requires an eXternal adapter) – Technically the same as E, but such adapter usually consists of 2 parts: a pseudo-card with pin routing and physical enclosure size that perfectly match the target slot and a break-out box (a card reader) that holds a real card. Such adapter is the least comfortable to use.
  • XM (requires an eXternal electro-mechanical adapter) – Technically the same as EM, but such adapter usually consists of 2 parts: a pseudo-card with pin routing and physical enclosure size that perfectly match the target slot and a break-out box (a card reader) that holds a real card. Such adapter is the least comfortable to use.
  • Empty cell – Card cannot be used in such slot, no single adapter is known to exist. Sometimes a chain of adapters can help (for example, miniSD→CF as miniSD→SD→CF).
rowspan="2" Template:Diagonal split header 2 CF CFast SM MMC Memory Stick SDSC SDHC SDXC xD XQD
I II MMC RS-MMC, MMCmobile Std PRO PRO Duo Micro SDSC miniSD microSD SDHC miniSDHC microSDHC SDXC microSDXC Std M H
ExpressCard E[41] E[41] E[42] E[43] E[43] E[42] E[42] E[42] E[44] E[42] E[42] E[42] EM
PCI Express Mini Card EM
mSATA XM
PC Card EM[45] EM[45] E[46] E[47] E[47] E[47] E[47]
PCMCIA EM[45] EM[45] E[46] E[47] E[47] E[47] E[47]
CF I + + E E[48] E[49] E[49] E[50] E[48] E[51] E[51] E[51]
CF II + E E[48] E[49] E[49] E[48] E[51] E[51] E[51]
CFast +
SM + X[52] X[52] X[52]
xD E[53] + + +
XQD +
MMC + M D[54]
MS X[55] + + M M X[55] X[55] E[56]
SDSC D M + EM EM
miniSD + EM
microSD +
SDHC D[57] EM EM + EM EM
miniSDHC D[57] EM + EM
microSDHC D[57] +
SDXC uscb D[58] EM EM D[58] EM EM + EM
microSDXC D[58] D[58] +
IDE PATA EM[59] EM[59] E[60][61]
Serial ATA E[62] E[62] EM
PCI Express EM
USB X[63] X[63] X[63] X[63] X[63] X[63] E[64] E[64] E[65] E[66] X[63] X[63] X[63] X
Floppy E[67] E E + M E E
Nintendo DS Slot-1 E[68]
Nintendo DS Slot-2 E[69] E[69] E[69]

References

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  1. ↑ Pictures are given in relative scales; they're sized to be WYSIWYG when viewing using 81 PPI monitor.
  2. ↑ a b c d CompactFlash Association announces CF 5.0 standard supporting up to 128 PiB of storage Template:Webarchive
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ a b c FUJIFILM Global | xD-Picture Card and Adapters Template:Webarchive
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Plexus Outbursts specifications Template:Webarchive
  12. ↑ Apacer's MMC specifications Template:Webarchive
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Voltage table at All Memory Cards, note that some cards support both voltages (and), and some cards are available in distinct versions (or)
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ a b c d CompactFlash Specification Rev. 6.0 Template:Webarchive
  18. ↑ ACP-EP Specifications Template:Webarchive
  19. ↑ a b ACP-EP RS-MMC card features list Template:Webarchive
  20. ↑ a b ACP-EP MMCmobile card features list Template:Webarchive
  21. ↑ Transcend MMCplus 4 GiB
  22. ↑ a b MMC transferred at up to 52 MiB/s Template:Webarchive
  23. ↑ Transcend MMCmicro card (TS128MMCM) datasheet
  24. ↑ Maximum transfer speed is not defined by SD standards. Bus speeds are quoted.
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ New 4 GiB miniSDHC card Template:Webarchive
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666322869&tab=featuresTab Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  33. ↑ a b Sony Introduces Faster MS Pro HG Duo Card Template:Webarchive
  34. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Some early SD cards may not have a write protection switch.
  39. ↑ The write protect switch signals to the host, which is responsible for write protection. The write protect switch is not connected to the internal circuitry of the card. (SD Card Simplified Physical Layer Specification Template:Webarchive)
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ a b c d e f g DataFab EXP 12 in 2 Template:Webarchive
  43. ↑ a b DataFab exp 12 in 1 Template:Webarchive
  44. ↑ DataFab exp M2+microSD Template:Webarchive
  45. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ a b c d e f g h Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ a b c d e f Olympus MACF-10 xD-to-CompactFlash adapter Template:Webarchive
  52. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ In March 2008, Olympus started shipping the MASD-1 microSD-to-xD adapter along with its latest compact digital cameras, with a shape designed to fit only in those latest cameras Template:Webarchive. The physical adapter is in fact purely electromechanical, although the xD and SD protocols are completely incompatible. This demonstrates that the cameras themselves must understand the SD protocol, and thus the adapter is more properly termed an electronic adapter, with the electronic logic contained in the camera rather than the physical accessory.
  54. ↑ SD cards are usually thicker than MMC ones, and although it uses perfectly compatible pins, not every MMC slot may allow thick SD card to be inserted
  55. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  56. ↑ KingMax microSD to MS PRO Duo AdapterScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
  57. ↑ a b c SDHC devices are backward-compatible with normal SD cards (Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".)
  58. ↑ a b c d SDXC devices are backward-compatible with SD and SDHC cards. (Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".)
  59. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  60. ↑ Star Empery PT110 SD Card To ATA IDE 3.5 inch Hard Drive Adapter
  61. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  62. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  63. ↑ a b c d e f g h i There are many USB-connected "n-in-1" memory card readers, for example Belkin's "Hi-Speed USB 2.0 15-in-1 Media Reader & Writer".
  64. ↑ a b MS Duo and M2 adapters have appeared in the last 12 months which look like USB memory sticks
  65. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  66. ↑ A-Data microSD to USB Adapter Template:Webarchive
  67. ↑ DCRP Special Report: FlashPath Adapter Template:Webarchive by Tom Beardmore
  68. ↑ R4 microSD to NDS Slot-1 Adapter Template:Webarchive
  69. ↑ a b c Supercard to NDS Slot-2 Adapter Template:Webarchive

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

External links

Template:Memory Cards

he:השוואת כרטיסי זכרון

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