SanDisk Releases 200GB Smartphone MicroSD Card

Ben Sullivan,

Firm says card is world’s highest capacity microSD, looks set to bump up Android storage capacity

SanDisk has managed to cram 200GB of storage into its latest microSD card. Designed for smartphone users, the tiny fingernail-sized card will bump up the storage capacity on devices which have an available microSD slot.

The increase in capacity, more than 56 percent from last year’s 128GB model, uses the same technology as its predecessor but with a new production process that “allows for more bits per die”, said SanDisk.

Changing the game

“Mobile devices are completely changing the game. Seven out of 10 images captured by consumers are now from smartphones and tablets. Consumers view mobile-first devices as their primary means for image capture and sharing, and by 2019 smartphones and tablets will account for nine out of 10 images captured,” said Christopher Chute, Vice President, Worldwide Digital Imaging Practice, IDC.

The card can offer a transfer speed of up to 90MB/s, which SanDisk said is equivalent to 1,200 photos per minute. The company said the product is “ideal” for Android smartphone and tablet users.

“We continue to push technology boundaries to deliver record-breaking solutions that transform the way consumers use their mobile devices,” said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product marketing, SanDisk. “By focusing on achieving new capacity and speed milestones, we are able to deliver trusted mobile memory solutions that give consumers the freedom to never stop capturing, saving, or sharing – with the benefit of fast speeds to transfer it all quickly.”

USB with Type C connector

Futureproofing its next USB release, SanDisk also unveiled a 32GB USB drive with a type C connector on one end.

According to a recent report from Strategy Analytics, by 2016 12% of handsets alone will feature microSDType C connectors, and this product sees SanDisk ready to meet that.

The new Dual USB drive features a Type C connector on one end and a USB 3.0 on the other for  transfer between next-generation devices and PC or Mac computers.

How much do you know about flash memory? Take our quiz here!