Mobile MicroSDHC Memory Reviews

[TekGru]

Dear Anand, Team and Members of the forum,

I am an avid follower of your articles. The in-depth analysis and the simple language appeals to the wannabe geeks among us .

Your mobile vs mobile benchmarking of key performance metrics are really revealing. :thumbsup:

But there is one area on which I don't see any articles neither here nor anywhere on the web i.e the various types of external mobile memory cards; the importance of Class in memory cards; and which mobile can effectively utilize which Class. E.g Samsung Galaxy S2 ; Can it support the high transfer and write speeds of Class 10 MicroSDHC cards or what is the highest Class it can support? And also is there any good Class 10 32GB MicroSDHC card available in the market?

Thanks,

 

[paperwastage]

the only problem is that the "classes" are not standardized across different brands

Class 10 may say minimum 10MB/s write speed non-fragmented, but the way it is measured might be different across different manufacturers (eg different format, file size/blocks...)

anyways, the only time you need high speed is when writing HD Video (eg some video cameras NEED Class 10 SDHC, or it will fail to record HD video)... anything else, I dont see why you need higher speeds (besides loading times being slightly faster)

 

[KingFatty]

the only problem is that the "classes" are not standardized across different brands

Class 10 may say minimum 10MB/s write speed non-fragmented, but the way it is measured might be different across different manufacturers (eg different format, file size/blocks...)

anyways, the only time you need high speed is when writing HD Video (eg some video cameras NEED Class 10 SDHC, or it will fail to record HD video)... anything else, I dont see why you need higher speeds (besides loading times being slightly faster)

That's a very good point, and I think it would be even more helpful to have an independent test to measure real-world performance.

Also, because the class-rating is only a minimum/floor, you have no idea whether the memory card exceeds that minimum, or by how much.

That last review I saw, demonstrated this big-time because they found that a Sandisk Ultra (rated only class 4) was faster/better than other cards rated as class 6. Why would a class 4 perform better than a class 6, or why doesn't Sandisk just change the rating for that card?

Also, there is a market for cards with fast *reading*, but unfortunately the class-rating only tells us about *writing* speed. I want a card that reads fast for when I transfer my videos/pics off the phone - it's annoying to sit there and wait while I transfer 8GB of data.

If I'm choosing between two different cards of approximately equal price and same class, of course I want to buy the card that reads faster. But there is no way for me to know this information unless someone has tested the card, because the class of the card doesn't tell me and it also doesn't tell me whether the card writes faster than it's class-rating suggests, as some cards turn out to do.

Therefore I'd be very happy to see a rating system/hierarchy/benchmark scores for memory cards. Unfortunately, why would a site do this? There are a billion different memory cards, and they are rather cheap, so I don't see a big desire to do this unless lots of cards are left out and the review only focuses on the biggest/fastest/most expensive cards (e.g., maybe a review of 32GB class 10 microSD cards?)

 

[TekGru]

Dear @paperwastage & @ Kingfatty,

Appreciate the insightful replies...

Personally, I do in-depth research before buying any product. Especially since nowadays every gadget is analyzed, discussed and debated across forums.

So went for Samsung's GS2 after lot of research last year although my initial preference was for the HTC Sensation. But it didnt make sense in spec wise comparison with GS2; although Sense and the metal unibody are definite pluses.

Had also done some research on the case and Microsdhc card. Case was bought from Casemate; great tough case. But still haven't bought MSDHC card because was confused between Class; wanted to go for Class 10 32 GB; but none of the major manufacturers(sandisk, transcend, kingston) have one. Most max out at 16GB.

So finally have found Pixar Class 10 32GB at Amazon; but expensive at $53.

GS2 supports Full HD1080p; so guess Class 10 would make sense.

And at $30 to $50 prices, I think everyone deserves to know that they are getting the best performance for their money's worth. Considering the sales volume of high-end smartphones with FullHD recording,any website which does the comparison(especially first) will definitely get some serious traffic. And that should be enough incentive for doing the comparison if not for more loftier ideals...like satisfying the geek spirit by identifying the fastest...

And as you suggested, initially a Class 10 32 GB slug fest seems to be the way to go. All you GSM Arenas, Engadgets, PhoneArenas, PcWorlds,Cnets, IntoMobiles, TechBuffalos, Zdnets,Engadgets and our own AandTech... Are you listening?...So treat us to some numbers on best of fastest cards.

Tc,

 

[efficacyman]

To further muddy the picture, the microsdhc class system also says nothing about random read and random write performance. If you are planning on running apps off of your SD card (or even android ie Nook Color) Sandisk lower classed cards (Class 2 and Class 4) often have the highest random read and write perfomance. In my opinion, save your money and buy a sandisk 32gb class 4 or class 2 and be happy unless you are putting high bit rate MKVs (1080p or 720p) and watching them with your phone. Sandisk conservatively rates their cards compared with the less expensive manufacturers.