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The World’s Highest Capacity 128GB MicroSD Card Is Smaller Than Your Fingernail

Until today, the highest capacity microSD card you could purchase was 64GB. That’s more than enough for most people, but technology continues to push on at a rapid pace and the inevitable has happened.

Cover image via whistleout.com.au

This week during Mobile World Congress 2014, SanDisk introduced the world's highest capacity microSDXC memory card, weighing a hefty 128 GB

Smaller than the size of a fingernail, the new SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card enables consumers to use their phones and tablets as if storage limitations were never a concern, allowing users to capture thousands of songs and photos, and hours of video on a single, removable card.

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That's a huge leap in storage compared to the 128 MB microSD card launched 10 years ago.

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It comes at a hefty price tag though – around USD200 (RM 654). This is a price point which will easily get you an entry level smartphone.

Designed for Android™ smartphones and tablets, the new SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card provides consumers the highest storage capacity available in a removable form factor.

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Ideal for shooting Full HD video and high-quality pictures, the 128GB SanDisk Ultra microSDXC card delivers twice the speed of ordinary microSD memory cards and offers the highest video recording performance available.

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Speaking about the card, Susan Park, director of retail product marketing at SanDisk, said:

“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. With 128GB 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.”

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To fit that much memory onto the removable card, SanDisk developed a technique that allows for 16 memory die — each shaved to be thinner than a strand of hair – to be stacked vertically. Watch the introductory video, here:

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Also, back in 2012, Lexar set a new bar in SD memory card capacity with its new 256GB card — the largest size offered in the SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity) format

SDXC has an upper limit of 2TB, compared to the 32GB cap that restricts the SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) format.

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The official name of the card is the Lexar Professional 400x SDXC UHS-I. It’s geared towards photographers who need to “capture, store, and transfer a large number of high-quality photos” and videographers who need to record massive amounts of HD video.

lexar.com

The card is a speedy one, offering a minimum guaranteed read speed of 60 megabytes per second — as long as you pair it with a just-as-speedy card reader. Still, to entirely read 262144MB off a completely full card, it’ll take at least 4369 seconds… or 1.2 hours. Got patience?

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