MicroSD card support is essential because it gives you freedom and control over your data.
However, ideally, smartphones would have full-sized SD card slots for the following reasons:
SD card with 1 TB capacity.
Full-sized SD cards are physically larger, so there is more space for flash memory. Recently, a 4 TB card was announced and is scheduled for 2025.
Imagine you could record as much as you like in 4K 2160p. No worries about "no space left" errors. When you wake up, the answer to "how much storage do I have free" is "yes" [sic.]. You don't have to think about how much you have left because you have enough.
UHS connectors of a high-end SD card.
SD cards have larger connectors and can even feature additional connectors with the UHS-II format, so they have a higher speed potential.
Larger flash storage devices can have faster speeds because more memory chips can work in parallel, as explained by TechQuickie:
(Why Are Larger SSDs Faster? - TechQuickie)
Size of MicroSD cards compared to a full-sized SD card.
Inserting a MicroSD card into your phone takes fumbling around, which is less convenient than inserting the much larger SD cards.
Sometimes you want to read data on the card without the risk of some software unwantedly tampering with its content. Full-sized SD card slots have a read-only switch. However, it depends on the card reader to respect the setting. Some card readers ignore that switch.
I realize that full-sized SD card slots in smartphones are a distant dream, but if any phone vendor was gracious enough to make it a reality, they could take my money.
I hereby release this text under the Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution ShareAlike International license
However, ideally, smartphones would have full-sized SD card slots for the following reasons:
More space
SD card with 1 TB capacity.
Full-sized SD cards are physically larger, so there is more space for flash memory. Recently, a 4 TB card was announced and is scheduled for 2025.
Imagine you could record as much as you like in 4K 2160p. No worries about "no space left" errors. When you wake up, the answer to "how much storage do I have free" is "yes" [sic.]. You don't have to think about how much you have left because you have enough.
Affordability
Given that there is more physical space, it takes less effort to manufacture a SD card than a MicroSD card with the same capacity, resulting in a lower price.Reliability
Given that the memory cells of a full-sized SD are larger, they are less likely to lose data over a long time of non-use, and also likely to sustain more rewrite cycles.Speed
UHS connectors of a high-end SD card.
SD cards have larger connectors and can even feature additional connectors with the UHS-II format, so they have a higher speed potential.
Larger flash storage devices can have faster speeds because more memory chips can work in parallel, as explained by TechQuickie:
Insertion comfort
Size of MicroSD cards compared to a full-sized SD card.
Inserting a MicroSD card into your phone takes fumbling around, which is less convenient than inserting the much larger SD cards.
Read-only switch
Sometimes you want to read data on the card without the risk of some software unwantedly tampering with its content. Full-sized SD card slots have a read-only switch. However, it depends on the card reader to respect the setting. Some card readers ignore that switch.
I realize that full-sized SD card slots in smartphones are a distant dream, but if any phone vendor was gracious enough to make it a reality, they could take my money.
I hereby release this text under the Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution ShareAlike International license
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