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Definition: microSD


The smallest SD card. Introduced in 2005 and used in smartphones, tablets, and other handheld devices, microSD is compatible with the full-size SD card. Subsequent versions, including SDHC (High Capacity) and SDXC (Extended Capacity), greatly increased storage. Weighing less than a gram, 1TB SDXC cards became available in 2019. See SD card.

microSD Express
In 2019, microSD Express cards debuted. Like full-size SD Express cards, microSD Express uses the PCI Express (PCIe) bus and increased speed up to 985 MB/sec. For example, a file in a microSD Express card can transfer nearly five times faster than a UHS-I microSD card (see SD card classes). See SD Express, TransFlash and gruvi card.




A microSD Slot in an Android Phone
The microSD format has been used in Android smartphones and tablets. In earlier models such as this, the back of the case was removed to gain access. Newer Androids have slide-out drawers.






Adapters Make microSD Universal
Adapters allow a microSD card to plug into a full-size SD slot. The half-gram microSD is .59 x .43 inches (15 x 11mm).






A Tad Smaller
Remember floppies? It would take 21,000 floppy disks to hold as much data as this 32GB microSD card. See floppy disk.







Hard to Believe
Introduced in 2019, a 1TB microSD card (red arrow) is resting on a 17-pound hard drive from the 1990s. The tiny card holds 1,600 times more data. See hard disk.