Designed for adding space to Android phones for everything from videos to music, the company says the large capacity is the first 512GB MicroSDXC card type to ship. The SDXC card is also compatible with action cameras and other devices with a MicroSDHC slot, but the Class 10 speed means the card is designed for shooting in Full HD. Integral Memory doesn’t list 4K among the options, which typically requires faster speed ratings. The card has a maximum transfer speed of 80MB/s.
Still, cramming so much storage inside the tiniest popular type of SD card is no small task. Microdia announced a 512GB MicroSDXC in 2015, but after concern over limited availability, the high-capacity card never showed and is not included on the company’s website. The card joins SanDisk and Lexar’s 512GB options but those cards use the larger SD format. For the smaller MicroSD, Lexar launched a 256GB version last year that, unlike the new 512GB option, is designed for 4K video with transfers up to 150 MB/s and write speeds of 90 MB/s.
“Consumers have been clear in their call for increased storage, as mobile devices have become essential to many in everyday life,” James Danton, marketing manager at Integral Memory, said in a press release. “The need to provide extended memory for smartphones, tablets and a growing range of other mobile devices such as action cams and drones has been answered. As a company, we are very proud to be the first to achieve the 512GB capacity milestone in MicroSDXC, worldwide.”
The company says the new 512GB MicroSDXC card will be available beginning in February and that the MicroSDXC will be available worldwide. The company has not released pricing information yet, but the larger SD cards with the same storage space sell for several hundred dollars.
Integral Memory has been around since their 1989 start in London and now also has offices in France, Spain, and the Netherlands.
