Memory cards in Lenovo devices. SD memory card for Android: which one is better to buy for a phone and tablet? Tablet without memory card

Sooner or later, almost any owner of a smartphone, tablet, and now, increasingly, a laptop, is faced with the question of buying a memory card and using it to expand the built-in memory of his device, the volume of which is no longer enough for him.

However, many of us come to the store and find on the counter a huge assortment of memory cards, many of which, with the same capacity, for some reason have completely different prices, and when the seller asks: “What class of card would you like to buy?” They almost fall into a stupor. Today we would like to help you make sense of it all.

First of all, you should know that memory cards differ from each other not only in the amount of information (photos, videos, documents, applications, etc.) that can be recorded on them, or in capacity, but also in the speed at which all this data is stored on them can be written (and subsequently read).

Depending on the capacity, cards are divided into types SD, SDHC and SDXC

SD cards have capacities from 128 MB to 2 GB and are sold formatted in FAT16 format. These cards will work in all devices that support SD, SDHC, or SDXC.

SDHCcards(SD High Capacity or High Capacity) are SD cards with capacities from 4 GB to 32 GB. Their initial format is FAT32.

SDHC cards work differently than standard SD cards and will most likely not work on older devices manufactured before 2008.

SDXCcards(Extended Capacity) have capacities from 64 GB to 2 TB and are shipped from the factory formatted in exFAT

Most devices released on the market after 2010 should be compatible with SDXC memory cards, but not all operating systems understand the exFAT format, so sometimes after purchase they have to be reformatted to FAT32, NTFS or another format.

Depending on the speed of their operation, memory cards are divided into so-called “classes”

Class 2, 4, 6, 10 memory cards

UHS Class 1 or 3 memory cards

Memory cards class V6, V10, V30, V60, V90

Class A1 or A2 memory cards

Cards with a higher class number have a higher speed.

It is interesting that if the first two classes, which appeared earlier than the others, were characterized mainly by the speed of writing and reading data to the card, then class V determines the format or speed of the video (Video speed) that can be recorded on these cards, and class A is generally the launch speed class Applications speed on them.

A-class cards appeared quite recently (the official announcement of the first A1 cards took place in January of this year, 2017) and you will find more detailed information about them in this material.

The specifications for Class A2 cards were described in February 2017 and the corresponding cards will have speeds in the range of 4000 operations per second when reading, 2000 operations per second when writing, and the sequential read / write speed should be at the level of 10 MB / sec.

How to find out the speed class of a memory card?

The speed class is printed on the front side of the card, in the same place as its capacity and type. This is what the icons of different classes look like:

Class A memory cards are marked with the following icon:

How to choose a memory card?

First of all, you need to decide what your memory card will mainly be used for: to record videos, store photos and other information, or whether you will install games and other applications on it.

In the first case, if you will use the card mainly for recording video, then the faster the card you have, the higher quality video you will be able to record on it.

For example, to record video in HD or Full HD format, you will need a card with a recording speed ranging from 4 to 30 MB per second. But recording video in 4K format will require a speed card from 10 to 60 MB per second.

The following table will help you understand what class of card to record video of what quality you need to buy:

If you expect to store photos and documents on a memory card, then any modern memory card will suit you: super high writing speeds are not required for these purposes. But the best thing, of course, is to choose a card “with a reserve” whose class corresponds to the fourth or fifth line of the table given above.

For those who plan to use a memory card to install games and other heavy applications on it, it is recommended to use memory cards of class A1 or A2, but they are still very rare today, and if you are looking for an alternative, you better be guided by the principle: “the faster, the better.” better". Of course, you need to understand that the faster the card, the more expensive it is.

Memory cards are a great opportunity to expand the storage space for various movies, music, photos and other information on your smartphone. In addition, they allow you to install more modern games that require a significant amount of free space. What types of memory cards are there for Lenovo and how to store information on them?

Modern memory cards in Lenovo smartphones have one common standard - microSD, which combines cards of various classes and sizes.

Currently, the most popular cards have capacities from 8 to 32 GB. They allow you to store a lot of music and movies without filling up the built-in memory of your smartphone. It is worth noting that most Lenovo smartphones currently support cards up to 32 GB; they simply cannot accept larger volumes. The exception is the latest model smartphones, for example the recently released one, which supports cards with a capacity of up to 128 GB.

However, not all smartphones have a memory card slot. As a rule, their absence can be observed in flagships, including:, and,.

List of popular smartphones and their memory card support

Can I install applications on a memory card?

It is possible, but not on all smartphones. As a rule, this applies to inexpensive A-series devices and is limited by the device’s firmware. Such a limitation can be “cured” by setting administrator rights and replacing the firmware with the “correct” one.

You can find out whether your smartphone (or your future smartphone) supports memory cards in the review for the device.

Updated: 02/12/2018 16:45:07

When choosing a memory card, you should pay attention to the supported standard and capacity of this external drive.

How to choose a memory card for a tablet: key parameters

The main criteria for choosing a memory card for a tablet are:

Standard;

1. Additional functions.

   The manufacturer of the memory card is also important.

Main criteria for choosing a memory card

Memory card standard

There are three standards for MicroSD memory cards:

MicroSDSC (can also be called simply MicroSD, and stands for SC as “Standard Capacity”). The oldest memory card format. The maximum supported volume is 2 GB. As a result, the format is practically “extinct” today, both in the tablet market and among manufacturers of memory cards themselves;

MicroSDHC (High Capacity). The most common memory card format. The maximum volume is 64 GB. Used in the vast majority of tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices. Therefore, if a memory card is required and nothing is known about compatibility with the tablet, it is recommended to pay attention to this standard;

MicroSDXC (Extended Capacity). The most modern memory card standard. The maximum supported volume is 2 TB. True, this is a theoretical value, but in practice it is several times less. Most often used in modern flagship tablets.

All of these standards are backward compatible with each other. That is:

A tablet that supports the MicroSDXC memory card standard can accommodate memory cards of all standards;

A tablet that supports the MicroSDHC standard can only install MicroSDHC or MicroSHSC;

A tablet that supports the MicroSDHC standard can only install MicroSDSC, and no other format.

You can find out which memory card standard your tablet supports from the technical specifications of the device itself. This parameter can be given either explicitly (that is, the name of the standard is indicated directly) or indirectly. For example, if the technical specifications provide the following indication: “Maximum supported capacity of memory cards: 64 GB,” then we can confidently say that the tablet is compatible with external drives of the MicroSDHC standard.

The speed class, as the name implies, determines the maximum speed of reading and writing to a memory card. The higher it is, the greater the scope of application of this external drive. At the same time, low-speed memory cards are poorly suited even for normal, everyday operations.

The following speed classes exist:

Class 2. The simplest and cheapest memory cards. They have a read and write speed of about 2 Mbit/s. Suitable for working with small documents, including multimedia files with low bitrate;

Class 4. They have a read and write speed of about 4 Mbit/s. Therefore, they are suitable for working with multimedia files that have an average bitrate. For example, they can record photos in real time with a resolution of up to 8 MP without HDR+ and not in RAW;

Class 6. They have a read and write speed of about 6 Mbit/s. They can record relatively high bitrate multimedia files (for example, MP3 320 kbps or videos up to 480p), as well as shoot corresponding videos and photos in real time;

Class 10. They have a read and write speed of about 10 Mbit/s. Suitable for the vast majority of cases, including working with multimedia files in Full HD. However, when recording video at such high resolution, defects and artifacts may be observed;

USH-I. Ideal memory cards for mobile photo and video shooting in resolutions up to 2K inclusive and a frame rate of 30 fps. They have read and write speeds of 10 Mbit/s;

UHS-III. Memory cards for mobile video shooting in high resolution (for example, 4K) or with high frame rates up to 120 fps. They have read and write speeds of 30 Mbit/s.

For most cases, memory cards of the high-speed Class 10 class are sufficient. You can, for example, install applications on them if the operating system allows it. But memory cards of a higher speed class should be purchased only if there is a direct need for it - you have to shoot a lot or play HD video, for example.

Volume

Since the operating system and installed applications are located on the internal storage of the tablet, it is user data that is recorded on the memory card - photos, videos, music, and other documents. Therefore, you should choose the volume based on your needs.

In fact, the required minimum is 4 GB. You can record a couple of movies in up to 480p resolution and several music albums on this memory card.

It is advisable to purchase memory cards with a capacity of 8 GB or more. Then there will be some free space left “in reserve”. And for lovers of mobile photo and video shooting, drives with a capacity of 32 GB or more are intended - since each high-resolution image, and even more so with HDR support, “weighs” about 10 MB. As a result, you can fill a 4 GB memory card with them in 2-3 hours of active photography.

Additional functions

Among the most important additional functions of memory cards designed for use in tablets are:

Protection from harmful external factors. Such memory cards survive high temperatures, mechanical stress, electrical breakdowns that occur during unsafe removal and installation, radiation during scanning at airports, etc.;

Access to data recovery programs. Companies such as SanDisk and Transcend bundle their external drives with special software designed for emergency data recovery in the event of memory card damage. The distribution can be either stored on the flash drive itself or downloaded from the company’s website. In any case, such software will not hurt;

Extended warranty. Typically, the warranty from the store for memory cards and similar drives is about 6-12 months. An extended warranty from the manufacturer allows you not to worry about damage to the external drive, even if a year has passed since the date of purchase. However, most memory card failures are associated with external factors, so this option is a rather controversial decision.

You should only choose protected memory cards (as well as other additional functions) if you plan to use these drives in extreme conditions.

The best manufacturers

The best manufacturers of memory cards for tablets and other mobile devices are:

Samsung. It produces special “mobile-oriented” memory cards, but they are usually expensive;

SanDisk, Kingston. They produce middle-class memory cards;

Transcend. It produces relatively inexpensive, but at the same time quite productive and practical memory cards.

But the products of companies such as Dexp or AData, recommended to avoid. Typically, it is slightly cheaper than memory cards from SanDisk or Kingston, but it is not as high quality - and if damaged, all data on the drive can be destroyed.

Almost all modern tablets have the ability to expand the built-in memory, since the native one, despite its rather large volumes, is sometimes not enough. You can increase the amount of memory using special cards, usually in Micro SD format, but when choosing, you must take into account the characteristics of the device itself.

Types and classes of memory cards

Over the past 10 years, manufacturers of portable gadgets have practically standardized the format of memory expansion cards. That is why most modern devices support either Micro SD or SD drives. Their main difference is size. The first type is used mostly in mobile phones and tablets, the second - in cameras, video recorders, etc.

When choosing a memory card for a tablet, you need to consider the following characteristics:

1. Volume – it makes no sense to talk about cards with 2-4 gigabytes, since this space will quickly be filled with even ordinary photographs from an average camera. Therefore, you need to consider an option of at least 8 GB and the higher the class of the tablet, the larger the volume you need to take.
2. Speed ​​– this indicator is indicated on each memory card as a class. For tablets in the low price category, you can use memory cards starting from class 4. If you want to watch high-quality video, shoot it and constantly play games whose cache is stored on an external drive, then the memory card must be at least class 10.

Additional formats

The maximum speed on Micro SD memory cards is not limited to class 10, since the maximum data transfer speed is 10 MB/s, which will be absolutely lacking on high-performance tablets. That is why manufacturers have created additional memory cards with the prefixes HC and XC.

Micro SDHC are high-capacity memory cards, the capacity of which can reach up to 32 GB. The maximum data transfer speed is 30 Mb/s, which means that you can record videos in 4K resolution, with a frame rate of 60-120 FPS.

Micro SDXC is another modification that has both increased capacity and high data transfer speeds (up to 90 MB/s). It is worth noting that not all devices support this format, so before buying a card for your tablet, be sure to make sure that such support is available, otherwise, the maximum you will get is the same Micro SDHC, only at double the price. In the worst case, the card will not work at all.

When choosing a memory card, you need to take into account the specifics of your device. The higher the price category, the better the camera, the more powerful the processor, the faster the data stored on the external drive will be processed. If you choose a class that is too low, then the tablet simply will not work at full capacity.

Having purchased a smartphone or tablet computer, you immediately want to try using a variety of interesting applications, download a cool game and much more. But to open an application for a smartphone or other device, you must first download and install it. And for this, of course, you will need a certain space in the internal memory. Music, movies, documents and other files - all this is stored on the device’s resources and sometimes takes up too much space on the built-in storage. You can expand the volume using an SD card. But not all of us know how to choose the right memory card that is not expensive and at the same time high-quality. We will also find out what classes of memory cards there are and what characteristics you should pay attention to when purchasing. This or that gadget supports specific types of equipment - if you buy another one, it simply will not work. In addition, you also need to know how much volume your smartphone or tablet supports - this is of great importance.

Types of SD cards by form factor

Previously, MultiMedia Card (MMC) was used. Then they were replaced by SD memory cards. Their physical dimensions are the same, however, they are made using completely different technologies. SD has a controller and has a security area that will not allow someone to “climb” into the system unnoticed. There is also a special switch installed that can block the ability to delete information (switched manually).

So, what types of memory cards are there and how to choose them? There are three types of SD:

• Standard SD measures 32 by 24 by 2.1 mm.
• miniSD is a little smaller - 21.5 by 20 by 1.4 mm.
• The smallest is microSD – 11 by 15 by 1 mm.

Using special adapters designed for this, any of the presented cards can be inserted into any slot that supports SD drives.

What are the classes of memory cards?

Among other things, drives differ by class. Let's figure out what a memory card class is and what does this parameter affect? So, it determines at what speed the data is written. To put it in slightly different language, the higher it is, the sooner you can record data and play large video or audio recordings without loss of quality.

To help a potential buyer understand the capabilities of flash drives, the SD card association classifies them according to SD Speed ​​Class - what is it? Speed ​​characteristics: on drives, the speed is indicated based on a certain multiplier, where 1 is 150 kb/sec.

Memory cards can be manufactured in the following varieties:

• Class 2;
• Class 4;
• Class 6;
• Class 10;
• Class 16.

When choosing a memory card for a DVR or other device, you need to pay special attention to this parameter. Among other things, you need to choose a drive only from a reputable manufacturer. The fact is that many companies indicate a classification that does not correspond to speed indicators. Or it will mean not the speed of recording information, but its reading.

The type will be of no small importance for those who like to watch movies with HD resolution, the difference between them is noticeable. The higher it is, the more stable the data flows will be and there will be no slowdowns. In the documentation for the device where this or that card will be used, you should carefully read the information about the minimum speed for playing HD video.

In general, flash drives with 10th grade are considered the most popular and in demand. The speed of reading and writing information is at the most optimal level and can reach more than 10 MB/s, which is good news.

Memory card capacity

Before buying a memory card, you should check the maximum capacity your device can support. It is also recommended to pay attention to the type:

• Regular SD cards can have a capacity of no more than 4 GB;
• SDHC – up to 32 GB;
• SDXC – up to 2 TB;
• SDXC II, SDHC II, SDXC I, SDHC I – maximum available quantity.

The larger the memory card, the better, as you can store more information on it. For example, a capacity of 8 GB is enough for a thousand songs in mp3 format or 21 minutes of video recording with Full HD resolution.

Read and write speed

The speed of reading and loading information onto the card depends on its class and type.

Different types of memory cards have different data transfer speeds. What does a specific characteristic mean:

• SD – 12.5 Mb/s;
• SDHC – 12.5 Mb/s (the difference from the previous one is only in a larger volume);
• SDXC – 25 Mb/s;
• SDXC II, SDHC II, SDXC I, SDHC I - very high speed (UHS I architecture - 50 Mb/s, UHS II architecture - 156 Mb/s or 312 Mb/s).

How to determine the class of a memory card based on information exchange speed? Class characteristics:

• Class 2 – no less than 2 Mb/s;
• Class 4 – no less than 4 Mb/sec;
• Class 6 – no less than 6 Mb/sec;
• Class 10 – no less than 10 Mb/sec;
• Class 16 – no less than 16 Mb/sec.

Selecting an SD card

Despite the huge range of memory cards, it’s not difficult to figure out which one is better. The main thing is in which device the drive will be used. Standard SD format cards are most often inserted into camcorders and digital cameras. It is necessary to highlight two modifications of SD cards: SDHC and SDXC, which are characterized by increased capacity (32 GB - 2 TB). If you need a flash drive for a mobile phone or tablet, then you should look at miniSD and microSD. Despite their miniature size, these varieties are characterized by the same speed and capacity as a full-fledged SD, and differ only in an increased price.

When choosing a memory card, you also need to take into account the fact that modern formats may not be compatible with outdated devices. It is worth noting that if the gadget contains a slot for a large SD flash drive, then you can use the most ordinary microSD, provided you have a special adapter, which is almost always included with the purchase.

As for the card's capacity, it all depends on what files you plan to store on it, and in what volume. One of the most important characteristics when choosing is the speed with which it can receive and store data. For example, recording burst photos or Full HD video files onto a slow card is not feasible. When playing videos, the video will “slow down” all the time. To understand how to find out the speed? You need to pay attention to the special marking - class. As was said earlier, a good memory card has a high class, and in our time it should at least be “10” for comfortable operation without delays in writing and reading.

Additional information

If you are the owner of a mobile device or other gadgets, then you should know about other important parameters that need to be taken into account when choosing a memory card. Cells are provided to save all data on a flash drive. During repeated formatting and rewriting of information, these cells can “wear out”; modern drives are designed for 10,000-1,000,000 cycles of data rewriting. As practice shows, this figure can be much less. It depends on the conditions of use of the flash drive, its resistance to influences, etc. Thus, a high-quality card must be resistant to mechanical damage, high humidity, and changes in temperature conditions.

Conclusion

Choosing a high-quality memory card is not difficult. The main thing is to first study their main varieties, classes of memory cards and criteria to which you should pay especially close attention. First of all, you need to start from the device for which the drive is intended. You also need to decide on your needs that the flash drive should satisfy.