First 64GB microSDXC Card Debuts from SanDisk

SanDisk has just introduced a 64GB memory card designed for smartphones and tablets. It's available now, but devices that support it are few and few between, and the price is quite high.

The Mobile Ultra microSDXC card has twice the storage capacity of its competitors, and as a Class 6 SD card it can transfer data at up to 30MB/sec. That's fast enough to record Full HD videos.

SanDisk says that it "compatible with any tablet or smartphone equipped with a microSDXC card slot." And that's the rub: this format is so new there are practically no devices that can use it. Still, SanDisk says that is going to change soon, though it declined to be more specific.

What is SDXC?
SDXC (SD eXtended Capacity) is the latest standard of Secure Digital storage card, following SD (with storage up to 2 GB) and SDHC (SD High-Capacity, with storage up to 32 GB). SDXC will offer up to 2 TB of storage, though cards anywhere close to that capacity are years away.

There is, obviously, a size difference, but there is no other differences between SD and microSD cards. The same is also true for SDXC and microSDXC cards. Adapters allow users to insert the smaller version in slots designed for full-size cards.

Although their physical layouts are the same, a device that supports only SDHC or SD won't be able to read an SDXC card. Upon insertion, the user will be prompted to reformat the card -- however, attempting this reformat will make the card unusable. 

The SanDisk Mobile Ultra microSDXC card debuted today at $220. Although that price is quite high, it's normal for storage cards to launch in this price range and later drop significantly.