14 DAY TRIAL // As a testament to just how far along NAND Flash storage technology has come, Lexar has introduced a memory card with more storage space than many solid-state drives.
The new card is of the SDXC type, or Secure Digital Extended Capacity, so it makes some sense that the amount of space would be high.
Nevertheless, it is no small matter that the card can hold 256 GB of information, not when it is so much smaller than SSDs.
The only consolation SSD makers could possibly have is that the performance is not nearly as high as on SATA or USB-connected solid-state units.
Then again, 400x is still quite high for memory cards, and so is the 60 MB/s transfer speed (minimum read rate).
The press release doesn't provide a maximum write limit, but it does specify that it is high enough for continuous shooting of Full HD video (1080p) in 3D.
"Professional photographers and videographers are being tapped to capture more HD video, in addition to still photos, when out on assignment. These new demands often leave them with less time and resources to shoot," said Manisha Sharma, director of product marketing, Lexar.
"High-performance, high-capacity cards like this one enables these photographers to gain back time normally wasted on changing cards or transferring images."
The 400x SDXC UHS-I memory card is built out of 128 Gb NAND flash chips from Micron, designed with the 28nm technology. Naturally, it is compatible with card readers as well.
As for quality and such, Lexar vows that all memory card designs are tested in its Quality Labs.
Lexar will ship the Professional 400x 256 GB SDXC UHS-I card starting next month (October 2012), for the price of $899.99 / 686-899.99 Euro. A copy of the award-winning Image Rescue 4 software (helps recover lost or deleted photos and videos) is included in the price.