14 DAY TRIAL // Secure digital extreme capacity memory cards, or SDXC for short, are the peculiar big siblings of SDHC, peculiar because, chronologically, they are younger. Still, they are superior to SDHC in most every way, as ADATA's latest product release shows.
Well, maybe saying that SDXC are superior to SDHC is a bit of a stretch, since the latter are a lot cheaper, for one.
Also, there are certain devices where SDHC are more used than SDXC, consumer segments where their price-performance-capacity balance is better received, and vice versa.
Anyway, ADATA has released a new range of SDXC memory cards, featuring capacities of 64 GB and 128 GB and, more importantly, UHS-I U3 performance rating.
UHS stands for Ultra High Speed. UHS-I U3 is the fastest speed rating available to secure digital memory cards at the present time.
ADATA has actually released two product lines, called XPG and Premier Pro series SDXC UHS-I Speed Class 3 (U3).
The former is 750% faster than UHS-I U1 cards, being capable of reading data at 95 MB/s and writing files at up to 85 MB/s.
The latter is “only” 500% faster than UHS-I U1, with a read speed of 95 MB/s and a maximum writing speed of 60 MB/s.
In any event, the newcomers are capable of transferring or streaming “ultra-fine quality video” in 4K resolution, or UHD (ultra high definition, 3840 x 2160 pixels).
The high write speed is even more relevant here though, because without it, a camera or camcorder would not be able to record in that quality, not at a good enough frame rate or without losing frames.
Sadly, the high performance comes hand in hand with high prices (not that ADATA mentioned them), so only professional film makers and cameramen will have a high enough incentive to buy them.
Do keep in mind, though, that only the Premier Pro series of memory cards comes in both 64 GB and 128 GB capacities. The XPG line is actually a single card in 64 GB.
For those who want to put things into a broader perspective, the UHS-I Speed Class 3 (U3) specification dictates that a memory card must be able to write data at at least 30 MB/s. Clearly, ADATA's XPG and Premier Pro cards go well above that.
Alas, the same can be said about pretty much every other SDXC released this year (2014), so ADATA won't be operating without a few rivals.