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At Mobile World Congress 2018, Western Digital introduced a new Extreme 400GB A2 microSDXC card that officially tips the scales as the world’s fastest UHS-I microSD memory card. According to the WD—which is launching the card under the SanDisk brand it acquired in 2016—the new Extreme 400GB microSDXC offers read speeds up to 160MB/s and write speeds up to 90MB/s, making it over 50% faster than current UHS-I Extreme microSD cards.
The new Extreme 400GB microSDXC card has UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30) ratings, making it ideal for uninterrupted 4K Ultra HD video recording, among other things, says Western Digital. As with other Extreme-branded SD cards, this new model is durable across multiple fronts, including being water-, dust-, x-ray-, temperature-, and shock-proof.
Western Digital currently lists the Extreme 400GB A2 microSDXC card on its SanDisk website without availability and price details; however, Tom’s Hardware reports that the card will cost $ 300 USD.
Press Release
Western Digital Transforms the Mobile Experience with New High-Performance Solutions Designed to Address Today’s and Tomorrow’s Consumer Demand for High-Quality Content
At MWC 2018, company releases world’s fastest UHS-I microSD card, and reveals future of flash memory cards with PCIe enabled SD card demonstration.
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, BARCELONA, Feb. 26, 2018 – As mobile content and applications grow increasingly sophisticated, Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC) is transforming the mobile experience with new industry-leading mobile solutions designed to enable consumers to better capture, share and enjoy rich content on their devices. At Mobile World Congress, the company is releasing the world’s fastest UHS-I flash memory card, the 400GB1 SanDisk Extreme® UHS-I microSDXCTM card, and demonstrating the future of flash memory card technology with Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe)-enabled cards, designed to deliver the performance required for the next wave of data and content-intensive applications.
Whether it’s exploring a new world in an immersive virtual reality app, or capturing 4K footage on a smartphone or drone, consumers can count on Western Digital to deliver even more robust mobile flash memory technology that offers them a premium experience on their favorite device.
The company’s new 400GB SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSD card is designed to help consumers move their high-quality content faster than ever. At 160MB/s*, the new card is more than 50 percent faster than current SanDisk Extreme UHS-I microSD cards. The card is able to reach this unprecedented speed by leveraging Western Digital proprietary technology. The card will also feature the A2 specification to help launch and load apps at blazing speeds.
“Consumers expect an increasingly better mobile experience, and with our 3D NAND technology, we are pushing the boundaries of innovation to enable them to create and enjoy more rich content on their devices. Our expertise in flash memory and microSD card electronics enables us to achieve unmatched performance. The breakthrough SanDisk microSD card is evidence of Western Digital’s commitment to delivering more advanced solutions that enable data to thrive,” said Jim Welsh, senior vice president and general manager, Client Solutions, Western Digital.
Western Digital is also showcasing a new platform to enable the future of flash memory cards with a demonstration of its PCIe-enabled SD card. In anticipation of the next generation of high-performance mobile computing requirements, implementing PCIe technology will deliver the ability to read data files faster than today’s platform. Through Western Digital’s broad portfolio, this technology can now be demonstrated to boost the performance of SD cards. These speeds are essential for high-resolution content applications such as super-slow-motion video, RAW continuous burst mode and 8K video capture and playback. PCIe has traditionally been reserved for use in high-performance data center systems, where the single-lane PCIe Gen 3.0 standard specifications denote capabilities of achieving speeds of up to 985MB/s.2
At Mobile World Congress, Fira Gran Via Exhibition Center in Barcelona, Spain, Hall 3, stand number 3K33, Western Digital is demonstrating the world’s fastest UHS-I microSD card and PCIe-enabled flash memory card technology, as well as its new Western Digital PC SN720 and PC SN520 SSDs designed for responsive, always-connected user experiences on converged mobility devices.
Enabling the possibilities of data, Western Digital offers the industry’s broadest portfolio of products and solutions to help people capture, preserve, access and transform their personal content. For more information, visit our websites: WD and SanDisk.
* Up to 160MB/s read speed; up to 90MB/s write speed. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device interface, usage conditions and other factors. MB=1,000,000 bytes.
1 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less.
2 Source: PCI-SIG specifications converted from listed 8GT/s bit rate. Results may vary based on host device, app type and other factors.
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