I’ve recently heard from several readers who were surprised that items they purchased that need a micro SD card didn’t come with a micro SD card included.
A lot of electronics need a microSD card to store files. Digital cameras of any kind, and that includes things like car DVRs or small devices with built-in cameras like camera pens, usually have little or no actual hard drive space for storing the images you capture. You need to purchase the storage separately. It makes sense, back in the day film cameras didn’t come with film. Camcorders didn’t come with tape and neither did VCRs.
If you remember back to the days of cassette players, the cassette tapes were always extra. (And darn expensive. I could have recorded a while lot of American Top 40 Countdowns on a 32 GB micro SD card.)
Many items like tablets and phones don’t require a micro SD card, but it is an option for additional storage. You won’t find them included with the device either. Think of them as being like floppy discs or flash drives. Those storage options weren’t included with your PC. You had to go out and purchase a package of them.
Fortunately, you can get several packages worth of floppy drives (possibly even a truck load) onto just one little micro SD card that’s smaller than your fingernail. So that’s pretty cool.
Also fortunately, micro SD cards are available just about anywhere. From an electronics store to a big box store to a grocery store. You can also get some fantastic deals online.
You do need to make sure you get the right size card and that you check to see how large of a micro SD card your particular device an handle. While you can get cards that hold up to 1 TB, many devices can’t handle more than 32 GB and some device from a few years back can’t go larger than 4 or 8 GB.
For any product that needs a micro SD card, it’s always best to assume that it is not included unless it specifically says otherwise and purchase one accordingly.
~ Cynthia
Why do MicroSD card prices vary so much – as in $7 for anything between 2GB and 128GB, or 64GB for anything between $7 and $120.
And – where can I get a SD carrier that will hold – say 4 64GB microSD cards – either as separate (storage) partitions, or as a RAID set
I would love to know where Cynthia is buying a 1TB microSD card as alluded to in the article. The highest capacity card currently on the market is 200GB, with a 250GB card expected next month.
To answer Jamies’ question about why some cards cost more, it comes down to a matter of quality and legitimacy. Cheap knock-off cards are cheaper to make… but they are also more prone to failure. Don’t trust your precious data to a cheapo no-name card! Is it worth the money saved if all your pictures suddenly disappear?
Also, many unscrupulous dealers will take a 4 or 8GB card and format it as a larger capacity card. It may read 32 or 64GB or more, but you cannot store more on it than its physical capacity. Once you reach that capacity, you will again lose critical data. I strongly suggest getting a good, brand-name microSD card from a reputable dealer.
Dryers don’t even come with power cord!