NAIROBI, Kenya- Running out of storage while gaming or shooting high-res photos could soon be a thing of the past.
Western Digital, the parent company of SanDisk, has just unveiled two groundbreaking memory cards: the world’s first 8TB SD card and the first 4TB microSD card.
These mammoth storage options are poised to revolutionize how creatives and gamers manage their data, offering unprecedented flexibility—provided they’re handled with care.
In the world of memory cards, it’s all about the race for space, and Western Digital just sprinted ahead. The announcement of these two massive memory cards comes hot on the heels of their earlier reveal of a 4TB SD card back in April.
The new 8TB SanDisk SDUC UHS-I card can store roughly 165,000 raw 24MP photos, making it a game-changer for photographers and videographers.
Whether you’re capturing a wedding or shooting a feature film, this card could mean the difference between lugging around a stack of SD cards and shooting uninterrupted with just one.
Similarly, the 4TB microSDUC UHS-I card is a dream come true for gamers. Imagine popping this card into your Nintendo Switch and suddenly having room for over 660 games with 12GB file sizes. That’s more storage than any other microSD card on the market today.
And it’s not just for gaming—this microSD card could also be a lifesaver for drone enthusiasts and smartphone users who rely on microSD storage .
While the sheer capacity of these new cards is undeniably impressive, there are a few caveats to keep in mind.
Both the 8TB SD card and the 4TB microSD card are rated UHS-I, which means they’re slower than some of the top-rated SD cards currently available, like those with UHS-II ratings.
Slower transfer speeds could be a deal-breaker for professionals who rely on high-speed data transfer, especially when dealing with large files like 8K video .
Another issue is data security. While the convenience of storing 8TB on a single card is appealing, it also raises the risk of losing everything if the card fails or gets lost.
Traditionally, photographers and videographers have spread their data across multiple cards to mitigate this risk. An 8TB SD card could tempt you to put all your eggs in one basket, which might not be the safest strategy in the long run.
Despite these concerns, it’s hard not to marvel at the technological leap represented by these cards. Just think—back in 1999, the largest SD cards maxed out at a mere 32MB.
Fast forward to today, and we’re talking about 8TB of storage in a tiny, portable format. While Western Digital hasn’t yet revealed the price tags for these cards, it’s safe to assume they won’t come cheap.
