CFexpress vs. Sony Memory Stick
Comparing 2 standards across 14 specifications. 14 key differences identified.
CFexpress is an ultra-high-speed removable solid-state storage media standard developed by the CompactFlash Association (CFA). Built directly on the PCI Express (PCIe Gen 3/Gen 4) physical bus and NVM Express (NVMe) command set, it is the dominant storage medium for high-end professional digital cinema, mirrorless photography, and broadcast video.
Memory Stick is a proprietary removable solid-state flash memory card format introduced by Sony in 1998. Evolving across standard, PRO (expanded capacity), Duo (compact form factor), PRO-HG Duo (60 MB/s high-speed), and Micro M2 variants, it featured Sony's MagicGate hardware DRM copy protection across Cyber-shot cameras, Handycam camcorders, VAIO laptops, and the PlayStation Portable (PSP).
Specification Comparison Table
14 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Governing Body
|
CompactFlash Association (CFA) | — |
|
Underlying Storage Architecture
|
PCI Express (PCIe Gen 3 / Gen 4 / Gen 5) + NVM Express (NVMe v1.3/1.4) | — |
|
Type A Dimensions & Bus
|
20.0 × 28.0 × 2.8 mm | 1-lane PCIe (1 GB/s PCIe 3.0 / 2 GB/s PCIe 4.0) | — |
|
Type B Dimensions & Bus
|
38.5 × 29.6 × 3.8 mm | 2-lane PCIe (2 GB/s PCIe 3.0 / 4 GB/s PCIe 4.0) | — |
|
Type C Dimensions & Bus
|
54.0 × 72.0 × 4.4 mm | 4-lane PCIe (4 GB/s PCIe 3.0 / 8 GB/s PCIe 4.0) | — |
|
Type B XQD Compatibility
|
Physically identical exterior shell to Sony XQD (host backward-compatible via firmware) | — |
|
Operating Power Tiers
|
Up to 1.7W (Type A) / Up to 3.0W (Type B) / Up to 6.0W (Type C) | — |
|
Proprietary Standard
|
— | Sony Corporation (with SanDisk for PRO formats) |
|
Standard Memory Stick Size
|
— | 50.0 mm × 21.5 mm × 2.8 mm (10-pin interface) |
|
Memory Stick Duo Size
|
— | 31.0 mm × 20.0 mm × 1.6 mm (10-pin interface) |
|
Memory Stick Micro (M2) Size
|
— | 15.0 mm × 12.5 mm × 1.2 mm (11-pin interface) |
|
Key Format Generations
|
— | Original (up to 128MB), PRO (up to 32GB), PRO-HG Duo (8-bit parallel, up to 60 MB/s), Micro M2 |
|
Hardware DRM Security
|
— | MagicGate (Cryptographic copy protection for ATRAC3 audio / secure media) |
|
Operating Voltages
|
— | 2.7V–3.6V (Standard) / 1.8V (Dual-voltage M2) |