CFexpress vs. microSD
Comparing 2 standards across 13 specifications. 13 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.
microSD (originally developed as TransFlash / T-Flash by SanDisk in 2004 and ratified by the SD Association in 2005) is the ultra-compact form factor of the Secure Digital family. Measuring 15.0 × 11.0 × 1.0 mm (approximately 20% the size of a standard SD card), it is the universal removable storage medium for smartphones, action cameras, drones, and handheld gaming consoles.
Specification Comparison Table
13 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Governing Body
|
CompactFlash Association (CFA) | SD Association (SDA) |
|
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) | — |
|
Original Name
|
— | TransFlash (TF Card / T-Flash by SanDisk, 2004) |
|
Physical Dimensions
|
— | 15.0 mm × 11.0 mm × 1.0 mm (Weight: ~0.25 g) |
|
Pin Configurations
|
— | 8 pins (UHS-I / Legacy) / 16 pins (UHS-II dual-row) |
|
Capacity Standards
|
— | microSD (≤2GB), microSDHC (4–32GB), microSDXC (64GB–2TB), microSDUC (up to 128TB) |
|
Operating Voltages
|
— | 2.7V–3.6V (Standard) / 1.8V (UHS-I signal) |
|
Passive Adapter Compatibility
|
— | Electrically identical to full-size SD (100% pin-compatible via passive sleeve adapter) |