Sony Memory Stick vs. SD Card
Comparing 2 standards across 13 specifications. 13 key differences identified.
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).
The SD Card (Secure Digital) is the global standard removable flash memory form factor established in 1999 by Panasonic, SanDisk, and Toshiba (SD Association). Measuring 32.0 × 24.0 × 2.1 mm, it spans capacity generations from original SDSC (up to 2GB) and SDHC (up to 32GB) to SDXC (up to 2TB) and SDUC (up to 128TB).
Specification Comparison Table
13 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Operating Voltages
|
2.7V–3.6V (Standard) / 1.8V (Dual-voltage M2) | 2.7V–3.6V (Standard) / 1.8V (UHS-I/II signal voltage) |
|
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) | — |
|
Governing Body
|
— | SD Association (SDA) |
|
Physical Dimensions
|
— | 32.0 mm × 24.0 mm × 2.1 mm |
|
Pin Configurations
|
— | 9 pins (UHS-I / Legacy) / 17 pins (UHS-II / UHS-III dual-row) / 19 pins (SD Express) |
|
Capacity Standards
|
— | SDSC (≤2GB), SDHC (4–32GB), SDXC (64GB–2TB), SDUC (2TB–128TB) |
|
Standard File Systems
|
— | FAT12/16 (SDSC), FAT32 (SDHC), exFAT (SDXC / SDUC) |
|
Mechanical Features
|
— | Write-Protect slide notch (left edge), 45-degree polarized corner keying |