microSD vs. xD-Picture Card
Comparing 2 standards across 13 specifications. 13 key differences identified.
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.
xD-Picture Card ('eXtreme Digital') is a proprietary flash memory card format developed by Olympus and Fujifilm in 2002 (manufactured by Toshiba and Samsung). Measuring 20.0 × 25.0 × 1.7 mm with 18 surface pads, it utilized a controllerless architecture where the host camera directly managed the raw NAND flash silicon, before being discontinued in 2010 in favor of SDHC.
Specification Comparison Table
13 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Physical Dimensions
|
15.0 mm × 11.0 mm × 1.0 mm (Weight: ~0.25 g) | 20.0 mm × 25.0 mm × 1.7 mm (Weight: ~2.8 g) |
|
Governing Body
|
SD Association (SDA) | — |
|
Original Name
|
TransFlash (TF Card / T-Flash by SanDisk, 2004) | — |
|
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) | — |
|
Governing Manufacturers
|
— | Olympus Corporation & Fujifilm (manufactured by Toshiba/Samsung) |
|
Introduction Year
|
— | 2002 (superseded SmartMedia) |
|
Pad Configuration
|
— | 18 gold-plated contact pads (bottom surface) |
|
Controller Architecture
|
— | Controllerless (Host camera CPU directly controls raw NAND flash) |
|
Variants & Capacities
|
— | Standard (16–512MB SLC), Type M (256MB–2GB MLC), Type H (256MB–2GB High Speed), Type M+ (up to 2GB) |
|
Nominal Operating Voltage
|
— | 3.3V nominal |