Debatable need for SD memory Card slot for phones
New smartphones are being announced or released on an almost daily basis these days bringing with them new and improved specifications. There are a growing number though recently that don’t feature an SD card memory slot, which for some consumers is a problem but it is debatable if there is a need for them now.
One of the most popular smartphones that has been available in recent years is the iPhone, which has never come with such a feature. Purchasers have to decide what on-board storage they want when they first look to buy the iPhone, and will realize that they can’t expand the memory with an SD card.
This lack of extra storage is not confined to the iPhone though as a growing number of Android smartphones now have no capacity to increase memory. The popular Samsung Galaxy Nexus handset that debuted the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system doesn’t feature a SD card slot, and the recently released Sony Xperia S is the same.
One reason why the reliance on SD cards may be fading recently is the increased use of cloud storage, but many users like to have the added benefit having data stored onto an SD card as well as on the handsets internal memory.
It has been found that having such storage on some Android handsets can slow a device down and even cause the handset to close. Trouble is the way we use smartphones has changed with more content being downloaded to them now, and by using an SD card slot users have the option of increasing the storage capacity of their smartphones.
There is nothing worse than wanting to download new content and discovering you don’t have enough room left for it, which probably won’t be a problem for those of us that have a device with large on-board storage, but if you have a handset with only 16GB or less there is a good chance it will be.
The options for the Apple iPhone vary by quite a bit between storage options with a £100/$100 price difference as you move up through the options available, which too many consumers is a lot of money, and you have to wonder why having bigger memory costs that much more as the components can’t cost that much more to manufacturer.
Having a removable card that can be placed into a PC to add content can be a nice option for some users, especially if they don’t fancy transferring data via a Wi-Fi or 3G connection. SD cards give smartphone users the best of both worlds and they don’t even have to use it if they don’t want too.
Do you think there is still the need for SD card slots on smartphones?
Comments
2 thoughts on “Debatable need for SD memory Card slot for phones”
There is a need for SD cards. We don’t want to be over-charged for storage!
Apple made a cash reserve of 140 billion US, by two major items. Apps and GBs. Point, they basicly sell 32GB for $100. Samsung on the contrary allows by SD capaple devices customers to add 16GB of Speed 10 storage for about $35. I have Galaxy Note which with Best Buy gift cards ($50×2) put me into my phone for $ 200 and gave me a free Samsung case cover valuved as $29.95. So by adding the 16GBs included with the phone and the 32GBs I bought I have a 48GB phone with cover for $235. Then using ab “apps to sd” app I can store tons of apps on the card and never touch the base memory of my 16GB phone. This is not counting the s Pen, LTE at nearly 50mb download speed, NFC and DLNA and Display of 210% the size of an Iphone for games, etc. Not counting inserting my Juice adapter in my charging port and adding my 8400mah battery extender and a full SD card or another micro sd card or a USB device including a portable 5v Hard Drive, game controller, converted Bluray movie or flexible keyboard. I am sure I am leaving stuff out. But when you start coping Iphones all you are doing is going backwards in features and putting yourself under control of the manufactuer. FREEDOM DOES NOT EQUAL APPLE. We live in rural area and $10 a GB does not make sense for Clouds…SDXC for us cableless Rednecks still living on dirt roads but also needing WWW. Forgive my typing, my fingers are too big for typing lying on the couch on a 10.1″ tablet. How does a man type on an Iphone. My thumbs cover the entire display?