SanDisk Launches Max Endurance microSD Cards: 3 to 15 Years Warranty
by Anton Shilov on March 19, 2020 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Memory Cards
- Storage
- Western Digital
- SanDisk
- SD cards
In a world where NAND storage density, capacity, and low cost matter the most, key metrics that take a back seat include endurance and retention rates. For users who want high endurace and retention rates, who want to ensure that their memory cards last for a long time, Western Digital’s SanDisk has recently launched its Max Endurance microSD cards that promise increased endurance, reliability, and are covered with a massive warranty.
The SanDisk Max Endurance lineup of microSD cards includes models featuring a 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB capacity. Western Digital does not indicate which type of 3D NAND memory it uses for these cards or their terabytes-to-be-written (TBW), but it is reasonable to think that these products have some additional NAND flash for overprovisioning and, perhaps, extra controller capabilities.
Sandisk now has the following warranties on its microSD cards:
- Max Endurance: 3 to 15 year
- High Endurance: 2 year
- Regular microSD: limited lifetime with limitations
To maximize longevity of the SanDisk Max Endurance devices, they are waterproof, shockproof, X-ray-proof, and can work an extreme temperature range between -25°C and 85°C (-13°F to 185°F).
As far as performance is concerned, the SanDisk Max Endurance cards use the UHS-I bus and are rated for up to 100 MB/s reads as well as 40 MB/s writes. The cards in the lineup support the Video Speed Class 30 spec, therefore offering at least 30 MB/s sequential write speeds. Also, the products carry the Class 10 and UHS Speed Class 3 logos.
| Sandisk Endurance microSD Cards | ||||||
| 256 GB SDSQQVR-256G-AN6IA |
128 GB SDSQQVR-128G-AN6IA |
64 GB SDSQQVR-064G-AN6IA |
32 GB SDSQQVR-032G-AN6IA |
|||
| Warranty | 15 Years | 10 Years | 5 Years | 3 Years | ||
| Sequential Read Speed | 100 MB/s | |||||
| Sequential Write Speed | 40 MB/s | |||||
| Minimum Sequential Write Speed | 30 MB/s | |||||
| Minimal Random Read IOPS | ? IOPS | |||||
| Minimal Random Write IOPS | ? IOPS | |||||
| Operating Temperatures | -25° to 85° C (-13°F to 185°F) |
|||||
| Interface | UHS-I | |||||
| Availability | Q1 2020 | |||||
| SDA Labels | Class 10, Video Class 30, Speed Class U3 | |||||
| Launch Price | $84.99 | $42.99 | $21.99 | $12.99 | ||
The SanDisk Max Endurance cards are now available directly from Western Digital. The 32 GB model with a three-year warranty costs $12.99, whereas the most advanced 256 GB device with a 15-year warranty is priced at $84.99.
Related Reading:
- Kingston Launches High-Endurance microSD Cards: Up to 128 GB
- SanDisk's First 1 TB microSD Card Now Available
- Micron Returns to the microSD Card Market with the Micron c200 Series: From 128 GB to 1 TB
- Lexar Launches 512 GB microSD Card with A2 App Performance Spec
Source: SanDisk (via Hermitage Akihabara)
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BushLin - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Great write speeds for an SD card though, if the figures are accurate.Samus - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
I suspect they are artificially limited to keep heat down.The SD cards in my dashcam only needs 16MB/sec to record 2160p H265 in a loop but the cards all get extremely hot. They fail annually - the dashcam just reports recording error and I pop another 64GB card in. I tried a high endurance card from Samsung a few years ago and it failed after a year too, in the summer when the temps in the vehicle are high (especially where the camera is mounted at the top of the windshield) so I don't bother wasting money on premium cards and just buy cheapies, keeping a spare in the center console for when one eventually fails.
hnlog - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
maybe because faster write causes worse NAND endurancePaazel - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Those speeds are horrendous in 2020boozed - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
There are higher speed options if maximum endurance isn't your requirement.3ogdy - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Bought a SanDisk Cruzer 8GB USB stick. Became read only. Bought a 32GB one. Became read only. Couldn't even format them.Got in touch with SanDisk only to be told "it's your fault".
My SanDisk microSD card stopped being detected and started overheating in my card reader. And there are my memory cards and USB keys from Kingston and especially Verbatim, respectively that are older and still work to this day. Same for my EVO microSD cards from Samsung. No trouble.
I'm never touching SanDisk again after this experience. I hope none of you who bought SSDs from them have had to go through this.
3ogdy - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
So don't be fooled by those "15 year warranty" claims. They couldn't fulfill basic 2yr warranty obligations for a regular USB drive, let alone a 15yr ones. They'll put the blame on you and there goes your data and your initial peace of mind.Koenig168 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
I sent a 480 GB Sandisk Extreme Pro SSD for RMA after using it for a few years and got a new one back with minimum fuss. Just had to answer a few questions and provide a screen-shot of the error.olafgarten - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Same, I did this with the exact same SSD and got a replacement with a screenshot of a SMART error. Was quick as well.timecop1818 - Sunday, March 22, 2020 - link
cruzer-branded sticks were the absolute shit-tier stuff tho, cheap as hell, and never expected to have any performance or longevity. you got basically what you paid for.