Micro SD cards have been a popular portable storage option for smartphones over the past decade or so. They allow you to easily expand the storage capacity of your phone, providing extra space for photos, videos, music and app data. However, some smartphone manufacturers have started dropping micro SD card slots from their devices in recent years. This has left many consumers wondering if the days of expandable smartphone storage are coming to an end. In this article, we’ll look at the history and benefits of micro SD cards in phones, discuss the reasons why some manufacturers are moving away from this storage option, and investigate which phone brands and models still offer micro SD card support in 2023.
A Brief History of Micro SD Cards in Phones
Micro SD cards were first adopted for use in smartphones back in the early 2000s. When phones initially began offering built-in cameras, internal storage capacities were very limited. Micro SD card slots allowed people to save photos and videos using cheap removable flash memory cards. Early versions of micro SD cards offered just 32MB to 128MB of data. Over the years, storage capacities steadily increased while physical sizes decreased, allowing hundreds of gigabytes of storage in tiny cards.
Adoption of micro SD slots in smartphones rapidly increased through the 2010s, as mobile photography and videography became more popular. Most flagship Android phones offered a micro SD slot during this time. It provided a simple way for people to expand their phone’s storage for an affordable price. While Apple never introduced micro SD card slots in iPhones, they became standard in smartphones from Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC and other brands.
However, in the past few years some manufacturers have chosen to stop including micro SD card slots in their devices. Let’s look at why they are moving away from this once-standard feature.
Why Are Some Manufacturers Dropping Micro SD Card Slots?
There are a few reasons why many major phone makers are choosing not to include micro SD card support in newer models:
Water Resistance
Building a water-resistant smartphone is easier without an external card slot that can let water enter the device. Several premium phone brands tout water resistance ratings with their newer models. To achieve this, they sometimes have to scrap the micro SD slot.
Slimmer Designs
Similarly, skipping the card slot allows for slimmer and lighter smartphone designs. With consumers increasingly favoring thin, lightweight devices, manufacturers are sacrificing expandable storage for aesthetics and ergonomics.
Faster Performance
The type of internal storage used by many modern smartphones is faster than external micro SD cards. So relying solely on internal storage allows for better overall device performance. Apps and games will load faster without the potential bottleneck of a micro SD card’s slower data transfer speeds.
More Profitable Models
Pushing people towards pricier models with more built-in storage, versus cheap expandable storage, is more profitable for phone manufacturers. Many companies seem to be deliberately limiting micro SD card slots to drive sales of the higher-margin, higher-capacity models in their lineup.
Technical Difficulties
Some smartphone operating systems have compatibility issues properly managing apps on external storage. This can lead to a less seamless, less reliable user experience. Again, performance and stability are better when relying solely on internal storage.
Benefits of Micro SD Cards in Phones
While phone makers are moving away from expandable storage, micro SD cards in smartphones still offer some notable benefits for many consumers:
Cost Savings
Micro SD cards provide a much cheaper way to add storage compared to buying a higher capacity phone model. A 512GB micro SD card costs under $100, while upgrading a phone from 128GB to 512GB of internal storage usually adds at least $200 to the device cost.
Easy Data Transfer
You can easily pop your micro SD card out of your old phone and put it right into your new phone to transfer photos, videos, music and certain app data. It’s a handy way to migrate data to a new device.
Future-Proof Storage
Phones eventually fill up as you add more apps, media and files over time. Micro SD card slots allow you to continuously upgrade your phone’s storage capacity years into the future for a reasonable price.
Access From Other Devices
You can access files saved on a micro SD card by putting it into another phone, tablet, laptop, camera or adapter. It provides a flexible way to share data between devices.
Media Storage
For people who save a lot of photos, videos, and music on their phone locally, micro SD cards provide plenty of cheap expandable storage space for large media libraries.
Which Phones Still Have Micro SD Card Slots in 2023?
While the list of options is getting smaller, you can still find great phones from certain brands that retain the beloved micro SD card slot. Here are some of the top smartphones that still support expandable storage using micro SD cards:
Samsung Galaxy S22 Series
Samsung’s latest flagship Galaxy S22 phones, including the S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra, all still have micro SD card slots with support for up to 1TB expandable storage. This is great news for Samsung fans who want access to ample storage.
Samsung Galaxy A Series
While Samsung has dropped micro SD card slots from their mid-range Galaxy M series phones, the more affordable Galaxy A series retains the feature. The Galaxy A53, A33, and most other current Galaxy A models allow storage expansion with micro SD cards.
Motorola Moto G Power (2022)
Motorola’s budget-friendly Moto G Power phones consistently offer phenomenal battery life. The latest 2022 model also provides a handy micro SD slot supporting up to 1TB extra storage.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Lineup
Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 11 series, including the standard Note 11 and Note 11 Pro models, feature micro SD card support. These affordable unlocked Xiaomi phones let you beef up the storage cheaply.
TCL Stylus 5G
The TCL Stylus 5G is a big-screen phone with a built-in stylus pen. It also packs a micro SD card slot expandable up to 2TB. The stylus combined with ample storage makes this a handy phone for creativity and productivity.
Nokia XR20
Rugged Nokia phones like the XR20 offer extreme durability and water resistance paired with decent specs like micro SD storage expandability. If you need a phone to withstand anything, the XR20 gets the job done.
Do iPhone Models Have Micro SD Card Slots?
Unfortunately, Apple has never included micro SD card slots in any iPhone models. They only offer internal flash storage options. Currently most iPhones are offered with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB built-in storage. There are no models that support expanding storage via micro SD cards.
Are Micro SD Card Slots Disappearing in Smartphones?
The trend is certainly heading in that direction. Many of the biggest phone makers like Samsung and Motorola are starting to drop micro SD support from some models. And Apple or Google Pixel phones have never offered external storage. But micro SD slots remain fairly standard still in budget and mid-range Android phones for now. Higher-end flagship devices are where you’ll have trouble finding expandable storage. For serious photographers, videographers, or music collectors who need tons of local storage on their phone, options are getting more limited. But there are still enough great phones out there retaining the beloved micro SD card slot for the foreseeable future. Expandable storage remains a core feature important to many smartphone buyers.
Conclusion
While phone manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola are starting to ditch micro SD card slots in some models, these external storage options remain available in plenty of Android devices for the time being. You can still find excellent phones with micro SD support from Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and A series, Moto G Power, Xiaomi Redmi Note, TCL, Nokia and other budget to mid-range devices. For people who want to easily add low cost storage space for photos, videos, music and apps, micro SD card slots offer a handy solution not yet extinct in smartphones. But for serious media hoarders, options are narrowing as the market shifts towards pricer high-capacity models and cloud storage subscriptions. Losing the ability to slap in a cheap micro SD card for instant terabytes of extra phone storage is undoubtedly a bummer for many consumers. But phones with ample onboard storage or wireless/cloud backup alternatives help ease the pain for those who can afford it. While micro SD slots seem destined to eventually disappear entirely from mobile devices, they remain a useful, budget-friendly option in 2023 for people who still value expandable local storage in their smartphones.