What Is the Difference Between SD and XD Memory Cards?

Photo by Ira Heuvelman-Dobrolyubova/Moment Open/Getty Images

The main difference between SD memory cards and XD memory cards pertains to capacity and speed. Generally, SD memory cards have a greater capacity and faster speed than XD memory cards, according to Photo Technique.

SD cards have a maximum capacity of approximately 32GB, while XD cards have a smaller capacity of 2GB. XD and SD memory cards are media storage devices commonly used in digital cameras. Cameras using an SD card can shoot higher-quality photos because it has a faster speed than the XD memory card. Excluding the micro and mini versions of the SD card, the XD memory card is much smaller in size. When purchasing a memory card, SD cards are the cheaper product. SD cards also have a feature called wear leveling. XD cards tend to lack this feature and do not last as long after the same level of usage. The micro and mini versions of the SD cards are ideal for mobile phones because of size and the amount of storage the card can offer. XD memory cards are only used by certain manufacturers. XD memory cards are not compatible with all types of cameras and other devices. SD cards are common in most electronics because of the card’s storage space and varying size.