Are phones with expandable memory going to go away?

[excav8ter]

So, I am a big fan of being able to swap out memory cards in my S4, Note 2 and Galaxy Tab 3.
But it seems like Samsung is the only carrier left who has an SD card slot. Or am I just not paying enough attention to other devices.
I don't have a laptop or PC at this point, and don't see myself getting one, as my S4 and Galaxy Tab 3 do everything I need right now.

I use a JVC Adixxion P.O.V. camera for taking videos of some of our jobs, then I pop the card into my phone and upload them to you tube, while I am still on site. Or I can slip it into my tablet and do the same.

I guess I am wondering if SD card slot equipped phones are here to stay, or on their way out?

 

[funkylogik]

I certainly hope theyre here to stay. I know google dont like them but i dont understand why more manufacturers dont offer it.
Sony do but i know they arent widely available in US.
For your needs, you can always use OTG to connect a card reader to the phone's micro USB so dont worry too much. I dont think that functionality will go away any time soon :thumbup:

 

[excav8ter]

I sure hope they stay around for awhile yet. I like the ease and flexibility of the SD card slot. I keep a card with about 20 movies on it for traveling. And, obviously the one in my phone where most pictures are stored. Thinking seriously about getting that new 128gb card from SanDisk.

 

[quest7]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/10/30/here-is-another-reason-google-continues-to-shun-sd-cards-multiuser-support/]Here[/url] Is Another Reason Google Continues To Shun SD Cards - Multiuser Support[/url]

I know this is old. I also remember something about SD cards being exFat32 and microsoft getting pissed about android using their filing system. I think Samsung pays Microsoft a fee to use them on their phones. I'm probably wrong though.

Licensing Cost

Here is something a lot of people don’t consider. When you give someone a slot, they want to put a card in it. Without being able to control the content of the microSD card, they have to worry about the wildcard factor of the OS the card was formatted with; FAT(16), FAT32, NTFS, etc.

Unfortunately, Microsoft holds the rights to many of the common formats – which means if Google wants to use them, they would have to pay for it. I was unable to find an exact price per unit that licensing costs but I’m sure it is enough to cut the profit margin down on competitively priced electronics. While open source projects exist to “get around” official licensing, Microsoft aggressively pursues questionable usage of its intellectual property in the file system world. Doing away with a removable card slot eliminates this headache and cost.

http://reviewlagoon.com/nexus-learning-to-live-without-an-sd-card/

 

[excav8ter]

Even if I can use an external device (OTG) to connect an SD card, and I am sure it will work. .. it's just not as easy to do and it's one more thing to carry.

 

[Hadron]

But it seems like Samsung is the only carrier left who has an SD card slot. Or am I just not paying enough attention to other devices.

Sony still have them. Some HTC models (mostly low end, but also the dual-SIM One).

 

[Goodspike]

Samsung is the largest manufacturer of Android phones. Hopefully that will tell other manufacturers the benefits of having microSD.

I can tell you one of the reasons my wife and I don't own an HTC One is the lack of microSD. So that is two sales missed right there.

 

[excav8ter]

Samsung is the largest manufacturer of Android phones. Hopefully that will tell other manufacturers the benefits of having microSD.

I can tell you one of the reasons my wife and I don't own an HTC One is the lack of microSD. So that is two sales missed right there.

I had to send my S4 in to get the glass replaced. ... While it was gone I used the spare HTC One I had... I liked the display, but HATED being with out the SD card slot. As soon as my S4 came back, the HTC was gone... sold it.

 

[kate]

I also hope manufacturers keep putting SD card slots in them. It's a great feature to have, and I know many people will take that into consideration when buying.

 

[halon]

If they do away with data caps then everyone could use the cloud.

^The first half of that sentence is comedy.

Seriously though. At some point in the future there will be no data caps. I'm not saying in the near future.

 

[Hadron]

Cloud will still be slower than local storage and less reliable. It won't be universally available (as in anywhere in the world at any time). And it means trusting some corporation to look after your data.

Even without caps some of us won't consider that to be an alternative.

Having said that, you'll note that I'm using a device without an SD card slot. I'd prefer to have one, but it's not enough to override all other considerations.

 

[Clementine_3]

My only gripe with my Moto X is that it has no expandable memory. I still have unlimited data w/Verizon but not everyone does, making streaming useless really.

Something has to give (but won't!).

 

[mikedt]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/10/30/here-is-another-reason-google-continues-to-shun-sd-cards-multiuser-support/]Here[/url] Is Another Reason Google Continues To Shun SD Cards - Multiuser Support[/url]

I know this is old. I also remember something about SD cards being exFat32 and microsoft getting pissed about android using their filing system. I think Samsung pays Microsoft a fee to use them on their phones. I'm probably wrong though.

Licensing Cost

Here is something a lot of people don

 

[dynomot]

Two things need to happen before I would personally consider a device without a SD card slot.

1) LTE everywhere that could be relied upon.
2) unlimited Data meaning just that.

While 2 is possible 1 will never be. I'm not that concerned about my data in the cloud TBH. As long as the company holding my media doesn't lose it I'm not really that bothered, I tend to update my external hard drive with my media via the cloud quite regularly, and vice versa. Only over Wi-Fi though. My data is "unlimited", but that is rather an ambiguous term. I bet I would recieve a lovely letter if I decided a work report (which includes HD videos) of say 50 Gig was to be uploaded to my (works really, but I get to use it) drop box over LTE.

 

[mikedt]

I'm sure most if not all the Micro$oft US patents related to FAT/FAT32 date from the early '90s. Which basically means they've expired or are just about to expire, and the formats become public domain.
Term of patent in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[!on]

I'm in two minds about it. If there is enough memory & the phone is durable enough to be dropped & get wet, then fine. I think three years minimum warranty & durability should be the norm for such a phone.

Phones with less than 32gb should have expandable memory.

With memory getting cheaper then unfortunately I think these phones will be the norm & the cheaper brands won't be so durable either. It should only be 'bomb proof' flagship models really.