Do lower speed MicroSD cards have longer lifespan?

Question

I've heard that higher speed flash drives have lower write counts.

Does this apply to SD-card classes generally?

What I mean is, will Class 4 SD/microSD card have higher write count than Class 10 equivalent one?

What about capacity - does it have any impact on lifetime?

Answer 1

I can't tell you if class or capacity affects lifespan, but I have read that the quality of the chips is dependent on how they are cut from the silicon wafer when produced.

Essentially, when the flash memory silicon chip is produced, many are made on a circular wafer which is then cut into individual memory modules. The chips towards the center are higher quality and generally more free of defects, while the ones towards the edges are less perfect. Higher-end companies such as SanDisk, Lexar, etc. use the higher quality chips towards the center, and are therefore less likely to fail. I only buy SanDisk cards and have yet to have one fail on me. The quality is worth the extra price, IMO.

Keep in mind all flash memory has a finite number of read/write cycles, so you should always have it backed up. But I would hazard a guess that capacity and class have a negligible, if at all, effect on lifespan.

Sources:

http://blog.premiumusb.com/2010/03/differences-in-flash-chip-quality/ http://www.worldmediagroup.com/blog/understanding-tiered-quality-of-flash-media http://allinoneline.com/eblast/2016unbranded/Tier1.pdf

Hope that helps.