Can I use a larger SD card than listed as maximum in smartphone speccs?

[Deleted]

I need a new micro SD card for my phone but it says in the technical speccs and phone manual that it can take up to 32GB but can I buy a 64GB card as well? I dont really understand why theres a limit because they're all the same size(if it fits, it sits?). Also if it doesn't work, can someone explain why? Or maybe it can be formatted as 32GB or the phone can only use 32GB of it, because I think it would still be worth it then as I plan to use it to transfer files to my laptop too.

[skatblast]

If you buy a 64gb it will just read it as a 32 gb. And its probably the same reason why 32 bit operating systems wont read 16gigs of ram even if you put 16 gigs of ram into the motherboard.

[Deleted]

If you buy a 64gb it will just read it as a 32 gb. And its probably the same reason why 32 bit operating systems wont read 16gigs of ram even if you put 16 gigs of ram into the motherboard.

So I can buy it then? If it means I can just not see whats above 32GB unless I use it in my laptop. How is it decided whats "over the limit" anyway? Lets say I fill it up with 48GB of stuff on my PC, then put it in my phone. So which part of the data is left unseen then?

Sorry for stupid questions but I have no idea how it works. I could just go for a 32GB one but theyre cheap and I could really use the extra 32GB.

[chazus]

The 32gb limit is the file system (FAT32). If you format it as 64gb, you'll have to use NTFS, which the phone won't read. So yes, you can put a 64gb card in your phone, and format it as 64gb, the phone just wont see any of it.

EDIT: I could be wrong on this, but the principle remains the same. It appears that 32gb is the limit of "MicroSD SDHC" which most phones support. The only 64gb MicroSD cards are SDXH, which is a format many phones don't support yet.

[bals]

it really depends on the phone. as long as it is formatted as fat32 (if that's the file system your phone accepts, which is pretty common) it might not have any problems (please note fat32 does not limit the maximum size as 32gbs).

I would google your phone and larger sd cards and see if people have tried. Or if you have a friend with a spare one you could format and try.

[Remilia]

EDIT: I could be wrong on this, but the principle remains the same. It appears that 32gb is the limit of "MicroSD SDHC" which most phones support. The only 64gb MicroSD cards are SDXH, which is a format many phones don't support yet.

Yes, SDHC and SDXC are what separates the capacity really.
It only supports 32GB because SDHC is limited to 32GB. SDXC is theoretically limited to 2TB if I remember correctly. However you need a card reader that can read SDXC. So it doesn't matter if it's 64GB card or 128GB if it can't even read the card. So you kind of have to make sure what card it is.

[Deleted]

The 32gb limit is the file system (FAT32). If you format it as 64gb, you'll have to use NTFS, which the phone won't read. So yes, you can put a 64gb card in your phone, and format it as 64gb, the phone just wont see any of it.

I wonder if you can get around this by formatting the SDcard to EXfat instead...

[bals]

I wonder if you can get around this by formatting the SDcard to EXfat instead...

FAT32 doesn't have anything to do with a 32gb limit. you can format 64gb, 128gb, 256gb drives as FAT32 and they work perfectly fine.

for instance the 3ds says it only works with sdhc cards between 4 and 32 gbs and sdxc are not supported. However you can use a 128gb sdxc card in it if it's formatted to fat32 and all 128gbs is available for use. That's why he should try google his phone and seeing if other people have had any luck with larger card sizes and/or borrow one from a friend if it's possible to format it and try it.

[Deleted]

Thanks all. So a MicroSD SDHC 64gb card formatted as fat32 would work? I checked, they sell those larger than 32gb too but not larger than 64gb it seems. I also tried to search if others have had success with it before posting here but managed to find nothing about this model and people using SD cards before creating this thread but my brother said it should work (not that he's an expert on the subject or anything so he could very well be wrong and he hasnt tested it himself)

Oh and another question if anyone is feeling bored. I dont want to make a separate topic about it and can probably Google it but I found an app that lets you use part of that SD card as RAM. Is is basically like letting your PC use SSD as ram (SSDs are generally a lot slower so it wouldn't be as good as actually having more RAM)? So hows the speed difference when you compare those 2 on a smartphone? Emergency only, for example running apps if your speccs fall short or is it viable for regular use as well?

[chazus]

You can't just 'format as 64gb' in fat32, you need certain tools. As to whether it will work... kind of a tossup, as to whether the phone will handle that particular setup.

Also, can you link the card you're looking at? Every "SDHC 64gb" card I found was just a mislabelled SDXC

[bals]

You can just format as fat32 a 64gb card. Fat32 has nothing to do with 32gb!

Sdhc standard is 4-32gb. 64+ is sdxc (don't remember top limit)

[Deleted]

You can't just 'format as 64gb' in fat32, you need certain tools. As to whether it will work... kind of a tossup, as to whether the phone will handle that particular setup.

Also, can you link the card you're looking at? Every "SDHC 64gb" card I found was just a mislabelled SDXC

Yeah, I guess you got a point there. They're all labeled as SDHC but in the description it says they're actually SDXC. So I guess a 32GB card it is then huh?

Oh and I was looking at this one..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820234170

[Zstr]

why paying more money for extra GBs u won't be using, get the normal 32gb one
also using things that incompatible may cause damage or unstable work to both

[Deleted]

why paying more money for extra GBs u won't be using, get the normal 32gb one
also using things that incompatible may cause damage or unstable work to both

Well, Im planning to use 4gb of it for RAM, and even a single 40-45 minute 720p episode takes like 1GB not to mention photos, music, apps, games. And chances are that the whole 32GB isn't useable in the first place. It's more likely going to be more like 28GB is it's anything like with PCs and USB memory sticks. So yea, it will do in a pinch but it isn't ideal.

[chazus]

What phone are you using?

Also... Is the an SDHC card (The one you listed) a normal, mini, or micro? And which does your phone support?

[Deleted]

What phone are you using?

Also... Is the an SDHC card (The one you listed) a normal, mini, or micro? And which does your phone support?

Prestigio MultiPhone 5044 Duo. It appears to be micro SD.

http://www.prestigio.com/catalogue/M...Phone_5044_DUO

[Ghâzh]

What about buying two 32GB cards instead? I know, right..

[chazus]

I dont know of any phones that support two microsd ports. Unless you mean to swap them out on a whim... seems kind of obnoxious, since you usually need to kill the phone power to do that.

[The One Percent]

It should run, but you will only be able to utilize 32gigs. Thankfully my Note 3 can support 64gigs.

[Deleted]

Yea, guess my brother was wrong so Im just going to buy the 32gb one then and hope thats enough. The phone was a gift from my European relatives and it's a fairly obscure model so it's kinda hard to find information about it. Still better than my old one though. Thanks all.