No Expandable Storage: The Smartphone Trend No One Wanted

Remember the time when you bought a new smartphone and enhanced its storage capacity using a microSD? Well those days are soon going to end, as manufacturers are ditching microSD just to earn few extra dollars ($) in 2018. Earlier phones without expandable storage space were ridiculed, but this is no longer the case. As from early 2018 it has become a trend to have phones with large internal storage space of 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB without a microSD slot. But there are users who need this feature and think SD card cannot be replaced by anything.

A SD card not only offers extra space but it even allows you to save money, store more, data access reliability, privacy and much more.

Honestly, it looks like forcing users to somehow predict and decide up front on how much storage they may need during the lifespan of their device. Leaving them with no other choice, but to buy a new device if space becomes an issue.

For budget focused users this comes as an upsetting news because now either they must spend more or compromise with the space. Agreed, microSD cards aren’t as fast as internal storage, but to save media files or apps this is a cost effective and handy option.

What Makes MicroSD Redundant?

There are varied opinions on this topic some think it is perfectly fine and for some it is a wrong step. Those who are in favor of it have reasons behind it, here we list them:

1. Internal storage space of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB are enough for a normal user. No one ever would need something more than this in entire lifespan of the device.
2. If anyone needs extra space they can use cloud to store data and as 50Gb of space is offered for free than why spend. It is enough to store data.
3. Why create a loophole in the phone by offering microSD card slot as it will make phone lose its water resistance.
4. MicroSD card makes the phone slow and sluggish and could cause your phone to crash, if an incompatible card is used.

Why Do We Still Need Expandable Storage?

Although not every technology trend is subject to popular opinion, there might still be a huge chunk of users that would still want to have additional storage in their smartphones. They are not in favor of removing it for this they have their reason they are listed below:

1. MicroSD cards are cheaper when compared with the price of high end phones with larger internal space.
2. Using a microSD card, one can save as much data as he wants and can expand it whenever needed. This cannot be done with a phone which doesn’t offer a DS card slot.
3. Cloud storage has been advertised as an alternate as you can access the file anytime from anywhere. But they forget to mention that for this one needs a solid internet connectivity. If you are in an area where there is none then there is no way to access the data. As opposed to which SD cards are a reliable option you don’t need any extra service to access stored data
4. MicroSD card offer more privacy and one has control of all its data. We all have been listening about different data breaches. They all take place as our data is on the internet and available for all. MicroSD is an easy way to rule out the risk of data breach.
5. You can encrypt the data stored on SD card and even lock it so that no one can access it when it is used in the phone. It helps you reduce the risk of data leak.

These opinions are based on individual’s viewpoint it has nothing to do with what you think about it. You may have an altogether different opinion on this. But we think that removing SD card slot completely is not a great idea until we have an unanimously accepted alternate for it. Cloud storage is advertised as an alternate but it has its own drawbacks. One cannot access data in absence of internet connection, which is not good if you are stuck in a place without network connectivity. But on other hand, removal has its own advantages you get a water-resistant phone, fast phone performance and more internal storage to avoid any bumps and crashes. A coin has 2 sides and the same is true in this scenario. It is not up to the user to decide what he wants and therefore, we would like to hear from you on this and know what you think.

Do you think that MicroSD is unnecessary or you think it is an essential part and shouldn’t be removed? Please tell us in the comments section below.