Nowadays, smartphones are getting more storage space to store large amounts of data or various applications. Many phones come with the option of external storage, where user can use micro SD card to expand their phone storage. Various users wonder what TF cards are and how they relate to SD cards. TF or TransFlash is a little known name for memory cards and many users do not know this name. In this article, we will talk about TF card and the difference between TF and micro SD cards.
What is TF card?
TF o T-Flash stands for TransFlash. This was the original name of the micro-secure digital cards (SD). These cards were released by the SanDisk company in 2004. The TF card functioned as the smallest memory card of all time and is used to store data in digital form. Micro SD and TF cards can be used in various types of devices such as smartphones, cameras, computers and other similar devices to store information such as videos, Photos, etc. This memory card was considered the smallest memory card in the world with the size of your fingernail.
In simple words, TF Card was the initial name and product of the SanDisk company that later became the micro SD card. Updating and improving the product is something common for any company, the same was changing the name of TransFlash.
Difference between TransFlash and Micro SD card
Micro SD (SD stands for Secure Digital) and a TransFlash memory card are very similar and can be used instead of each other. Nevertheless, there is little difference between them. Micro SD cards can support SDIO mode, meaning they can perform non-memory related tasks, like bluetooth, GPS and near field communication. While a TransFlash card cannot perform these types of tasks.
Transflash was the initial product name, so you can find most TF cards in sizes of 16 MB and 32 MB. Since 2014 up to now, micro SD and TransFlash cards are considered the same. TF and micro SD cards have the same dimensions and specifications, and both cards are fully compatible with each other. Both cards are still used today on mobile devices, although original TransFlash memory cards are hard to find.
