Both U1 and U3 are widely used micro SD cards. U1 vs. U3: What's the difference and which is better? Many users are confused about these questions. Now you are in the right place.Mini-Hardwarewill analyze their differences in detail.
What is SUS
UHS, also called Ultra High Speed is the fastest performance category that defines bus interface speeds of an SD card of up to 312 MB/s. It is exclusively designed for SDHC and SDXC memory cards. The UHS SD card can use the UHS speed class rating to define its minimum performance.
More specifically, UHS Speed Class 1 (also abbreviated as U1) indicates that the minimum write performance is at least 10MB/s, while the minimum write performance of UHS 3 is 30MB/s. When purchasing a UHS 1/UHS 3 microSD card, you may find theU1/U3Symbol with the number 1/3 in "U".
About SD card speed
To compare U1 to U3 requires a general understanding of SD card speed. Here SD card speed refers to sequential read and write speeds. SD card speed can read and write at speeds of 12.5MB/s by default.
With the development of SD card technology, Ultra High Speed (UHS) is now available on many SDXC and SDHC Micro SD cards. There are 3 main Ultra High Speed SD cards including UHS-1, UHS-2 and UHS-3. These UHS SD cards are specially designed for professional use like 4K compatible cameras.
Via the UHS-1 Micro SD card
As the first upgrade from the normal high-speed specification, the UHS-1 SD card features a fast transfer speed that can reach 104MB/s. The SD card version 3.01 states that it supports a clock frequency of 100 MHz.
The proprietary UHS-1 extension was mainly used by SanDisk, which significantly increases transfer speeds. Currently, UHS-1 is widely used for many Micro SDHC and Micro SDXC cards, such as B. the SanDisk Ultra SD UHS-1 card.
- Image from Amazon
Via Micro SD UHS-3 card
Compared to UHS-1 mode, UHS-3 adds a second row of pins. The UHS-3 specification was introduced in early 2017. It offers higher transfer speed that can reach 312MB/s. In addition, the UHS-3 is equipped with dual tracks and LVDS technology, which greatly improves SD card performance.
It uses a new Quick Recovery (QR) feature to optimize power management, which helps the SD card reduce the transition time from sleep to active. Since it can optimize the power consumption of a camera, this type of card is very suitable for recording time-lapse or longer videos.
- Image from Amazon
Now you can get a general idea of the USH-1 and USH-3 SD cards. Then we come to another important question – what is the difference between U1 and U3? Let's continue reading in the next part.
Micro-SD U1 VS. U3
UHS 1 vs UHS 3, what's the difference and which is better? These issues were hotly debated. In today's article, we will focus on the top 5 differences between Micro SD U1 and U3. They are Data Transfer Speed, Capacity, UHS Bus Speed, Video Speed Class, and UHS Speed Class.
data transfer speed
The first and most important difference between Micro SD U1 and U3 is the data transfer speed. Compared to U1 Micro SD card, U3 SD card has faster data transfer speed. If you want fast writing and copying speed to record 4K video, Micro SD U3 card is an ideal choice.
According to the transfer speed listed, UHS-1 mode can reach up to 104MB/s while UHS-3 mode can speed up to 312MB/s. Want to know the actual data speed of UHS-1 vs UHS-3 SD card? MiniTool Partition Wizard can do thatTest transmission speedfrom Micro SD card easily.
It is a professional partition manager trusted by millions of users worldwide. With this powerful tool you can compare the speed of devices, e.gSanDisk Extreme x Extreme Pro, SDHC vs. SDXC and so on. In addition, it can be usedFormat SD card, convert NTFS to FAT without data loss, resize partitions, recover lost data, etc.
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Step 1.Insert your UHS-1 Micro SD card into a card reader and then connect it to your computer.
Step 2.Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard to get its main interface and click thedisk referenceFunction in the top toolbar.
Level 3.Select the drive letter of your Micro SD card from the drop-down menu, then provide the test parameters and click the buttonBeginTaste.
Top:You can further specify the transfer size, total length, queue number, and test mode as needed. Also, the larger the range set for the transfer size, the longer this benchmark takes.
step 4Wait for this test to finish and then see the test results including transfer size, random/sequential read and write speed, etc.
After that, you can repeat the above steps to test the UHS-3 SD card. According to the test results, you will get the actual performance between the micro SD card U1 and U3.
capacity
When purchasing a new micro SD card for your device, storage capacity is also an important factor to consider. Typically, you will find that the U3 SD card has more capacity compared to other types of cards like the U1.
After examining the data on the SanDisk SD cards, the capacities of the SanDisk Micro SD U1 card range from 16GB to 512GB. However, capacities in U3 mode are available from a minimum size of 16GB to a maximum size of 1TB. This means that the U3 specification is best for people who want to store large videos and footage.
UHS bus speed
You can usually find the UHS bus speed on the front of the SD card. The Roman numeral on the SD card ranges from 1 to 3. For example, see theEULogo on the SanDisk Extreme plus SD card. The UHS bus refers to how data is transferred between the pins on the card and the host device's connector.
Both U1 and U3 SD card have a single row of pins on the back of the card, the data transfer speed can reach about 100MB/s and 400MB/s respectively. Because the U3 model adds the second row of pins, it generally has a faster transfer speed than the U1 model.
While the UHS bus is compatible with a wide variety of cameras, your best bet is to verify that it will work with your existing hardware. If you want to update your map, make sure your camera can install different UHS formats.
video speed class
Video speed class is another important feature that we cannot ignore when compared to micro SD card U3 vs U1. Usually you see avin addition to the Roman numeral symbol on the front of the SD card.
If you've looked at the cards, you may find that the U1 Micro SD cards don't have this feature on the top of the card. Therefore, it is difficult to know the exact video speed class of this card. However, the U3 SD card has thevIcon with the number 30 next to it.
ÖV30The icon indicates that you can record HD video at 30 Mbps without dropping frames. At this time, this feature may only be available on SDXC cards. Thus, the U3 Micro SD card offers more options for video recording compared to the U1 model.
UHS speed class
The UHS speed class is very similar to the UHS bus speed, while this feature plays a different role in Micro SD cards. You can also find the Ultra High Speed rating on the front of the SD card. The number in thein the shape of a UThe icon tells you the UHS Speed Class, which indicates the writing speed of SD cards.
The number inside the U-shaped logo on the U1 Micro SD card is1, while the U3 SD card is3. This means that the U3 SD card has a faster write speed than the U1. What is the difference between UHS-1 and UHS-3 SD card? Well I think you already have a deep understanding.
In general, U3 Micro SD card is better than U1 card when it comes to transfer speed, video speed class and UHS speed class. So we suggest you choose the U3 Micro SD card for your host devices.
Manage your micro SD card
After purchasing a new micro SD card, the first and most important thing is to format it with the correct file system. Which file system should you format for an SD card? The answer depends on the standard capacity of your SD card.
Typically, SD and SDHC memory cards are mostly formatted for the FAT file system, while SDXC and SDUC are mainly formatted for itexFAT file system. How to format an SD card freely? With MiniTool Partition Wizard, you can format SD card in just a few clicks.
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Step 1.Connect your SD card to the computer using a card reader.
Step 2.Open this software to get its main interface, then select the memory card and click the buttonformat partitionfunction in the left pane.
Level 3.ChooseexFATFile System from the drop-down menu and click the buttonOKbutton to continue. In addition, you can further specify the partition by changing thepartition labelecluster size.
Top:Since most Micro SD U1 and U3 cards are SDXC type, here we suggest you to format them toexFATfile system.
step 4click noUsebutton to format the SD card
Besides formatting, you can use this powerful software to further manage your micro SD card. You can use it for examplecreate a partition, align partition, extend partition, etc.
What is your opinion
In today's article, we mainly focus on Micro SD U1 vs. U3. To help you choose a suitable one, we compare them in terms of data transfer speed, capacity, UHS bus speed, video speed class, and UHS speed class. Well I think you already have a clear answer.
If you have any questions about MiniTool Partition Wizard, please email us at[email protected]. We also value every effort that takes us further.
Frequently asked questions about U1 VS U3
Is the U3 SD card better than the U1?
The answer depends on the specific SD card, including technical details, bus and class. In general, U3 SD card performs better than U1 in terms of data transfer, capacity options, video UHS bus speed, video speed class, and UHS speed class.
What is the difference between SDHC and SDXC?
SDHC vs. SDXC, this is the best? Their differences mainly focus on capacity, performance, file system and price.
- Capacity: SDHC capacity ranges from 4GB to 32GB, while SDXC capacity can go up to 2TB.
- Performance: SDHC data transfer speed can reach 10MB/s while SDXC can reach up to 300MB/s.
- File system: For maximum capacity efficiency of the SDXC, we recommend formatting it to exFAT. SDHC can be formatted to FAT32.
- Price: You have to pay more money for SDXC than for SDHC.
Which SD card is suitable for mobile phone?
According to user feedback, the following top 4 SD cards are widely used:
- Sandisk Ultra
- SanDisk Extreme Pro
- PNY Elite-X-Serie
- Samsung EVO Select
How long does a micro SD card last?
Typically, a typical micro SD card can be used for a good 10 years or at least 15 years. It may take longer in a very dry environment. If you have been using an SD card for a long time, we recommend that you do thisback up your datain time to avoid sudden corruption.