Need a Micro SD card but they're all SDHC - help!

renard_2

I've just bought an LG Smartphone and they advise installing a MicroSD memory card, up to 32GB. But everywhere I look, all that are on sale are advertised as "Micro SD SDHC".
So I asked LG if it is OK to install SDHC and they replied No, only SD.
So where does that leave me? Any advice greatly appreciated.
(Please be aware that I am pretty clueless about all this stuff, so be gentle with me . . . )

grumbler

I think they are wrong.
'HC' stands for High Capacity. As 32Gb is a very high capacity for a micro card, I think only smaller capacity micro cards can be SD (without HD).

pogofish

SD only goes up to 4Gb, if you want up to 32Gb, it has to be SDHC.

So someone is advising you wrong.

buscape

LG are talking rubbish, all micro sd cards above 4GB are sdhc so if the phone supports memory cards up to 32GB, an sdhc card will work with your phone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsdhc#SDHC

JethroUK

renard wrote: »

........
so I asked LG if it is OK to install SDHC and they replied No, only SD.

How did they manage to bag a job with LG when there's people out of work with more sense?

renard_2

Many thanks for all these helpful replies.

The User Guide for my new phone says that it "supports memory cards up to 32GB", and an illustration shows ""MicroSD memory card slot".

After discovering that all the 32GB cards on sale were HC, I read elsewhere on the net that HC should only be used in devices specifically designed to accept them, and to consult the manufacturer if in doubt. That is why I queried with LG whether I could install an HC card.

Here is the exact "copy and paste" reply to me from 'Chelsea' at LG Customer Services:

I can advise you that your handset is capable of holding a 32GB SD card, and we only advise you to use microSD cards, not SD HC. We also only advise you use a card that is class 4 or below. These specifications will allow the highest level of compatibility between handset and SD.


In view of what you all say, I shall be firing a broadside back to them! :mad:

Now - I don't want to damage my new phone but I would like to install the highest possible capacity card.

Assuming my phone won't take HC, will a 2GB be sufficient for most needs? To be honest, I am floundering here, not really knowing what I am on about! All I wanted was a new phone, not to be faced with this techie stuff . . .

grumbler

2Gb card costs just £2. Start with it and you'll see.
I am sure that your phone works with HC cards and that they cannot damage it only because they are HC, but you can keep corresponding with this incompetent idiot from their CS.

Naf

buscape wrote: »

LG are talking rubbish, all micro sd cards above 4GB are sdhc so if the phone supports memory cards up to 32GB, an sdhc card will work with your phone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsdhc#SDHC

IIRC all Micro SD cards are SDHC, even below 4G.

grumbler

However,

almillar

Yeah, semantics are going on here.
Your phone has been tested to take 32GB cards.
SDHC is a much bigger card, more often used in cameras, it's important to keep the Micro in MicroSD. In the same way as SD cards, there are plain old SD up to and including 4GB, SDHC from 4 to 32GB, and the new SDXC from 64GB upwards. Stick a 'Micro' in front of all those for the cards you're thinking of, and feel free to buy and use your 32GB Micro SD (HC) card in your phone.

renard_2

The saga continues!

When I challenged LG over this last night, here is their reply, which is completely at odds with the advice on MSE!

I can advise you that you can purchase Micro SD cards up to 32 GB which are not SDHC. SDHC cards are for high proformance cameras and this is why they will not function properly. We are aware that more often then not that cards higher then 2GB are SDHC but not all of them. If you contact any high street mobile phone retailer they will be able to supply you with cards that are of the right specification to your phone. Although you can use other classes of card they will not allow the full functionality that any card below class 4 will provide.

I took them at their word and visited a local mobile phone retailer today, one which actually sells these LG phones. Four staff members fell about laughing when I told them what LG say (above). They confirmed that above 2GB are invariably HC cards.

As a complete dumbo with all this stuff, I am left confused as to what to do.

Do others agree with almillar's advice, that I can safely ignore LG and install an HC card?