Expanded SanDisk line-up of A1 microSD cards designed to improve app launch speeds

Dubai, UAE, February 27, 2017:  Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), a global storage technology and solutions leader, today announced the company is working with industry-leading smartphone technology manufacturers to ensure consumers can take full advantage of the new A1 specification with its SanDisk products. Together, A1-enabled smartphones and SanDisk A1 performance class microSDTM cards offer consumers a new dimension of performance when it comes to loading and launching apps.    

According to a recent survey by the company1, many consumers are looking to improve their launch app experience. Of those surveyed, more than 50 percent found slow app loading and launching to be a problem. In an effort to offer consumers an enhanced experience, SanDisk has expanded its line-up of A1 compatible microSD cards to now include its high-performance 256GB2 SanDisk Extreme® microSDXCTM memory card.  

“By specifically addressing app performance, A1 is a real game-changer for the industry. We are excited to play a significant role in the evolution of the microSD format, and work with the top smartphone technology manufacturers to offer more advanced storage solutions,” Dinesh Bahal, vice president of product development, Client Solutions, Western Digital.

The A1 spec allows the SanDisk microSD cards to manage random read input-output access per second (IOPS) of 1,500 and write IOPS of 500, so it can quickly open apps and process accompanying tasks, such as audio, graphics, saved profiles and in-app permissions. With the introduction of the Android Marshmallow 6 and Nougat 7 operating systems, users can expand storage capacity on smartphones by selecting the microSD card as preferred or adoptable storage, which means apps can now be loaded and launched directly from the A1 microSD card. For more information on the new A1 specification, please review the SD Association’s white paper: Application Performance Class: The new class of performance for applications on SD memory cards.   

Western Digital is working closely with leading mobile technology industry leaders to deliver an even better consumer app experience with the A1 standard. 

“Qualcomm Technologies has always been focused on supporting new opportunities in the mobile ecosystem, and we are excited to be a part of promoting new standards, and related products including the SanDisk portfolio of A1 microSD cards, that drive the industry to create improved solutions for consumers,” said Anand Srinivasan, director, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

The A1 standard is also supported by top ecosystem players including HTC, Huawei, Lava, Lenovo, MediaTek, Meizu, Micromax, Oppo, Vivo and ZTE.  

New SanDisk Extreme microSD card with A1
The new 256GB SanDisk Extreme microSD card with A1 delivers fast transfer and improved app performance for Android™ based smartphones. Ideal for 4K UHD and Full HD video3, the SanDisk Extreme microSD card offers the capacity and performance consumers need to capture amazing videos, without having to worry about what to delete and with the ability to transfer big files at speeds of up to 100 MB/s*. The 256GB SanDisk Extreme microSD card with A1 will begin rolling out worldwide in late March 2017 with a U.S. MSRP of $199.99.