A1 VS. A2 SD Card: A Complete Guide for You

You might want to know about A1 VS. A2 SD cards. Generally speaking, A2 cards are better suited for application operation because they offer higher IOPS. A1 cards, on the other hand, are better suited for storing data such as photos. This article details the differences between A1 and A2 memory cards, and shows you how to format them using MiniTool Partition Wizard.

SD Card, short for Secure Digital Memory Card, is a small, convenient, and widely used storage medium.

It is widely used in portable devices such as digital cameras, video game consoles, mobile phones, drones, and action cameras.

As mobile device performance improves, users’ demands for memory cards also increase, especially in terms of application execution and data read/write speeds.

To meet these needs, SD cards introduced the A1 and A2 standards, optimizing random read/write performance and response speed to provide a smoother application experience.

What Are the A1 and A2?

A1 and A2 are two standards introduced to measure the performance of SD cards. The definitions of these two standards are introduced below.

#1. Class 1 (A1)

Application Performance A1 is defined by SD Physical Specification 5.1.
A1 cards are suitable not only for storing regular data such as photos and videos, but also for optimizing application read and write performance.

#2. Class 2 (A2)

Application Performance A2 is defined by SD Physical Specification 6.0.
A2 cards offer higher performance than A1, significantly improving random read and write speeds and contributing to smoother application startup and operation.

A1 VS A2 SD Card

Having learned about the basic concepts of SD cards and the A1 and A2 standards, it’s time to know A1 VS. A2 SD cards in more detail.

Tip: IOPS is a metric that measures how many small data read/write operations a card can process per second. The higher the value, the better the application performance.

Feature	A1 SD card	A2 SD card
Minimum Random Read	1500 IOPS	4000 IOPS
Minimum Random Write	500 IOPS	2000 IOPS
Minimum Sequential Write	10 MBytes/sec	10 MBytes/sec
Technology	UHS-I, UHS-II compatible	UHS-I, UHS-II compatible
Capacity	Up to 512 GB or more	Up to 1 TB or more
Typical Use Cases	Basic smartphones, tablets, cameras, and light apps	High-end smartphones, gaming consoles (like the Nintendo Switch), drones, and intensive 4K video editing
Price	More affordable	More expensive due to higher performance

The following will elaborate on the differences between A1 and A2 memory card in detail.

Performance

A1 SD Card: The A1 card has minimum performance requirements of 1500 IOPS for random reads and 500 IOPS for random writes. It provides sufficient performance for everyday general use.

A2 SD Card: The A2 card offers higher performance requirements, with a minimum of 4000 IOPS for random reads and 2000 IOPS for random writes. It provides faster speeds for handling complex tasks and is suitable for running performance-intensive applications.

Application Scenarios

A1 SD Card: A1 cards can be used in devices such as smartphones, cameras, and other portable devices, suitable for running lightweight applications and storing regular photos, videos, and music.

A2 SD Card: A2 cards are suitable for running high-performance applications, games, and tasks that require fast loading times. Therefore, they are usually used in smartphones, tablets, and game consoles to get fast application startup, smooth multitasking, and a better gaming experience.

Capacity

A1 SD Card: A1 cards typically have capacities ranging from 32GB to 512GB. They are suitable for everyday use and light storage needs.

A2 SD Card: A2 cards generally offer larger storage capacities, ranging from 64GB to 1TB or more. They can meet the demands of higher capacity and higher performance requirements.

Price

A1 SD Card: Due to the lower performance requirements, A1 cards are generally more affordable.

A2 SD Card: Compared to A1 cards, A2 cards offer higher performance and are typically more expensive.

How to Format an A1 or A2 SD Card for Switch/Steam Deck in Windows

If you’re a gamer and using a Nintendo Switch/Steam Deck, you’ve probably encountered storage space issues because their storage capacities are limited, which are often insufficient for playing a wide variety of games. In this case, you might need to use a microSD card to expand storage.

The following is the specific capacity information for Switch and Steam Deck.

Nintendo Switch: Its storage capacity varies by model, with the 32GB of original and Lite models and the 64GB of OLED models.
Nintendo Switch 2: It has 256GB of internal storage. Excluding system storage, the actual usable space is approximately 249GB.
Steam Deck: It offers different storage capacity versions, including the earlier 64GB eMMC, the updated base 256GB NVMe SSD, the high-end 512GB NVMe, and the 512GB/1TB NVMe SSD of OLED versions.

Normally, the Switch/Steam Deck doesn’t require formatting the SD card. However, if you’ve used the card before or if the SD card’s file system is incompatible with the Switch/Steam Deck, you’ll need to format the SD card.

Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck can format the SD card by themselves. However, if they encounter errors when formatting the SD card, you can format it on Windows.

Fortunately, MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you to easily format your SD card to NTFS, FAT32, Ext2/3/4, or exFAT.

Tips:

The Switch only supports FAT32 or exFAT formatted SD cards. The Steam Deck only supports Ext4.

Here are the steps to format an SD card in Windows:

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Insert the SD card into your computer using a card reader or built-in SD card slot.

Step 2: Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard on your computer, then launch the program to open its main interface.

Step 3: Right-click the SD card’s partition and choose Format.

The interface of MiniTool Partition Wizard with the selected Format option.

Step 4: In the new pop-up window, set the Partition Label, File System, and Cluster Size. Then click OK to continue.

The MiniTool Partition Wizard Format Partition interface with the selected File System option.

Step 5: Click Apply > Yes to execute the pending operation.

After the process is complete, safely eject your SD card. Then, insert the SD Card into your Switch/Steam Deck. It should be ready for use.

Tips:

MiniTool Partition Wizard is a reliable partition manager that boasts many features, like format sd card FAT32, create/delete/resize partitions on SD card, recover data from external hard drive, recover data on SD card, etc.

This article introduces the A1 VS. A2 SD card, comparing them in terms of price, performance, and usage scenarios. It also explains how to format an SD card.Click to Tweet

SD Card A1 VS. A2 FAQ

1. What is Application Performance Class?

Application Performance Class (APClass) is a performance standard for SD cards. It is designed to measure the performance of SD cards when running applications, especially when used in devices such as smartphones, tablets, and game consoles.

2. What is the difference between A1 and UHS-1?

A1 and UHS-1 are two different standards. A1 is a performance standard for running applications, especially useful in devices such as smartphones, tablets, and game consoles.
UHS-1 stands for Ultra High Speed 1, and it is a bus interface standard for SD cards, indicating the card’s internal data transfer rate. It is suitable for devices with high-performance requirements, such as high-resolution video recording and fast continuous shooting.

3. Do A1 and A2 SD cards affect game performance?

A2 cards are significantly better than A1 cards, especially when playing demanding games. A2 cards offer faster loading speeds, smoother gameplay, and shorter game startup times.

4. How do I know if my SD card is A1 or A2?

The easiest way to determine if your SD card is A1 or A2 is to check the card’s label or packaging, which usually clearly indicates its application performance class (A1 or A2).
If it’s not labeled, you can use performance testing tools to measure the card’s random read and write speeds. A2 cards typically have higher random read and write IOPS values than A1 cards.

5. How to format an SD card on a Mac for use with the Switch?

1. Place the microSD card into an adapter, then insert it into your Mac’s built-in slot or use a USB card reader.
2. Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities.
3. In the left sidebar, find your SD card under the External section and click the Erase button at the top of the Disk Utility window.
4. You can select exFAT (for cards 64GB or larger), then click Erase.

6. Is an A2 SD Card Better than an A1 SD Card?

In short, A2 SD cards are indeed better than A1 SD cards. This is because A2 cards are designed for more demanding tasks, while A1 cards are suitable for basic storage needs or running lightweight applications.

Bottom Line

Now you know the basic information about micro SD A1 VS. A2, and you also know how to format an SD card using the MiniTool Partition Wizard.

If you have any questions or feedback about MiniTool Partition Wizard, feel free to contact our support team at [email protected] for additional help.

About The Author

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Position: Columnist

Cecilia is a new member of MiniTool. She works as an English editor on the MiniTool team. She likes to learn articles about computers and is passionate about partition management and Windows operating systems. She is committed to allowing readers to use simple, efficient, and fast methods to solve the computer problems they encounter. To provide more professional solutions, she will continue to learn and master computer knowledge.

A1 VS. A2 SD Card: What Is the Difference Between Them?