No more SD slot?

[trucksmoveamerica#AC]

Eventually SD Cards in smartphones will be a thing of the past.

I don't think that needs to happen. SD cards is one of the things that set samsung and android phones apart from iPhones.

 

[KupKrazy]

I have serious doubts of this rumor, but I do feel that Samsung has really not been listening to their fan base and they seem to a bit all over the place with no real direction - so if this rumor turns out to be true, I couldn't say that I would be totally surprised. It's incredible for me to actually start to consider other brands but it has got me thinking with a wait and see as to what comes next. I tell you, when DJ Koh was moved away - everything has really gone on a downward trend. Samsung Mobile has been very tone deaf lately.

Remember when Samsung did that ad mocking iPhones that weren't coming with a charger? How many of us said that Samsung is going to regret that ad and sure enough - not even a few months ago and here we are facing no charging adaptors. The environment excuse was BS with Apple and it'll be BS with Samsung.

It'll be hard to move away from Samsung because I do like the fact that they are a major brand and that means there will be accessories for their models (albeit not to the level of iPhone) and they have a support system , while not perfect at all, exists enough for me to walk into a Samsung Customer Service center for help. But, I don't know - this new year, I can't definitively say for the first time in many years, that my next primary phone will be a Samsung.

 

[Rukbat]

If they listened to their fans they'd keep the SD slot - and bring back the user-replaceable battery. A lot of people are annoyed that they have to spend $50 and up to get a $15 battery replaced.

 

[anon(19759)]

If they listened to their fans they'd keep the SD slot - and bring back the user-replaceable battery. A lot of people are annoyed that they have to spend $50 and up to get a $15 battery replaced.

I think too many people would crack the back of their phones trying to pop it off to replace the battery.

 

[o4liberty]

I have never used any SD slots all my info and music in the cloud I find it easier then physical storage.

 

[J Dubbs]

I have serious doubts of this rumor, but I do feel that Samsung has really not been listening to their fan base and they seem to a bit all over the place with no real direction - so if this rumor turns out to be true, I couldn't say that I would be totally surprised. It's incredible for me to actually start to consider other brands but it has got me thinking with a wait and see as to what comes next. I tell you, when DJ Koh was moved away - everything has really gone on a downward trend. Samsung Mobile has been very tone deaf lately.

Remember when Samsung did that ad mocking iPhones that weren't coming with a charger? How many of us said that Samsung is going to regret that ad and sure enough - not even a few months ago and here we are facing no charging adaptors. The environment excuse was BS with Apple and it'll be BS with Samsung.

It'll be hard to move away from Samsung because I do like the fact that they are a major brand and that means there will be accessories for their models (albeit not to the level of iPhone) and they have a support system , while not perfect at all, exists enough for me to walk into a Samsung Customer Service center for help. But, I don't know - this new year, I can't definitively say for the first time in many years, that my next primary phone will be a Samsung.

I can say, that in this new year, it'll be fun to watch the Samsung s**t show

 

[Gary02468]

I have serious doubts of this rumor, but I do feel that Samsung has really not been listening to their fan base

Why would they, though? Their goal is sales, not fans. They conduct serious market research to figure out what it is that customers will buy. The preference of a microscopic vocal minority on the internet is of no consequence to Samsung.

Every time a legacy feature is dropped--IR blaster, headphone jack, removable battery, SD card--a few older customers express dismay, while younger ones are happy to move on to the newer technology. (The new substitute for device storage is cloud storage with fast access; device storage is just a cache.) Hanging on to legacy features is never free. There are always costs, and always something else that would have to be sacrificed to keep from changing.

 

[wrich2005]

I don't even use 64Gb of storage. I demanded an sd card back when our phones had 16Gb of storage and our data plans were capped at pitiful levels like 2Gb/month so the cloud and streaming weren't options.

Personally own over 10 Samsung chargers at this point, most have never been used, so while I feel an expensive device should include it's own charger the lack of one won't negatively impact me.

I would much rather have a plastic back over these worthless fragile ugly glass backs Samsung has used since the S6.

The plastic is potentially less durable then the "fragile ugly glass" used currently. Depending on how it is implemented.

But also, why would you pay more, for less features? Is the Note 21 going to be a hundred dollars less because they removed the sd card? No it will likely be more, because you will have to pay to add more storage. Will it be less because they aren't bundling a charger? No, it will cost more because you will have to buy a charger if you don't have one. These phone companies are getting so big they are starting to act like the utility companies - you need them more then they need you, and they can treat you however they want to. Its frustrating to pay more for less features.

 

[me just saying]

sd card slot is no longer a deal breaker for me. It did back when the phones did not have much storage available. As far as a plastic back, I actually miss it on the note series. I liked the ability to change it out and it was not so slippery as the current backs. Not sure what the future holds for the phones but for me, if it lowers the price and looks good, I will not complain

 

[stackberry369]

128GB isn't enough

 

[trucksmoveamerica#AC]

128GB isn't enough

Not for most. Data storage is going to do nothing but increase over time. I hardly use my home computer anymore, I do most things on my phone.

 

[dmateo]

The plastic is potentially less durable then the "fragile ugly glass" used currently. Depending on how it is implemented.

But also, why would you pay more, for less features? Is the Note 21 going to be a hundred dollars less because they removed the sd card? No it will likely be more, because you will have to pay to add more storage. Will it be less because they aren't bundling a charger? No, it will cost more because you will have to buy a charger if you don't have one. These phone companies are getting so big they are starting to act like the utility companies - you need them more then they need you, and they can treat you however they want to. Its frustrating to pay more for less features.

Part of why I've given up on Samsung, for now.

 

[Forgewizard]

No, I would not even consider getting a phone without an SD slot!

 

[dmateo]

No, I would not even consider getting a phone without an SD slot!

What phones would be left? This is the trend of pretty much all the phone manufacturers.

 

[anon(40376)]

No SD card, no buy!

Said the same thing a year ago, then this year I purchased a Pixel 4XL. I changed my mind. And all might have to in the future. I bet it goes the way of the headphone jack.

 

[Mike Dee]

Also Samsung make SD cards so why they would affect their own sales by doing this is strange? but alot of what Samsung have done recently is strange.

Memory cards are used in many devices other than smart phones. I'll bet just a fraction of the people with smart phones that support external memory actually use it.

 

[Mike Dee]

The plastic is potentially less durable then the "fragile ugly glass" used currently. Depending on how it is implemented.

But also, why would you pay more, for less features? Is the Note 21 going to be a hundred dollars less because they removed the sd card? No it will likely be more, because you will have to pay to add more storage. Will it be less because they aren't bundling a charger? No, it will cost more because you will have to buy a charger if you don't have one. These phone companies are getting so big they are starting to act like the utility companies - you need them more then they need you, and they can treat you however they want to. Its frustrating to pay more for less features.

They already make models with higher storage

 

[Morty2264]

I heard about that, too. I don't know if it's be a deal-breaker for me. It would be for my husband, though, who relies on SD cards. It's an odd move from Samsung, to be sure. Let's wait and see that hope that the rumours aren't true!

 

[DARK Vader777]

I'll never buy another phone without an SD card slot!!

 

[J Dubbs]

Memory cards are used in many devices other than smart phones. I'll bet just a fraction of the people with smart phones that support external memory actually use it.

I only purchased a memory card for my 2nd smartphone....never used it, and haven't bought another one since. Of course my last 2 phones have been pixels, so memory cards aren't an option I don't use much phone storage anyway though, so space is never a problem.