Choosing between SamSung Electronics (Suwon), SanDisk (Silicon Valley), Transcend (Taipei), Sony (Tokyo), Lexar (Fremont), Toshiba (Tokyo), AData (Taiwan), Delkin (San Diego) and HoodMan (Torrance)
MicroSD, SD, CF, MemoryStick, xD MEMORY CARDS
for cell phone, Galaxy SmartPhone, camera and automobile GPS and Black Box

starting-off introducing the most popular memory card by-far, beginning of Summer 2013 :
SamSung Electronics MicroSDHC Plus Class10 UHS-i 32GB (read 48MB, write 20MB)
introduced January 2013 and selling lowest 24,000 at larger On-Line discount outlets
P1060276lev1kMonPAT2 

understandably so, for while Korea’s own conglomerate SamSung Electronics products don’t always take top of popular selling chart, with the now-influx of Global products, it does when its specification /almost/ stand-up in par to more advanced brand-names usually in a specific category . this is fore-most to its house-hold brand name offering loyal warranty support in the widest geographical range over the Korean Peninsula . I say this because it is NOT the fastest among its competitors, but is offered in Micro format to adhere to the now-growing automobile black-box market as well as already established digital camera sector .

:

[ PROLOGUE ]

I have listed on top of this page : ALL memory card brands imported AND sold in South Korea mid-2013, in the order of over-all popularity, but the realistic choice is between the /big/ players in either SamSung, SanDisk or Transcend, unless you have specific needs or attachment on a brand-name . Class10 and UHS-i are the latest specs on high-end models, while basically you need to compare “write” speed than “read” for cameras as manufacturer’s numbers are generally correct upon actual testing . and you will notice even slight changes in price as numbers get higher or faster . here will hint on how to compare NOT between precise models BUT in the broadest terms, as these dedicated ‘Pages’ on top menu are for general information expected to hold true for more than a year .

:

[ FORMAT ]

half a dozen memory card formats battled for a decade over the Millennium, and a decade there-after :MicroSD and SD Cards are the most used in South Korea, with smaller cell phones, GPS/Navigation and Black Boxes using the former . MemoryStick lost its allure as Sony have given-in to allow SD Cards on most of their cameras .

:

:

[ BRAND NAME ]

if you have been using portable electronics for a while : You will have a favourite brand by now, and should consider it first for it is for YourSelf . preference in product design as well as color, and previous experience also come into effect – including when you had to get a refund from a vendor or exchange . but you have to adjust sometims, as I will mention how, like many other products : importers as well as contracted support companies change by time .

in the whole from end of 1990’s and up to 2013 : SanDisk were the most popular, with Transcend and SamSung exchanging hands regularly after that .

:

[ WARRANTY ]

but the small media cards are fragile products, although they do NOT contain any physically moving parts . the utmost danger occurs when you yank-out your card from a device, usually from a full-running computer . so try to always use that “safe to detach’ option in the bottom-right panel bar on Windows screen . and in case your memory card turns into a thin brick (meaning : it stops working) your support centre will exchange than repair the small medium . so want to make sure where you can get it exchanged in case of error, nomatter who is at fault .

:

unfortunately, even in the Global age there is NO such thing as full World-Wide Life-Time warranty, especially in the realm of hard disk drives, cameras and memory cards . (if you have bought one that says so, better check the fine print for South Korea)

in the case of SamSung Electronics, you can go or send it to any of their support centres near-by, as they usually have on for every “Gu”-administration area geographically – roughly 20-minutes drive end-to-end in metropolis . and here, theirs is the strong-point because they have uncomparably numerous number of support centres throughout South Korea .

:

imports are a whole different story . for usually they have their own local branch as SanDisk Korea or Transcend Korea OR a local company contracted to act as such, who will have only a single office AND support address in ALL of Korea . further-more they will only accept their products without local warranty IF it has international, and delegate local warranty to one or more official importers (so *note : the same line of product may have different importer’s name, distinguishable on their tiny sticker attached on the product package – and you NEED that sticker for warranty so never jettison an electronics box ). so if you are purchasing one here, better know where to go before-hand, as it is best to bring a broken memory card directly for exchange, than sending it by Post mail or courrier BECAUSE it is a product which can suddenly work in differing conditions and you spend days corresponding with a support personnel if problems occur at random . ( the all-American consumer para-phrase of “for whatever reason” never have applied to a then, developing nation such as Korea, and still .. mentioned in detail on ‘On-Line Shopping Malls’ Page on top menu)

  • SamSung Electronics Support,
  • Verbatim Support : Beezap Korea 703 B-Dong, SK Twin Tower, 345-9 GaSanDong, GeumCheonGu, SEOUL Tel.1577-4202 ⇒MOVED TO Floppy.kr (website not operational) 3rd Floor Cosmos Building, 12-10 ShinGaeDong, YongSanGu, SEOUL Tel.1600-5836 10am~5pm WeekDays and lunch noon~1pm
[ SanDisk ] general support guide in Korean, and the following is for products purchased in Korea verifiable via the tiny hologram sticker on product box-front . if you’ve purchased yours abroad : it is only cared from SanDisk Support in the States – Updated January 2016.

  • AK Storage Centre – SanDisk AS 502-27 YongMiRi, GwangTanMyeon, PaJu City, GyeongGiDo Tel.1544-4322
  • SanDisk Korea contractor : E & L, HyunJi Building 4th Floor, 1668-13 SeoChoDong, SeoChoGu SEOUL Tel.02-848-0022
  • Focus on Ent 535 JeonJa (Electronics) World Building 1-1 HanGangRo 3-Ga, YongSanGu, SEOUL Tel.02-703-0970
  • SeAH Networks (SNM) 4 Floor DaeDong Building, 154,401 SaeChangRo, ShinGaeDong, YongSanGu, SEOUL Tel.02-6384-8100
  • SanDisk importer : Soi Electronics, YongSan Support Centre at 67 YongSan JeonJa(Electronics) Land NEW(West) Wing under-ground floor, 16-9 HanGangRo 3Ga, YongSan Gu, SEOUL Tel.02-3272-3737
  • PixDix (defunct vendor ) contact SOI above
  • SK (former contractor ) contact AK above
[ Transcend ]
  • Transcend Korea / Pine information, 205/206/207 Seon-in SangGa 21Dong 3rd Floor,  HanGangRo 3Ga, YongSan Gu, SEOUL Tel.02-719-8053
  • Transcend importer : Chips and Tech, 525 JeonJa(Electronics) World, 1-1 HanGangRo 3Ga, YongSan Gu, SEOUL Tel.02-712-8829
  • Transcend importer : Digital & Me, Teuk(Special) 1 NajinSangGa 12Dong 3rd Floor, HanGangRo 3Ga, YongSan Gu, SEOUL Tel.02-794-3599

:

[ RE-SALE ]

while computer and laptop memory retain its original price remarkably well AND long, mostly because memory for older systems get harder to find as it gets old, and the owner may still wish to use it for the long-haul .. you are likely to shed tears if you lose the chance to to sell you beloved memory card, for it suddenly drops to nil as faster counterparts appear throughout the market . so never get the most expensive just-out model with the largest capacity, but just below that . mid-2013 it would be 32GB sufficient for DSL cameras on a shooting spree, with another as back-up .

:

[ EPILOGUE ]

:

:

( last update January 2016 )
– Twelve O’clock High in between annual Monsoon and heat wave, Korea Tech BLog –