Sony has announced two new CFexpress Type A cards in its Tough range of memory cards. With CFexpress 4.0 compatibility, these new 960 GB and 1,920 GB cards offer double the read speeds of the current versions. Sony has also announced a new CFexpress 4.0 card reader.
High-speed transfers
Sony’s new CFexpress Type A cards support the CFexpress 4.0 standard for high-speed transfers. As a result, the memory cards now feature maximum read speeds of 1800 MB/s and maximum write speeds of 1700 MB/S. This also makes the new cards more than twice as fast as the previous generation models.
Both cards carry the VPG-400 (Video Performance Guarantee) certification, so write speeds won’t drop below 400 MB/s. Again, this is double the rating of VPG-200, which the earlier cards carried.
Tough
Sony’s new CFexpress Type A memory cards live up to their Tough branding. Both cards offer more than ten times the bend resistance of standard CFexpress cards. Their rigidity is also tested to 150 newtons. As a result, the cards will protect your data from drops of up to 24 feet (7.5 meters), which is five times greater than required by the CFexpress Type A standard. Also, they are IP57-rated for dust and moisture resistance. The cards are built to work faultlessly in extreme temperatures, harsh electrostatic environments and under intense UV light and X-rays, as well.
Card reader
To make the most of the increased transfer speeds of CFexpress 4.0, you need a card reader that supports the standard. Sony’s new MRW-G3 CFexpress 4.0 Type A card reader features a single card slot in a heat-dissipating enclosure. This design helps keep things cool, even when transferring lots of data. The card reader also supports high-speed transfers with 40 Gb/s via USB4.
The MRW-G3 card reader is compatible with Windows and macOS as well as iOS, iPadOS and Android OS for smartphones and tablets.
What we think
It’s great to see that Sony’s new CFexpress Type A cards now support the CFexpress 4.0 standard. Unfortunately, the company’s cameras can’t take full advantage of the higher read and write speeds. However, downloading your files at the end of a shoot can be much faster. You also need to make sure that your card reader is able to keep up with the cards’ maximum transfer speeds. It’s therefore good that Sony has released its new card reader too. Additionally, the company’s Tough branding on the cards gives you the peace of mind that your valuable footage is safe. If you use CFexpress Type A cards, Sony’s new Tough cards could be a wise investment.
Pricing and availability
Sony’s new 960 Gb and 1,920 GB CFexpress 4.0 Type A Tough memory cards are available for pre-order now. They cost $584 and $949, respectively. You can also pre-order the new Sony MRW-G3 CFexpress 4.0 Type A card reader for $149.
Featured image courtesy: Sony
