SD Cards are rising in cost / FAKE SD card sales will RISE on Amazon

[SafeDriveSolutions]

I wanted to open the discussion inviting manufacturers @BlackVue-ISP_Support @Thinkware Dash Cam @VUEROiD @viofo @Jeff_Vantrue @70mai_Official @Redtiger @WOLFBOX and any other manufacturer I did not tag in here.
To talk about what they are seeing on rising costs of Micro SD cards. On DDR going up in price. Microchip cost rising and how it will affect the industry.

If you do not want to openly chat about it as a manufacturer. Please DM me. My goal is to educate consumers / customers on what is going on.

@BlackVue-ISP_Support recently emailed this to all dealers

"I would like to share an important update regarding BlackVue pricing.

As you may be aware, the prices of key components including DDR, NAND, and microSD cards have increased significantly, alongside a continued rise in overall semiconductor costs.

To minimize the impact on our partners, BlackVue has absorbed these cost increases for as long as possible. However, due to the sustained and ongoing nature of these increases, a pricing adjustment has now become unavoidable.

Key changes are as follows:

1. Dashcam models will be available with 64GB memory only
2. Standalone microSD card sales will be temporarily suspended"

 

[lufa6977]

Memory costs are increasing, in part, due to the memory requirements of existing and new AI/Data centers. There are, of course, a few political reasons as well. Apple is claiming it will keep prices steady for the new iPhone 18.

Dashcam users have been led to believe they need 1TB of storage. Just in case they decide to wait 5 days to download something. 🙂 I suspect that, with prices where they are and likely to go even higher, users will need to settle for 64GB to 128GB if they expect a memory card to be included with their dashcam. For memory larger than this, if a user wants to retain that many videos, they should buy it from the memory manufacturer to ensure it is authentic. It will be interesting to see how dashcam manufacturers handle this.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Vortex Radar]

At CES I heard from multiple manufacturers, including both dashcam manufacturers and MicroSD card manufacturers, that they're expecting prices to increase by around 3x. I'm not sure how much of that increase they'll absorb and how much they'll pass onto their consumers, but that's a dramatic increase either way.

 

[Henry_Vantrue]

Thanks for starting this discussion.
From our side, we're seeing clear, industry-wide cost increases, which are pushing up overall manufacturing expenses and will gradually affect pricing across the market. At Vantrue, we plan to keep dashcam MSRPs unchanged for now, but promotional discounts may become more limited, so some consumers may notice higher effective purchase prices over time.
Regarding microSD cards, once existing inventory is depleted, prices are likely to increase further. We also expect two near-term impacts: higher product prices and an increase in counterfeit or low-quality memory cards appearing on the market. Dashcams are very sensitive to card quality, and poor or fake cards significantly increase the risk of recording issues.
At this stage, it's still unclear when these cost increases will ease, so it's difficult to predict when the market will return to normal.

 

[Oliver_70mai]

Hi, due to a combination of factors, the cost of DDR and SD cards has risen exorbitantly this year. And to be very pessimistic, it's likely to rise further in the coming months, and the extent of the increase is unpredictable. Currently, SD card inventory is in a state of high demand but low supply. The cost and price of all electronic products will be severely tested. The quality of SD cards on the market is already inconsistent, and currently, even genuine cards are experiencing quality decline. This decrease in the quality of storage cards circulating in the market leads to a lower user experience for end users, further increasing the pressure on 4K dashcams. It also poses a significant challenge to the supply chains of each brand.

 

[Oliver_70mai]

This requires each company to have a more precise understanding of product needs and positioning, reduce DDR waste caused by feature stacking, and also encourage each company to iterate on technology, innovate with the same storage capacity, so as to reduce system resource consumption and increase storage utilization. Finally, there is the price. Either companies can maintain their market share by sacrificing profits, pass on the costs to consumers, or reduce cost pressure through a strong supply chain.
We will strive to improve the performance and efficiency of DDR through technological research and development, and leverage our strong supply chain to reduce costs and maintain stable prices.

 

[Augustus]

This requires each company to have a more precise understanding of product needs and positioning, reduce DDR waste caused by feature stacking, and also encourage each company to iterate on technology, innovate with the same storage capacity, so as to reduce system resource consumption and increase storage utilization. Finally, there is the price. Either companies can maintain their market share by sacrificing profits, pass on the costs to consumers, or reduce cost pressure through a strong supply chain.
We will strive to improve the performance and efficiency of DDR through technological research and development, and leverage our strong supply chain to reduce costs and maintain stable prices.

It is Micron and only SK Hynix and Samsung having manufacturing now that Micron has pulled out, something that a lot of us have known for the last six months.

I'm wondering if 70mai and other companies can utilise memory from Chinese companies such as CXMT instead? Or is the trade issues in certain countries such as USA make this an issue due to import of dashcams with these branded components inside?

 

[Hack_man]

Here's a "way out there" question:

Why can't dashcams use full size SD cards which are much less expensive and arguably more durable than MicroSD? There should be enough space in most dashcams.
A side benefit is it would be less likely to go flying across the front of my car when I remove it 🙄

According to AI:

• Performance: While capacity and speed classes (UHS, V-Class) are similar for both, some argue that full-size cards may be more durable for intensive, high-speed writing in professional, high-pressure environments.

 

[lufa6977]

Here's a "way out there" question:

Why can't dashcams use full size SD cards which are much less expensive and arguably more durable than MicroSD? There should be enough space in most dashcams.
A side benefit is it would be less likely to go flying across the front of my car when I remove it 🙄

According to AI:

• Performance: While capacity and speed classes (UHS, V-Class) are similar for both, some argue that full-size cards may be more durable for intensive, high-speed writing in professional, high-pressure environments.

Material cost and placement on the board or as a daughter-board type mount. Location in the camera chassis would be just as much of a heat issue as the MicroSDXC cards.

 

[lufa6977]

It is Micron and only SK Hynix and Samsung having manufacturing now that Micron has pulled out, something that a lot of us have known for the last six months.

I'm wondering if 70mai and other companies can utilise memory from Chinese companies such as CXMT instead? Or is the trade issues in certain countries such as USA make this an issue due to import of dashcams with these branded components inside?

Yep, we saw this coming last year. When Micron announced it was exiting the consumer market by ending Crucial memory, it also said it was focusing its memory production on AI/Data Centers. I don't recall whether it was Micron or another manufacturer, but they indicated that all the memory they could produce for 2026 had already been pre-sold for data centers.

 

[Hack_man]

Material cost and placement on the board or as a daughter-board type mount. Location in the camera chassis would be just as much of a heat issue as the MicroSDXC cards.

If you are performing the same number of read/write operations in the same time, on twice the surface area, the overall card temperature should be lower.
Physical space limitations are the biggest concern. What material cost?

AI for what it's worth:

 

[lufa6977]

True, they will dissipate heat better. But a lot of consideration has to be given to the environment in which the card is used. In a dashcam, where will it be? Wedged between the LCD screen and the back of the main board? That is a high-heat, low-convective or heat-transfer area. In higher-end video and 35mm cameras, they will still get warm, but they are often moved slightly away from high-heat sources in the camera.

Take a wedge camera like the VUEROID S1-4K or the Viofo A329s. Where do we put that memory card? There is an LCD screen on one side and a GPS mount on the other. There is a large heat sink in the chassis. Well, the chassis can be reengineered, but it will likely be larger, which some users will not like. Not an easy solution to the problem. The LCD can be removed, and the SD and controller can be housed in that space. That would work. But most people want an LCD.

Using an SD is doable, and will be easier for some brands than others. Where would Blackvue put an SD card in one of their 'tube' or 'cylinder' dashcams? Doable, but requires retooling.

 

[Hack_man]

True, they will dissipate heat better. But a lot of consideration has to be given to the environment in which the card is used. In a dashcam, where will it be? Wedged between the LCD screen and the back of the main board? That is a high-heat, low-convective or heat-transfer area. In higher-end video and 35mm cameras, they will still get warm, but they are often moved slightly away from high-heat sources in the camera.

Take a wedge camera like the VUEROID S1-4K or the Viofo A329s. Where do we put that memory card? There is an LCD screen on one side and a GPS mount on the other. There is a large heat sink in the chassis. Well, the chassis can be reengineered, but it will likely be larger, which some users will not like. Not an easy solution to the problem. The LCD can be removed, and the SD and controller can be housed in that space. That would work. But most people want an LCD.

Using an SD is doable, and will be easier for some brands than others. Where would Blackvue put an SD card in one of their 'tube' or 'cylinder' dashcams? Doable, but requires retooling.

It was an "out there" sort of suggestion. If dashcam makers started with that approach from the beginning it may have worked. We didn't have the intense performance requirements of 4K dashcams 15 years ago.

I just think a full size SD card would have been an overall cheaper and more reliable approach for a dashcam.

 

[lufa6977]

It was an "out there" sort of suggestion. If dashcam makers started with that approach from the beginning it may have worked. Smaller is not always better.

It was a good suggestion/question. I have never cared much for MicroSDXC cards, and I would prefer an SD Express card over a MicroSDXC card any day. In the case of Blackvue, an external mod or housing to the tube cameras would be much easier than to a wedge camera. Of course, things like the length of traces (due to timing) have to be considered.

This memory supply issue is expected to last for a few years; once the data centers and AI hubs are built out, conditions should normalise. Perhaps at that point, there will be better memory performance and implementation that we can use for dashcams.

 

[GPak]

Here's a "way out there" question:

Why can't dashcams use full size SD cards which are much less expensive and arguably more durable than MicroSD? There should be enough space in most dashcams.
A side benefit is it would be less likely to go flying across the front of my car when I remove it 🙄
...

...
Take a wedge camera like the VUEROID S1-4K or the Viofo A329s. Where do we put that memory card? ...

In the my case of the Viofo A329S dashcam, the external SD card reader, in place of an SSD drive, has two slots: one for a micro-SD card and one for a full-size SD card.
The micro-SD card works fine, however, I remember that the same micro-SD card with a full-size SD card adapter did not work, and I remember trying two adapters: one from SanDisk and one from Viofo.

I have never had/tried a real full-size SD card;
I guess I need to buy one to check if it is recognized by the dashcam.

 

[Hack_man]

In the my case of the Viofo A329S dashcam, the external SD card reader, in place of an SSD drive, has two slots: one for a micro-SD card and one for a full-size SD card.
The micro-SD card works fine, however, I remember that the same micro-SD card with a full-size SD card adapter did not work, and I remember trying two adapters: one from SanDisk and one from Viofo.

I have never had/tried a real full-size SD card;
I guess I need to buy one to check if it is recognized by the dashcam.

Well that's interesting! You are saying the A329S has a slot for a full size SD card?!

 

[SafeDriveSolutions]

Well that's interesting! You are saying the A329S has a slot for a full size SD card?!

He is using an adaptor to the ssd port

 

[GPak]

I'm using this (with a 2-meter extension cable):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0BNBXVLZS

Today I ordered this standard SD card from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B09X7FXHVJ

It's the exact same brand/type as the micro-SD card that works with the A329S 3ch, except this is a 128GB card, not a 256GB one like the microSD.
Hopefully, I'll receive it tomorrow and I will let you know if the camera recognizes it.
I also order couple of cheap card readers just in case.

 

[lufa6977]

I'm using this (with a 2-meter extension cable):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B0BNBXVLZS

Today I ordered this standard SD card from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B09X7FXHVJ

It's the exact same brand/type as the micro-SD card that works with the A329S 3ch, except this is a 128GB card, not a 256GB one like the microSD.
Hopefully, I'll receive it tomorrow and I will let you know if the camera recognizes it.
I also order couple of cheap card readers just in case.

I was looking at prices last night for the same Kingston MicroSDXC that I bought last year. What I paid for the 1TB last year is the price for the 512GB this year. The 1TB is $60 higher this year. Ouch!!

 

[Hack_man]

I'm kicking myself for not getting extra SD cards last Summer. At this rate the price will be doubled soon.