microSD card
Also known as: SD card Android, expandable storage, memory card phone
A microSD card is a removable flash-memory card that adds expandable storage to phones with a card slot. Many recent flagships have dropped the slot — Samsung’s Galaxy S line since the Galaxy S21, and every Google Pixel — so you cannot expand them.
- Removable card that adds expandable storage
- No slot on Galaxy S since the S21, or on any Pixel
- Portable by default — readable on other devices
What expandable storage gives you
A microSD card slots into the phone’s tray and provides extra space for photos, videos, music, and downloads. It is portable storage by default: you can move it to another device or a card reader and read the files anywhere.
On Android you choose how each card is used in Settings > Storage, and you can move media to it with file managers or the Files by Google app.
Disappearing on flagships
High-end phones have steadily removed the slot. Samsung dropped microSD from the Galaxy S series with the Galaxy S21, and Google Pixel phones have never included one. Many midrange and budget Android phones still keep a slot.
If your phone has no slot, expandable storage is not an option — you free space by clearing files, offloading media to the cloud, or transferring it to a computer.