Sandisk announces huge 8TB SD card for all your photo-editing needs — but there's no word on its release date or price just yet

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A world-first in storage but don’t expect to buy one this year.

Sandisk 512GB SD Card on Macbook
(Image credit: Sandisk)

Sandisk has announced a groundbreaking 8-terabyte SD card that raises the ceiling for portable external storage, though the release date and pricing are yet to be determined.

Western Digital, the parent company of Sandisk, revealed this high-capacity SD card in a press release but didn’t share details on its price or release date. It’s worth mentioning that Sandisk previously announced the first 4TB SD cards in April, with an expected release date of next year. It’s possible the 8TB version may arrive around the same time. For context, 8TB of storage can hold up to 2,000 hours of high-definition video or 2 million high-resolution photos — making it unlikely that you’ll run out of storage anytime soon.

However, it’s important to note that any SD card that’s over 2TB has an SDUC (Secure Digital Ultra Capacity) tag. This means that devices need to support SDUC otherwise these cards won’t work, which currently excludes every Apple device available. We may have to wait for the rumored M4 Macs to add support for these SDUC SD cards. In the meantime, if you need something with a lot of storage right now, you can buy a 1TB SD card on Amazon right now, which works with the best Macs, iPads, and iPhones.

Don’t wait for an 8TB SD card

Yes, an 8TB SD card sounds great in terms of both storage and size, but you can currently buy some of the best external hard drives that roughly offer the same amount of storage.

WD 20TB Elements External Hard Drive |$505$329 at Amazon

WD 20TB Elements External Hard Drive |$505 $329 at Amazon

Western Digital’s external hard drive offers a massive 20TB of storage for your Mac. It works with both PC and Mac if needed, and comes with an AC adapter and USB cable. At this price for 20TB, it blows past Sandisk’s upcoming 8TB SD card already.

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Seagate 5TB External Hard Drive | $129$112 at Amazon

Seagate 5TB External Hard Drive | $129 $112 at Amazon

Seagate’s external hard drive only requires a USB 3.0 cable, so you can plug and play whenever you want for your Mac, iPad, or iPhone. Priced at $112, it’s fantastic value for the amount of files you can store on this hard drive for safekeeping.

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LaCie Rugged 5TB External Hard Drive | $169 at Amazon

LaCie Rugged 5TB External Hard Drive | $169 at Amazon

LaCie focuses on protection as well as storage for its external hard drives. This 5TB variant can withstand drops of up to 4 feet, as well as being water and dust-resistant to all kinds of challenging terrain.

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Daryl Baxter
Daryl Baxter
Features Editor

Daryl is iMore's Features Editor, overseeing long-form and in-depth articles and op-eds. Daryl loves using his experience as both a journalist and Apple fan to tell stories about Apple's products and its community, from the apps we use every day to the products that have been long forgotten in the Cupertino archives.

Previously Software & Downloads Writer at TechRadar, and Deputy Editor at StealthOptional, he's also written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', which tells the story of the beginnings of Lara Croft and the series' early development. His second book, '50 Years of Boss Fights', came out in June 2024, and has a monthly newsletter called 'Springboard'. He's also written for many other publications including WIRED, MacFormat, Bloody Disgusting, VGC, GamesRadar, Nintendo Life, VRV Blog, The Loop Magazine, SUPER JUMP, Gizmodo, Film Stories, TopTenReviews, Miketendo64, and Daily Star.