Which Phones Still Support SD Card Storage in 2026?

Most smartphone manufacturers have dropped expandable storage from their devices over the last few years. For anyone who shops for a new phone, this puts you in a pretty annoying situation. Manufacturers will charge you a massive markup if you want more internal storage (usually hundreds of dollars for memory that costs them around $20 to include). The other option isn’t much better - you can subscribe to a cloud storage service. But that’s going to eat through your data plan every time you access your files and it won’t work at all if you don’t have an internet connection. Anyone who used to count on SD cards to store their photos, have media available offline or move files between devices will find that compatible phones are harder and harder to find.

A handful of different user groups have been hit by this change. Mobile photographers who used to pull the SD card out of their camera and slide it right into their phone to edit photos on location - well, that workflow doesn’t work anymore. Travelers relied on this feature to download offline maps and movies without eating up their phone’s internal storage. But that option is gone too. Parents snap photos and videos of their kids all of the time, so they wind up having to delete old memories just to free up room for new ones. Rural users have inconsistent internet access, so when their connection drops (and it drops a lot), cloud backup doesn’t help them.

Getting a phone with SD card support means that you’ll have to know which phone makers still have it. The cheaper phone makers have held onto expandable storage because it gives them an advantage for price and value. Rugged phone makers design their devices for users who are out in the field and have to pull up files or documents when there’s no wifi or cell data available. A handful of makers also target tech enthusiasts and content creators who want maximum control over how much storage they can add to their device. These phones are out there. But to find the right one, you’ll need a bit of research and patience on your part.

Let’s talk about which smartphones still have expandable storage options that might work for you!

Samsung Budget Phones Still Have SD Cards

Samsung has had an interesting relationship with SD card support over the years. A few years back, they made the choice to drop microSD slots from their flagship Galaxy S series. The Galaxy S24 and S25 shipped without any option for expandable storage.

Samsung didn’t abandon SD cards across their entire lineup though. The Galaxy A series still includes microSD slots in most of their models. The Galaxy A55 and A35 support up to 1TB of expandable storage and that’s pretty generous for mid-range devices. Phones in this price range give you the freedom to add extra space whenever you need it and you won’t have to pay flagship prices just to get more storage.

Samsung still makes their Galaxy XCover line for anyone who actually needs a phone that can take a beating. The XCover 7 comes with a microSD card slot already built into it and it’s loaded with the toughness features you’d want from a rugged device. Construction workers and field technicians love this setup because they need that extra storage space and they want a phone that can survive when it gets banged around at the job site without cracking or dying on them.

This split strategy makes plenty of sense if you think about who’s actually buying these phones. Premium buyers are already spending well over $1,000 on their device and most of them have high-speed internet at home. They’re usually paying for cloud storage subscriptions already. Samsung figures that this group will use Samsung Cloud or Google Photos for their backups instead of bothering with physical memory cards.

Mid-range and budget buyers usually have very different needs around storage. A lot of these customers have smaller data plans and plenty of them would rather skip the monthly fees for cloud storage altogether. A $30 microSD card gives them 256GB of extra space without any subscription fees to worry about. Samsung keeps this group happy by keeping the SD card support available on their less expensive models.

It works out well for Samsung because they get to compete across multiple price points without having to choose just one segment. On the high end, they can match what Apple is doing with premium features and pricing. At the same time, they still give their customers the option of expandable storage if that’s what they want. One of the biggest reasons the Galaxy A series has become so popular is because they bring back features that the flagship models got rid of years ago.

Why Sony and Motorola Keep Storage Slots

A handful of phone manufacturers have turned SD card support into a defining feature of their brand. Sony is the best example of this - their Xperia line is built for photographers and video creators who swap storage cards all of the time as they’re out in the field. If you’re shooting tons of content and your card fills up, you can just pop in a fresh one and go - it’s way better than the alternative and means that you’d have to stop your work to move files somewhere else. Time spent on transfers is time that you can’t spend on the job.

Motorola takes a different strategy with their G series and Edge models. The SD card slot on these phones is designed for everyday users who want more storage without paying those flagship prices. It’s a simple way to add some extra space and it means you won’t be stuck deleting photos all of the time or uninstalling apps just to free up some room.

TCL and a few other makers that manufacture their phones in China have kept SD card slots in their lineup as well. These manufacturers primarily sell to markets where price is a big factor and their customers want the option to expand storage themselves instead of paying premium prices up front. A $30 memory card that you can pop in yourself will give you the extra space that you need for way less money compared to what most phone makers charge to upgrade when you first buy (usually $200 or more just to jump from 128GB to 256GB).

These makers use expandable storage as one of their biggest selling points and it’s how they set themselves apart from brands like Apple and Google. The industry giants want you paying for cloud storage subscriptions and buying the more expensive models with higher built-in memory. These manufacturers went in a different direction. It’s a feature that is great for anyone who wants control over their own storage without having to worry about monthly subscription fees or having to pay a lot more up front just to get a phone with more capacity.

It’s built up a pretty dedicated following over the years. Content creators are big fans because they can work with massive files and move them around without any issues. International travelers like it for a different reason - they can access everything they need even when WiFi isn’t available or reliable since the storage is local. Tech enthusiasts are probably the most enthusiastic group though and it’s mostly because they can upgrade their storage capacity whenever they want to without having to buy a new phone.

The Real Reason Phones Lost SD Cards

Phone makers have been removing SD card slots from their devices for a while now, and it’s obviously not by accident. Money is the biggest reason behind this move. When you can’t add your own storage, manufacturers force you to buy a model with more capacity already built in. Most customers wind up paying an extra $100 (or more) just to jump from 128GB to 256GB. That markup is massive if you compare it to what an SD card would actually cost if you bought one yourself and added it to your phone.

SD card slots might look small and basic. But they take up plenty of space inside your phone. Every millimeter of internal space matters when manufacturers are working to squeeze in bigger batteries or extra camera sensors into the same compact body. The slot also creates another physical opening in the device and makes waterproofing much harder than it would be otherwise. Engineers have to design and install extra seals around that opening to stop water from coming inside and damaging the parts.

Performance is something else to think about when you’re making this decision. Modern phones have a built-in storage technology called UFS, and it’s actually much faster than most SD cards you can pick up at your local electronics store. Your apps and your operating system run directly from this internal storage and that means everything is going to load faster and feel a lot more responsive when you’re on your phone.

Phone manufacturers have another reason to skip SD card slots, and it doesn’t have much to do with the hardware itself. They want you to pay for cloud storage subscriptions. Apple has iCloud, Samsung has Samsung Cloud and Google pushes Google One. These subscription services make them money every month or year and it’s a lot more profitable than selling you a phone one time and calling it a day. They can keep charging the same customer over and over for years.

All these reasons add up and that’s why most big phone makers have ditched SD card slots at this point. The official reasoning from manufacturers is that it lets them design better, sleeker phones without as much compromise, and they do make a fair point. SD cards still matter for plenty of users though, especially since they’re much cheaper compared to buying a phone with more built-in storage.

USB-C and Dual SIM Card Options

Phones without built-in SD card slots are becoming more common. A few workarounds are out there that can help add more space if you need it. They all have their own advantages and one of them will probably fit what you’re looking for.

USB-C card readers are probably the simplest way to go. The adapters are small - they plug right into your phone’s charging port and they let you pull files off a microSD card whenever you need them. For file transfers once in a while, they do the job. USB-C flash drives with dual connectors are another solid option - one side plugs into your phone and the other side plugs into your computer. Files can go back and forth between the devices much easier this way since you won’t need to hunt down extra adapters or cables every time.

A decent number of phones have what’s called a dual SIM tray and it gives you a choice between two different features. You can either add a second SIM card (which means you’ll have two phone numbers that are active on the same device), or you can skip the second SIM altogether and use that slot for a microSD card to expand your storage. Manufacturers in Asia are more likely to include this feature, though you can still find it on some international models as well. The choice is pretty easy when you know what you need - extra storage capacity or two separate phone numbers active at once.

External storage options all have tradeoffs and none of them are perfect. Most will add some extra bulk to your setup since you’ll have to carry one more accessory around with you. Wireless ones are convenient until you see that they drain your battery much faster - your phone has to run an active connection the entire time you use them. Card readers and flash drives stick out from your phone when they’re plugged in and this gets awkward fast when you’re trying to use your phone normally. External options do work well for some tasks or in situations where you need that extra space. Built-in expandable storage that comes with your phone is more convenient for everyday use though.

Trade Your Old Phone for Cash Today

The way you actually use your phone on a day-to-day basis plays a big part in which option makes the most sense. You might be comfortable with cloud storage that takes care of most of your photos and videos, or you might want to have everything saved directly on the device itself. Cloud services work well in some situations. But they fall short if you travel frequently or if you’d rather not add another monthly subscription to your bills.

Plenty of customers find that cloud storage actually works out as a solid middle ground. Manufacturers might eventually bring SD card slots back to their high-end models if the demand stays strong. Until then, we’re limited to whatever options are currently available.

At ecoATM, we make the whole process much easier when you’re ready to move on from your old phone and get something that fits your storage needs better. With more than 6,000 kiosks around the country, you can get your device evaluated right there and walk out with cash on the same day (or pick an electronic payout instead).

The money can go toward your next phone and your old device gets recycled responsibly. Find a kiosk near you and check out what your phone is worth!