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From being advertised as cell phones you can connect to the internet, to now offering advanced AI features and impressive camera performance, smartphones have come a long way. In the pursuit of achieving sleek and premium designs with glass backs and foldable screens, a few sacrifices had to be made. Most notably, we had to bid farewell to removable batteries and the 3.5-millimeter headphone jack. Another experience many may have forgotten was the ability to pop in an SD card and expand your phone’s storage in a jiffy.
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Services like iCloud and Google One have emerged as solutions to deal with low phone storage, and allow users to offload photos, videos, and other documents to the cloud. Despite how seamless cloud storage has gotten, you still have to pay a subscription fee every month or year just to have access to your items.
While it’s true that nearly most smartphones released in the past few years have dismissed the micro SD card slot in favor of higher internal capacities, there are still a few options that cater to those who require expandable storage. Based on expert reviews, we have formulated a list of current-gen smartphones with micro SD card support you can buy. A slightly more detailed methodology can be found at the end of this read.
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Sony Xperia 1 V: A truly premium offering
Though Sony rarely tops any smartphone lists or buying guides anymore, its Xperia lineup of devices has consistently been offering top-of-the-line hardware for a few years, and has fallen into a niche targeted towards the camera-centric crowd. For a flagship retail price of $1,399, the Sony Xperia 1 V checks all the boxes, and then some.
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Not only do you get a microSDXC slot, but a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack as well. Pair that with the phone’s tall 6.5-inch 4K 120Hz OLED screen, and you’ll realize nothing else comes close to being such a complete media powerhouse. Specs-wise, the Xperia 1 V is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, 12 GB of RAM, and up to 512 GB of UFS 4.0 internal storage — which is expandable up to a 1TB via the shared SIM slot.
Although the newer Xperia 1 VI sports a micro SD card slot too, the device sadly isn’t available for the U.S. market. Despite being a generation older, the Sony Xperia 1 V offers features that are less likely found among most other smartphones. As explored in Tom’s Guide’s review, those who appreciate manual control when clicking photos or recording videos will feel right at home with the Xperia 1 V dedicated shutter button and the Photography Pro app.
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Samsung Galaxy A35: A well-rounded option
Over the years, we’ve seen some of the best and worst Samsung smartphones, and it is thanks to the company’s willingness of branching out to nearly every price point that there’s a Samsung phone for everyone. At $399, the Galaxy A35 represents the upper-budget range of Samsung’s smartphones. While it cuts corners in areas like performance, camera quality, and display resolution, it benefits from a micro SD card slot that’s missing in even the expensive cutting-edge foldables that Samsung manufactures.
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Apart from expandable storage and a physical SIM slot, you can use an eSIM with the Galaxy A35. According to CNET’s review, the Galaxy A35 has a capable set of cameras that can capture both indoor and outdoor adventures with good detail. There’s a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display up front that refreshes at 120Hz, which is ample screen real estate to enjoy movies or play games. Though it’s devoid of other Galaxy AI features, you do get Circle to Search on the Galaxy A35.
Samsung promises up to four generations of OS updates, which, given its recent track record, adds an extra layer of reliability. You also get an IP67 water and dust certification, which is often a rarity in budget-oriented smartphones. Although the Galaxy A35 only comes in a 128GB storage variant, a micro SD card can add expandability of up to 1TB.
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Moto G Stylus 5G: For the note-takers
While there’s a market for third-party stylus pens for Android devices, nothing comes close to the likes of the Galaxy Note and Ultra series of phones that offer this functionality built-in. The Moto G Stylus 5G by Motorola brings this experience down to an affordable $399 — a fraction of what the Galaxy S24 Ultra would cost you.
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More importantly, the Moto G Stylus 5G has support for expandable storage via a micro SD card slot — allowing you to go past the base 256GB of internal storage it brings. If you do decide to store media on your SD card, the Moto G Stylus’ 6.7-inch FHD+ display and Dolby Atmos audio should provide for an enjoyable movie watching experience.
In SlashGear’s review, we had no trouble playing considerably high-end games like “Genshin Impact” on the Moto G Stylus 5G, and the 120Hz refresh rate can come in clutch while running less demanding titles. The device has a decent pair of cameras that hold their ground against other phones in this segment, and even compare well to older flagship devices. Overall, if you’re in the market for a phone with stylus support and expandable storage up to 2TB, the Moto G Stylus is a solid option.
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CMF Phone 1: Refreshingly different
In late 2023, Nothing launched its sub-brand, dubbed CMF, and has since released a handful of devices ranging from wireless earbuds to GaN chargers. The CMF Phone 1 incorporates the same playful design as the other products in the company’s catalog. For a starting price of $239 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, the CMF Phone 1 comes in three distinct colors with an interchangeable back cover and a mechanism to mount different accessories, like a lanyard or a kickstand.
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The phone has a 120Hz 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, and is backed by a 5,000 mAh battery. Like its older siblings, the CMF Phone 1 runs Nothing OS, which features a largely minimal UI with no bloatware. More importantly, the device comes with the option to expand its storage up to 2TB via a micro SD card slot.
It’s worth noting that the CMF Phone 1 is officially sold as part of the Nothing Beta Program. While you can grab the device directly through Amazon, support for 5G is very limited in the U.S. — as explained in Android Central’s review of the same. Still, the CMF Phone 1 is a breath of fresh air in this sea of identical-looking smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy A15: Expandable storage on a budget
When we said Samsung operates at every budget, we weren’t kidding. At $199, the Galaxy A15 costs a fifth of most high-end flagships you can buy, including Samsung’s own Galaxy S24 Ultra. While you do make sacrifices in performance, camera quality, and other features, the Galaxy A15 is a perfectly capable entry-level Android smartphone. Ironically, the support for expandable storage via its micro SD card slot checks a box that most expensive phones skimp out on.
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You do still get to enjoy content on the phone’s 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display that refreshes at a respectable 90Hz. Android Authority’s review of the Galaxy A15 praises its 5,000 mAh battery that can last two days between charges. While performance might fall short compared to other phones, Samsung’s OneUI skin on top of Android has improved considerably in the past few years.
The Galaxy A15 features a triple camera setup on its rear, accommodating a wide, ultrawide, and a macro sensor. The phone does have a predominantly plastic build, with noticeable bezels all around — but still manages to pack in a fingerprint scanner on its side for fast and secure authentication. Like the Galaxy A35, Samsung promises up to four years of OS updates and five years of security patches.
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How these phones were chosen
Picks on this list were made based on expert reviews from trusted publications like Android Authority, CNET, Android Central, and Tom’s Guides. All phones mentioned here were released in the recent past, and should benefit from timely Android updates from their manufacturers. We also made sure there was a healthy variety of options on this list — from the premium flagship-tier internals of the Sony Xperia 1 V, to the essentials that the affordable Samsung Galaxy A15 offers.
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Devices like the Moto G Stylus 5G and CMF Phone 1 also bring certain unique aspects like a stylus or interchangeable back covers to the mix. You can buy some of the best microSD cards for your Android phone for not a whole lot of money, too. Most of these phones feature a dedicated micro SD card slot, while some opt-in for a shared SIM slot. Regardless, it should take no longer than a minute to pop in an SD card and enjoy expanded storage on your phone.
