What is eMMC? All info about the storage technology

In the beginning there was the classic hard disk, also called HDD. For a few years now, the much faster SSD disks have been on the rise and now there is also frequent talk of eMMC. We explain what eMMC means.

eMMC is a cheap alternative for not too big storage needs.

Over the years, storage space has become cheaper and cheaper. Even fast SSDs with 500 GB are quite affordable. However, with eMMC there is still a solution for other purposes.

What is eMMC - and what are the areas of application?

eMMC means "Embedded Multi Media Card". This has the following properties:

• eMMC memories are very compact and resemble SD cards.
• The storage capacity is 16 to 256 GB.
• The speed of eMMC is usually clearly below the SSD speed. In return, eMMC memories are much cheaper.
• That is why they are preferably installed in small, inexpensive notebooks like this one.
• EMMCs are also used in smartphones and tablets.

The flash memory thus makes its contribution to the popular low-price segment. Compared to HDDs, which are rarely built with these capacities anyway, eMMC speeds are harder to judge, since it depends heavily on the respective models.