OWC announces new super-fast SD and CFexpress Type B memory cards

OWC Atlas memory cards
(Image credit: OWC, Future)

CES 2022: Storage specialist OWC has announced several new high-performance SD and CFexpress memory cards boasting some impressive specs.

The best memory cards for your camera
Best CFexpress cards
Best memory card readers

(Image credit: OWC)

The new SD card range will be known as Atlas S Pro and are capable of up to 277MB/s write and 290MB/s read speeds thanks to their UHS-II interface and V90 video speed rating. According to OWC, the cards utilize "advanced pseudo-Single-Level Cell (pSLC) flash memory to deliver 10X higher durability than ordinary SD cards and blazing-fast speed across the entire card capacity". Capacities range from 32GB to 256GB, with pricing starting at $49 and topping out at $299 for a 256GB card. All Atlas S Pro cards are backed up by a 5 year limited warranty.

(Image credit: OWC)

Next up the CFexpress Type-B cards, which are split into two separate model ranges: Atlas Pro, and Atlas Pro Ultra. Both ranges are capable of 1,500 MB/s write and 1,700 MB/s peak speeds, but stepping up to the Atlas Pro Ultra ensures a sustained 1,400 MB/s write speed, ensuring smooth 8K video capture and high-speed burst shooting. OWC states the new cards fully meet CFexpress Type B 1.0 and 2.0 specifications, are backward compatible with XQD devices and should work flawlessly with the latest Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic cameras which support CFexpress.

(Image credit: OWC)

OWC Atlas Pro cards come in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities, while Atlas Pro ultra cards can be had in either 320GB or 640GB flavors. OWC has yet to release pricing for these CFexpress cards, but retail availability is due in Q2 2022.

(Image credit: OWC)

The launch also includes a new CFexpres card reader. OWC Atlas FXR is touted as being the smallest Thunderbolt CFexpress card reader and as much as 7x smaller than some single-card CFexpress readers, with the Atlas FXR being a similar length and width to a credit card. Thunderbolt connectivity enables super-fast transfer speeds of up to 1500 MB/s, plus there's a USB Type-A adapter included to maintain compatibility with older computers (albeit at slower transfer speeds via the USB 3.2 10Gb/s connection).

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Ben Andrews

Ben is the Imaging Labs manager, responsible for all the testing on Digital Camera World and across the entire photography portfolio at Future. Whether he's in the lab testing the sharpness of new lenses, the resolution of the latest image sensors, the zoom range of monster bridge cameras or even the latest camera phones, Ben is our go-to guy for technical insight. He's also the team's man-at-arms when it comes to camera bags, filters, memory cards, and all manner of camera accessories – his lab is a bit like the Batcave of photography! With years of experience trialling and testing kit, he's a human encyclopedia of benchmarks when it comes to recommending the best buys.