CFexpress is a standard for

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by the CompactFlash Association (CFA). The standard uses the

NVM Express NVM Express (NVMe) or Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface Specification (NVMHCIS) is an open, logical-device interface functional specification, specification for accessing a computer's non-volatile storage media usually attached via th ...

protocol over a

PCIe PCI Express (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), officially abbreviated as PCIe, is a high-speed standard used to connect hardware components inside computers. It is designed to replace older expansion bus standards such as Peripher ...

interface. 3 different form factors are available, with 1 to 4 PCI-E lanes available.

History

On 7 September 2016, the CompactFlash Association announced the CFexpress standard, with specifications based on the PCI Express interface and NVM Express protocol. On 18 April 2017 the CompactFlash Association published the CFexpress 1.0 specification. Version 1.0 will use the XQD form-factor (38.5 mm × 29.8 mm × 3.8 mm) with two PCIe 3.0 lanes for speeds up to 2 GB/s. NVMe 1.2 is used for low-latency access, low overhead and highly parallel access. On 13 June 2017, Delkin introduced the first CFexpress cards based on the CFexpress 1.0 specification. The CFexpress 2.0 standard was announced on 28 February 2019. It features two new card formats - a more compact Type A with one lane, and a larger Type C with four lanes. Existing cards designated as Type B. The NVM Express protocol was upgraded to 1.3. The CFexpress 4.0 standard was announced on 28 August 2023. CFexpress 4.0 supports up to four PCIe 4.0 lanes, at 2 GB/s per lane - twice as fast as CFexpress 2.0. The NVM Express protocol was upgraded to 1.4c.

Comparison

Form factors

CFexpress supports the following card sizes. The larger form factors have more electrical contacts, allowing more PCIe lanes to be used. Type A is similar in size to an

SD card Secure Digital (SD) is a proprietary, non-volatile, flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA). Owing to their compact size, SD cards have been widely adopted in a variety of portable consumer electronics, including dig ...

. As of 2023, Sony is the only camera manufacturer that has adopted CFexpress Type A, using it in some of its

Sony α Sony α (the lower case to Greek language, Greek letter Alpha (letter), alpha, often transliterated as ''Sony Alpha'') is a brand of digital camera. This line has been active since 2006, building upon the Konica Minolta camera technologies, who ...

cameras. All Sony CFexpress slots also support UHS-II SD cards. Type B is the most popular CFexpress form factor, and is used by several camera manufacturers, including

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, DJI,

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, and

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

. It has the same size and contacts as an

XQD card The XQD card is a memory card format primarily developed for flash memory cards. It uses PCI Express as a data transfer interface. The format is targeted at high-definition camcorders and high-resolution digital cameras. It offers target r ...

, allowing a single card slot to accept both XQD and CFexpress Type B cards. Some older cameras with XQD slots have received firmware updates to allow use of a CFexpress Type B card in its XQD slot. As of 2023, no devices have implemented CFexpress Type C, and neither cards nor cameras are available. File:CFexpress Reader Card Type A.jpg, A Sony CFexpress Type A reader and card File:Panasonic CFEXPRESS CARD 128 GB & SAMSUNG SD CARD PRO PLUS 256 GB (2021 EDITION) FRONT.jpg, CFexpress Type B (left) next to an SD card (right) File:Delkin Power 256GB CFexpress Type B card.jpg, A CFexpress Type B card with contacts visible File:CFexpress Type B and SD slots on Nikon Z8 1.jpg, CFexpress Type B and SD slots on a

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camera

Notes

References

{{Memory Cards Computer-related introductions in 2016 Solid-state computer storage media Computer standards

History

Comparison

Form factors

See also

Notes

References