The issue of storage in laptops or tablets is a big, important topic and often leads to endless debates. This is often one of the main features most advertised by manufacturers, but is also what makes users most easily fooled, especially when we seem to only care about numbers, defaulting to that bigger is better without knowing the long stories surrounding how big an impact memory standards have.
In low-cost products or laptops and tablets that emphasize mobility, you will often see the memory on the device advertised as eMMC, short for embedded MultiMediaCard. Meanwhile, in more expensive, high-end models, we see the presence of solid-state drives (SSD). So how are SSDs and eMMCs different and which one should you use? Let's find out right below.
Overview of USB and SD
Two popular data storage media, USB and SD memory cards, both have one thing in common: they use Flash memory, especially NAND Flash. More specifically, the USB drive will be made up of a flash memory chip, mounted on a printed circuit board, along with a controller and connection port according to the USB standard (USB interface). Meanwhile, SD memory cards will be made up of a flash memory chip along with a printed circuit board and SD controller. Both USB and SD card storage media are very compact, simply because they are designed for optimal portability as well as the best possible price.
What is eMMC?
MMC is the forerunner of the type of storage that we today often call secure digital storage (Secure Digital – SD). MMC still exists, but is more commonly used as an embedded version (eMMC).
Regarding the definition, characteristics, and features of eMMC, we have a separate article, you can refer to the following article: What is eMMC?
How fast is eMMC?
The current standard for eMMC storage standard is 5.1, which can provide signal transfer efficiency up to about 400MB/s, on par with SATA SSDs.
However, it's not just the overall data transfer rate that determines how your device's performance will be affected. eMMC storage typically operates with fewer memory ports than an SSD, meaning it can still transfer data at the same speed as an SSD, just with a slight difference in data volume. just whether.
To make it easier to understand, think of it like a road. More lanes means more vehicles can move at the same time. eMMC is a one-lane, one-way road, while SSD is like a multi-lane highway. You can travel at the same speed range on both roads, but the number of vehicles moving on each road will be very different.
If you want a storage mechanism that delivers the fastest possible data delivery speeds, a PCIe SSD is a worthy choice. A device that supports the PCIe standard can achieve read speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s, while write speeds will be a bit slower – around 2,100 MB/s – but overall still much faster than the eMMC standard. .
The best software to test the read and write speed of SSD and HDD hard drives
What is the maximum storage space that eMMC can achieve?
If you've ever owned a cheap laptop or tablet, you're probably no stranger to numbers like 32GB or 64GB of internal memory. These are the most common sizes of eMMC storage drives, but you can also find a few devices using eMMC with storage capacities up to 128GB. eMMC storage works best with small file sizes (avoiding blockages that can easily occur in ports), so if you regularly work with large files, an SSD is the way to go. more reasonable choice.
Meanwhile, SSD drives are often available in much larger sizes than eMMC, usually ranging from 128GB to terabytes, and of course the price will also be relatively higher. In fact, there are many people who initially choose to buy eMMC because they are cheap and choose to buy eMMC, but then have to spend a lot of money on cloud storage services or buy additional removable hard drives, leading to the final amount of money being spent. The output is much larger than when buying an SSD. Therefore, if your job requires storing a large amount of data, don't hesitate to invest immediately in a large capacity SSD device to avoid troubles related to storage space later.
How are eMMC and SSD different?
Although both storage devices use NAND flash memory, there are many differences between eMMC and SSD.
Is eMMC or SSD faster?
In general, SSD is faster than eMMC. The difference in speed arises from the number of NAND gates found in each drive. To reduce costs, most eMMC drives have only one NAND port, while SSDs can have up to 20 ports.
eMMC delivers average data transfer speeds of up to 400MB/s. While this is by no means slow and SATA SSDs offer the same data transfer speeds, the lower number of NAND ports makes a difference here. The more NAND gates there are, the higher the data transfer speed the drive can achieve.
The fastest PCIe 3.0 SSD has faster transfer speeds than eMMC drives, providing data transfer speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s. Additionally, PCIe 4.0 SSDs are twice as fast. Data writing speed is also significantly faster than eMMC drives.
How is the storage capacity of eMMC and SSD different?
Storage capacity is another aspect where SSDs dominate. Most eMMC drives come in capacities from 32GB to 256GB, although the maximum available is 512GB. 64GB and 128GB eMMC drives are common. That doesn't mean eMMC can't be produced with higher capacities; it's just that a lower number of NAND gates will cause slow data transfer speeds. Therefore, eMMC works best with smaller capacities.
When it comes to SSDs, you can find all kinds of capacities ranging from 128GB to multiple terabytes. As you might guess, this makes much more sense for computers or any device that requires large amounts of storage, as the typical eMMC size leaves little space for extras after you The operating system and essential programs have been loaded onto the drive.

Differences in price and availability in the market
While both types of memory are available online and offline, the main difference lies in the price. Depending on capacity, underlying technology, and form factor, SSDs range in price from $15 to over $200.
In terms of eMMC memory, Kingston's 64GB eMMC module will only cost you around $11, while the 32GB module costs almost half that at $6. Prices will vary slightly by manufacturer, but they are more or less the same if you compare the same capacity. You also have to keep in mind that most people won't go out and buy eMMC specifically because it's embedded on the motherboard and difficult to replace, but it will contribute to the price of the device you buy.
Use case
As you might guess, SSDs are used anywhere you need a more permanent data storage solution, like a computer or console. On the other hand, eMMC is often found on low-cost computers or temporary storage devices such as USB flash drives.
If you're looking to save money on storage and thinking of choosing the highest capacity eMMC module, keep in mind that you may have trouble attaching it to your computer – after all then it is “embedded” memory.
On the contrary, investing in a good SSD with suitable capacity will cost you more initially, but you will not have to deal with frequent memory shortages. Additionally, you can also buy another SSD with higher capacity whenever you want and increase the storage capacity without much hassle.
So should we stay away from eMMC?
The eMMC standard with smaller storage space is not too bad, especially when it costs a lot cheaper than SSD. There is certainly still a market and demand for eMMC, especially in the category of affordable popular mobile devices, for those who are not too strict about space and storage speed. reserve. However, in terms of durability, eMMC will degrade over time faster than SSD, leading to the device operating unstable or worse, becoming unusable.
Whether you should choose to buy eMMC storage standard or not will depend on your budget and actual usage purposes. Answer questions like how much money you can spend, and what you can use the device for. If you need a cheap tablet or laptop to surf the web and watch movies, listen to music, study and have light entertainment, eMMC memory will be enough to meet your needs. Remember that eMMC memories are not all the same, and you'll definitely want to check out the speed benchmarks before making your final decision.
If you plan to use the laptop for heavier tasks, such as gaming and graphic design, for example, the SSD will be a top priority. Just like eMMC, not all SSDs are manufactured to the same standards and there are many slow, unstable devices on the market. Read reviews and check the device's benchmark scores before spending your money to ensure you're getting a drive with the speeds you need.
In addition, traditional hard drives (HDD) are also a slightly “old” option but still worth considering, especially if you have to handle large files and don't have enough money. to buy SSDs. However, overall you will be much happier with an SSD, I'm sure!
Hope you choose to buy a product you like!