South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics looks set to bolster its position as the world's leader in advanced memory technology with the launch of a new ultra-fast MicroSD format memory card product targeted at tablets and 4G LTE smartphones.

The new MicroSD card format is built from 20-namometer class 64Gb toggle DDR 2.0 NAND flash memory, which will initially be offered in a 16GB version using their new UHS-1 (ultra high speed) interface. The new cards are said to be capable of sequential data read speeds as fast as 80MB/sec – almost four times that of the current industry leader's maximum of 21MB/sec.

This marks the first time the UHS-1 technology has been implemented into Micro SD memory cards, although the technology has already featured on full size SD cards used in digital SLR cameras and video recorders.

"[The UHS-1 interface] allows consumers to enjoy high-quality images and video playback directly from the memory cards," said Wanhoon Hong, Samsung's executive vice president for memory sales and marketing. "Our UHS-1 card demonstrates how Samsung plans to continually expand its line-up of memory cards in accommodating the market need for higher densities and greater performance."

They appear to be ideal when paired as a storage medium for 4G LTE smartphones where the increased transfer performance will match the increased bandwidth LTE devices have, as well as providing high speed data storage for tablets capable of using the MicroSD memory card design.

Samsung began production of the new 16GB UHS-1 Micro SD memory cards late last month. As production increases the firm will expand their offerings with "higher density solutions that reinforce its position as the leading market innovator for NAND flash." So it's possible we could see 32GB versions arriving later in the year.

There is currently no word on pricing or availability, but given the announcement it's likely to start appearing on store shelves within the next couple of months.