Best Memory Card Reader For Mac
The lack of an SD card slot on the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro is an inconvenience for photographers of all stripes who shoot with cameras other than the iPhone. The answer—as with everything else that needs to connect to the USB-C–only MacBook Pro—is an external USB-C SD card reader.
But which one? As you would expect, third parties have rushed to create adapters for everything, including memory card readers. And to no one’s surprise, the quality, specifications, and prices are all over the map.
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The Best USB-C Memory Card Readers for new MacBook Pro Updated on Oct 17, 2017 by Tuan Do If you’ve just purchased a new MacBook Pro, probably your laptop doesn’t come with an SD card slot as seen in previous generations of MacBook.
We tested six adapters that stood out among the field based on online reviews, word of mouth, and design. All of the adapters read and write to SD cards, and we tested one model—the IOGEAR USB-C 3-Slot Card Reader/Writer—that also accepts larger CompactFlash (CF) cards still used by some high-end cameras. Choosing which reader is best for you depends a lot on what you need and how much you’re willing to spend. For most people, that could turn out to be one of the least expensive of the bunch.
Before you view the picks, you may want to consult our SD Card explainer to understand the stew of acronyms and jargon the industry uses to describe memory card storage and speed.
Best card reader for speed
The SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II USB-C Reader is pricey ($49 on Amazon, and unlike the other adapters we tested, it has just a single SD card slot—no microSD, CF, or USB-A ports to extend its versatility.
But it’s fast.
On one hand, the speed is due to its UHS-II compatibility, transferring up to a theoretical 312 MBps from UHS-II memory cards that include a second row of contacts from which to read data. In our real-world tests, we recorded an average throughput of 195.45 MBps for photos and 267.67 MBps for video; the latter’s increase is due to the reduced amount of overhead needed to copy nine files versus 684 files.
That said, even when copying from more common UHS-I cards, which top out at a theoretical speed of 104 MBps, the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II USB-C Reader bested the other adapters we tested. It copied our suite of photos at a rate of 86.68 MBps and video at 101 MBps.
We also liked the fairly compact design, with its bendy neck and minimal footprint, although the angle of the case where you insert the SD card makes extracting a card less elegant than needed.
But if you’re shooting with a camera that works with UHS-II cards and you need the fastest copy turnaround, the cost is worth it.
Best value for UHS-II cards
If you’re willing to give up a few seconds and don’t want to pay a premium for speed, the Verbatim USB-C Pocket Card Reader is nearly as fast as the SanDisk Extreme Pro when copying from UHS-II cards and costs just $17 on Amazon.
Cac Card Reader For Mac
In our testing, we found an average throughput of 179.36 MBps for photos and 221.89 MBps when transferring video files. The Verbatim reader is a little more bulky, and sports a short cable for the USB-C plug, but it also features slots for SD and Micro SD cards.
Best combination of price and performance
What if, like most current photographers, you’re not yet capturing to UHS-II cards? For an adapter that has a great combination of price and performance, we like the Cable Matters USB 3.1 Type-C Dual Slot Card Reader ($12 on Amazon).
We expected to run into tradeoffs at this price, but the Cable Matters adapter was almost as fast as the SanDisk adapter. Our photos transferred at 82.17 MBps, while videos zipped along at 95.6 MBps.
The adapter has dedicated SD and microSD card slots that can be used simultaneously, and a discrete LED to indicate the adapter is getting power. With dimensions of just 2.8 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches and a 6-inch cable, it doesn’t add bulk to any bag.
If you don’t need UHS-II compatibility, the Cable Matters USB 3.1 Type-C Dual Slot Card Reader is the one to get.
How we tested
We copied two sets of photos and videos from a SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC card rated at 95 megabytes per second (MBps). For photos, we timed three transfers of 12.9GB of JPEG and raw images (684 files) and averaged the results. For video transfer, we copied 31GB (9 files) from the same card.
We also copied the same files using a SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC UHS-II card rated at 280 MBps to test the difference that UHS II compatibility affords. And for the CF reader, we used a SanDisk Extreme CF card rated at 120 MBps (UDMA 7) to copy 7.7GB of JPEGS (402 files), since that card’s capacity maxed out at 16GB.
All of the testing was done on a 2016 MacBook Pro with TouchBar equipped with a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. We used the Image Capture utility to facilitate the transfer of photos, and copied the video files using the Finder.
Bottom line
If you really need the top speeds afforded by UHS-II cards and devices that read them, we recommend the SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II USB-C Reader. For everyone else, however, our favorite USB-C memory card reader is the Cable Matters USB 3.1 Type-C Dual Slot Card Reader. It’s fast, small, and inexpensive—the attributes you want so you can spend your time and money on capturing photos.
To read the full reviews of each product we tested, click the product name in the list below, and then click the “Read the full review” link that appears.
Ten second boot-up. Photoshop running in mere seconds. There are plenty of advantages to running your computer on an SSD. The sheer speed of everything never ceases to amaze, but that isn’t to say that there are no downsidesShould You Get A Solid State Drive (SSD)? [Opinion]Should You Get A Solid State Drive (SSD)? [Opinion]If you've kept up with some of the latest news about new computer parts, you may have heard about SSDs, or solid state drives. They are designed to replace your clunky, slow hard drive and...Read More. With SSD memory costing several times as much per gigabyte as traditional storage, newer MacBooks often don’t have as much storage as their older hard disk counterparts.
Best Memory Card Reader For Videos
You’ll either need to keep a close eye on your remaining disk space, or take steps to expand it. Today we’re focusing on the latter option, more specifically how you can use the SD card slot on your MacBook to increase available storage.
The Benefits of Using SD Storage
When your MacBook’s SSD starts to reach its capacity, external storagePreparing An External Hard Drive For Use With Mac OS XPreparing An External Hard Drive For Use With Mac OS XIf you've just purchased a new external hard drive for your Mac, it's important to take the time to prepare your hard drive for use with Mac OS X.Read More is one of the first logical places to look for help. Prices of external hard drives and memory sticks have never before been so low. And, truly, storing just a bit of that data on an external hard drive can take a lot of worries off your plate.
It’s hardly an integrated solution, though – however small these external hard drives can be, you’re still forced to carry around an additional piece of hardware.
The answer comes in the form of another type of external storage: the SD card. Apart from the 11″ MacBook Air (the smallest model on the market), all MacBooks have SD card slots. A few of you may use it to offload pictures from your camera, but most users never realise it’s there. Like other storage media, SD card prices are at an all time low. A decent-sized SD card isn’t cheap, but it’s a great trade-off in terms of size, speed and portability.
Storage and Speed Limitations
Obviously, an SD card won’t get you the the terabytes of extra storage that’s available in the form of external hard drivesThe 8 Best Portable Hard Drives You Can Buy Right NowThe 8 Best Portable Hard Drives You Can Buy Right NowRead More. However, you can add a decent chunk of storage to supplement your MacBook’s internal hard drive. The exact amount of storage you can add depends on what type of SD cards are supported by your MacBook.
Storage: SDHC vs SDXC
Most recent Macs support SDXC cards. These theoretically support up to 2 TB of storage. In reality, you can purchase a 128GB SDXC card for a bit over 80 bucks. There are also 256GB SDXC cards for sale, but only for ludicrous prices.
SDXC cards are supported by the following Apple computers:
- MacBook Pro (Early 2011 and later)
- MacBook Air (Mid 2011 and later)
- Mac mini (Mid 2011 and later)
- iMac (Mid 2011 and later)
Sd Card Readers For Mac
SDHC, with a storage cap of 32GB, is also supported by the following Apple computers:
- Mid 2010 Mac Mini
- Mid 2010 iMac
Speed
SD cards are ranked from Class 1 to Class 10. Class 10 means that the card has a write speed of about 10MB per second or higher (by comparison, a standard hard drive writes at about 20MB per second). Higher end Class 10 SDXC cards have write speeds of about 20MB per second, comparable to standard hard drives.
Make sure to check the speed rating of the SD card you’re buying. Speed is one of the main differences between SD cards in different price classes, so you should always go for the fastest card you can afford.
Protrusion or Special Adapters
When you plug in an SD card, it usually protrudes as little. This isn’t strange, because the SD card slot wasn’t designed to serve as a permanent storage solution. If you use regular SD cards, you’ll have to handle your MacBook with care if you leave the SD card in. However, there’s another solution.
There are a couple of Micro SD adapters on the market that are specifically tailored to fit your specific MacBook model. These Micro SD adapters won’t protrude at all! Using these adapters, you can add SD storage to your MacBook without any of the disadvantages. You can keep all your USB ports, and you’ll hardly even notice it’s there.
However, to use these adapters, you’ll have to buy a Micro SD card instead of a regular one. These Micro SD cards are only as big as your pinky nail, so you’ll pay a bit more for the same amount of storage. The notes on speed and compatibility, discussed above for regular SD cards, remain the same.
Check out the Nifty MiniDrive [No Longer Available], MiniDrive ($19.99) or search eBay for imitation models like the Baseqi HiddenSuit and make sure to double check that the adapter corresponds to your MacBook model.
How do you tackle storage issues with your MacBook? Have you ever considered adding SD storage? Let us know in the comments section below the article!
Explore more about: Computer Memory, Memory Card.
I like the Transcend SD Cards which have a flush plate which creates a smooth interface with the MacBook Pro, and you can catch it with your fingernail to remove.
Have used them for years.
No noticeable additional energy use.hi
i also had this idea in my mind but wasn't sure if its going to workthanks for the infos
u helped me made a dicision
Hello Mate,
Great information, many thanks.
What i don't understand on Ebay they are selling 128GB Sandisk around $82 bucks, at 80MB/s
That's SDXC Class 10.
And other SDXC Class 10 cards are only 40MB/s
Same brand Same class etc, but lesser transfer.Thank you.
Tas.Hi, i was just wondering if it was possible to get my Mid 2014 Macbook Pro to read an SD card as if it were internal storage, similar to how people run dual hard drive setups?
Hi Simon
I have Transcend JetDrive Lite 128GB for Macbook Pro. Its really helpful as my SSD is just 128GB. Now the problem i am facing is, whenever my Macbook goes to sleep after inactivity, the SD card gets ejected automatically. Every time this happens, i have to remove the card and insert it again. Any solution for this?
Yes, look at this page: http://www.atpeaz.com/index.php/2013/automaticlly-eject-external-disks-on-sleep-reconnect-after-os-x/
It is a bit technical, but it works.
Thanks guys for this complete article ! I was my self looking for a solution and I found this amazing offer on Amazon US -> PNY 254Go SDXC 10 for a 100bucks and a really good rating:
This is half the price of other same category SD card.
So I thought I needed to share my find
Have a nice day
Do you know what impact this extra card has on battery life in a Mac Book Air?
When the SSD got down to the last few GBs I went for a cheap 16GB micro usb device (which is also now full!), i dont know why i didnt think of this though, its a brilliant idea.
I'll be adding 64GB using the discrete micro sd option in the next few days.
Good call guys.