BASEQI FBA iSDA504ASV Aluminum MicroSD Adapter for MacBook Pro 15" Retina (Late 2013 - Mid 2015)

4.5 Stars! What a BRILLIANT and easy way to add 2TB of storage to my MacBook Pro! Now, please note that the SD card reader in your mac is NOT super fast, but it’s fast enough. If memory serves me correctly, with a fast SanDisk card, I get close to 90-100MB per sec, which is fine for general file storage to keep my internal SSD free for the heavy-lifting. Only complaints are that once it’s in snugly, it’s hard to get out, and I have to use a small flat head screwdriver, as my fingernails just can’t do it. The other complaint goes hand in hand with this, but isn’t a problem of this unit, but more so the Mac, as sometimes the card doesn’t mount, and needs to be pulled out and put back in for the computer to see it. I know this is a Mac issue (at least with my machine, but likely others as well) because this happens with regular SD cards. So you’ll want to keep something handy to pry it open when you need to. I don’t have to do it often, which is good. I highly recommend this, and the only issue is the price of high capacity Micro SD cards. But still WAY cheaper than Apple’s tax on internal SSD storage!

I rarely write reviews, but this product impressed me. I had never heard of BaseQi, so was a bit skeptical on performance, reliability. I bought this on Saturday, and received it Monday, along with a Samsung EVO+ card Samsung 256GB EVO Plus Class 10 UHS-I microSDXC U3 with Adapter (MB-MC256GA/EU) Read:up to 100MB/s,Write:up to 90MB/s ! to power it.I installed the Samsung inside the BaseQi, then inserted it into my MacBook. It didn't show up on the desktop -- I ran Disk Utilities, and it didn't appear there, either. However, I then rebooted, and could then see it in Disk Utilities. Since Samsung EVO+ cards are usually formatted for Windows users (as are most micro SD cards), I immediately erased it using Disk Utilities, using the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. Note, this is an important step if you want the highest speed using a MacBook Pro... do not skip this step! (See the first attached screen shot).I also renamed it to a short name I could easily recognize (256G Card). It then immediately appeared on my desktop -- but I have that option turned on in my Finder Preferences --> General panel. See Screen shot #2. (I recommend you show the "CD, DVDs, and iPods" option in the "Show these items on the desktop" section of the General panel of Finder Preferences -- at least until you get used to using this card -- without that checked, you won't see the card on your desktop).Interestingly, if you want to see it in your Devices list in every Finder window's sidebar, you must select "External Devices" in the Finder Preferences "Sidebar" panel. I don't know which should be correct "CDs, DVDs, and iPods" in the General panel, a "Edxternal Drives" in the Sidebar panel (see screen shot #3 below), but know that the options ARE different in the Finder Prefs.I then tried copying a 2 GB file from my internal 1TB SSD drive to the new card -- it was surprisingly fast. I tried another file and measured the speed. It transferred at a speed of 85 MB/s (the Samsung Card is rated at 90 MB/s write speed). I then copied several files to the card with no problem. Finally, I tried copying a 1 GB file from the card back to my internal SSD, and it was amazingly fast -- I clocked it at 95 MB/s. I know this is a measurement of the Samsung card, and not the BaseQi adapter, but my point is that the BasQi adapter didn't appear to throttle or choke the speed in any way. I was very impressed.I also tried shutting my laptop, and opening it again several times, but the card remained on the desktop. I also used the "Sleep" menu, then woke it up again. No problems with it auto-remounting like other people reported here in other reviews. Perhaps Apple fixed this problem with the latest Finder. I'm using Mac OS Sierra (10.12.6)I know I've used this for only 24 hours, but so far no problems. I'll update this review if I ever find any issues that make me less than 100% satisfied.I've been struggling with a full 1TB SSD drive on my MacBook for over a year now -- it runs hot, and I know keeping less than 1% of free space has been causing a lot of terrible wear on the same spot on that SSD, reducing its life expectancy. Using this now has allowed me to free over a hundred GB of space on my SSD, which should extend its life considerably. I know, I could use an external drive for offloading files, but I have already done this with several terabytes of data, and I still need at least 1TB of data with me when I'm away from my desk. Highly recommended!!

I bought this for my 15 inch 2015 MPB I picked up from Ebay with no internal drive. I Installed a 128 GB drive from a previous upgrade from another Mac but needed something quick until I purchased another drive. I had several micro sd cards that I never use and decided to get this adapter. Put a 128 GB micro in this adapter and formatted it to apfs. So far it works great and it hasn't unmounted itself at all. It also fits my 14 inch 2021 Macbook Pro but sticks out just a little. It fits flush in my 2015 MBP.

I purchased the item to be able to port files more easily without having to remove the SD card. The standard SD card adapter, when fully inserted into my MacBook Pro, protrudes 1.5cm. The BaseQI adapter allows me to read from the micro SD card. However, it does not sit flush with the laptop. When fully inserted, the item protrudes approximately 2mm.

This little device is terrific. If you have a MacBook Pro manufactured within the date range listed (mine is a late 2013 model), you take this little guy, pop in a 200Gb micro SDXC card, and slip it in the SDXC card slot of your Mac. You won't even see it, as it sits flush with the computer's body. Voila! My MacBook Pro now has an extra 200Gb of storage space! (I use mine to store my iTunes library, plus my iPhoto library.) It's great because it allows me to offload those files and buy back that space (my iTunes library at points has been around 150Gb since I have a lot of lossless ALAC and FLAC files in it.) But you can just as easily use it for anything else: documents storage, raw photos storage, etc. Since it's connected via the SDXC slot, as long as you are using a fast card, you get transfer rates that are quite acceptable should you ever need to copy or move between the card and the built in storage.It;s not all gravy. You are, of course, giving up your SDXC slot, so, should you need it to transfer photos, you'll either have to temporarily pull this card out, or transfer your photos via a USB-enabled card transfer device. But for me, this is not an issue, because having that extra space is much more important, and I can always transfer photos via USB. The cool thing is that it should not be too long before the 512Gb micro-SDXC cards are out, and then I'll be essentially increasing my internal storage space of my Mac by 50%! Talk about extending the life of a computer!The device itself is well constructed, and uses an aluminum front panel so that it perfectly matches the computer's case. No one will ever even notice it. I leave mine in all the time.This is an easy five-star device that offers great exansion capabilities at a reasonable price, and in a manner that blends right in with the Mac. I highly recommend it!