This cute little SD card will double the storage of your MacBook Pro

(Image credit: Transcend)

Replacing the hard drive or SSD in your laptop can be a daunting task and this is even more true on a MacBook which is why many users turn to external hard drives or cloud storage services instead.

With the release of the MacBook Pro 2021 though, Apple decided to bring back the SD card slot so that creative professionals could easily download photos and videos from their DSLR cameras. Even if you’re not a photographer though, you can still leverage the SD card slot in the new MacBook Pro to easily expand the storage capacity of your Mac.

This is the idea behind Transcend’s latest SD card which was exclusively designed for the MacBook Pro 2021 and allows users to add up to 1TB of additional storage to their laptops at a fraction of what it would cost to do so through Apple.

Transcend JetDrive Lite 330

The Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 is available in several different configurations depending on your storage needs and MacBook Pro users can add either 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or even 1TB of storage to their device in just a few seconds.

The SD card itself is built using high-quality NAND flash and it delivers read speeds of up 95 Mbps and write speeds of up to 75Mbps. According to a press release from Transcend, the JetDrive Lite 330 is manufactured using chip-on-board technology and the SD card is resistant to water, dust and shock to provide extra protection for the data stored on it.

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Transcend also provides a free data recovery tool called RecoveRx which allows users to bring back their deleted files. Due to the high capacity of the JetDrive Lite 330, the SD card is well suited for both Time Machine backups and large iTunes libraries.

In addition to the MacBook Pro 2021, the JetDrive Lite 330 also supports the MacBook Pro 13 from late 2012 to early 2015. However, Transcend makes other JetDrive Lite expansion cards to support other MacBook models.

Starting at just $37 for the 128GB model and going all the way up to $250 for the 1TB model, the Transcend JetDrive Lite 330 provides an affordable way to add storage space to your existing MacBook without having to purchase a new device.

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After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.