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.
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 microSDXC UHS-II Card delivers transfer speeds of up to 275MB/s ** so you can get to your videos faster than ever before. Use the included USB 3.0 reader for convenient transfers and take the bottleneck out of enjoying even your most massive 4K UHD video files 2. 2,454 results for micro sdxc card reader. See more like this MINI 5Gbps Super Speed USB 3.0 Micro SD/SDXC TF Card Reader Adapter For Mac/OS u. New listing Memory Card Reader To USB 2.0 - Adapter for Micro SD SDHC SDXC TF. 33 product ratings. £1.65; Free Postage.
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
E-reader For Mac
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.
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.
Adobe Reader For Mac
Items in search results
Sony Reader For Mac
New USB 3.0 High Speed Micro SDXC SD TF Memory Card Reader 2 in 1 Windows /MAC
High Quality✔✔ Transfer Pics & Data in a Sec✔✔Fast&Free- C $7.93
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Memory Card Reader 2 in 1 Windows /MAC New USB 3.0 High Speed Micro SDXC SD TF
High Quality✔✔ Transfer Pics & Data in a Sec✔✔Fast&Free- C $7.22
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USB 3.0 High Speed Micro SDXC SD TF Memory Card Reader 2 in 1 For Windows 7 MAC
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MicroSDHC to SD Adapter für Mac Book Air/Pro 1GB bis 64GB Micro SDXC Kompatibel
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USB 3.0 High Speed Micro SDXC SD TF Memory Card Reader 2 in 1 Windows MAC Black
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Samsung EVO Plus 256GB MicroSD Micro SDXC Lightning Card with SD Adapter
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Micro SD SDXC Card 256GB High Speed Class 10 Memory SD with Adapter Phone Tablet
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USB 3.0 HIgh Speed Memory Card Reader Adapter Micro SD SDHC SDXC CF For PC&Mac
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URIDISK 400GB Micro SD SDXC Card High Speed Class 10 Memory SD Card with SD
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- 7 Sold
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2TB MICRO SD SDXC CARD WITH ADAPTER
- C $40.85
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NEW SanDisk Ultra 16GB 32GB 64GB A1 Micro SDHC/SDXC Card UHS-I C10 Full HD Video
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Kingston 64GB Micro SD SDHC / SDXC Class10 Memory Card TF 80MB /s R with Adapter
- C $13.06
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SanDisk Ultra* 80MB/s 128GB 64GB 32GB 16GB micro SD SDHC SDXC Card Lot Class10
- C $24.37
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Kingston 32GB Micro SD SDHC / SDXC Class10 Memory Card TF 80MB /s R
- C $7.95
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SanDisk A2 Extreme PRO 128GB V30 micro SDXC UHS-I U3 Card 170MB/s with Tracking
- C $48.51
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Samsung EVO Plus 32GB 64GB 128GB 256GB micro SD SDHC SDXC Lot 100MB/s 4K Class10
- C $19.75Previous PriceC $39.52
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- C $19.75
SanDisk Ultra A1 256GB 128GB 64GB 32GB 16GB micro SD SDHC SDXC Card Lot 100MB/s
- C $48.74
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Kingston 64GB Micro SD SDHC / SDXC Class10 Memory Card TF 80MB /s R
- C $13.06
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CARTE MEMOIRE MICRO SD SDXC SDHC 256 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 GO GB SAMSUNG HUAWEI
①PRIX GROSSISTE②PRODUIT ORIGINAL③GARANTIE④ENVOI RAPIDE- C $21.82
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SanDisk Extreme Pro A2 170MBs 128GB 64GB 32GB micro SD SDHC SDXC Card Lot C10 4K
- C $29.11
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USB 2.0 Micro SD Memory Card Reader Adapter Micro SD SDHC SDXC For PC&Mac
- C $5.07Previous PriceC $7.25
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- +C $39.47 shipping
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- C $5.07
SanDisk Ultra 16GB 32GB 64GB micro SDHC/SDXC Memory Card 80MB/s full HD Videos
- C $15.14
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Kingston 80MB 8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB micro SD HC / SDXC UHS-I Class10 Memory Card
- C $6.36
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Kingston 80MB 8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB Micro SD SDHC SDXC Class10 Memory Card TF
- C $7.95
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Kingston 80MB /s 32GB Micro SD SDHC SDXC UHS-I Class10 Memory Card with Adapter
- C $7.95
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Kingston 80MB/s 256GB 128GB 64GB 32GB 16GB micro SD SDHC SDXC Card Lot Class 10
- C $65.87
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- C $14.09
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SAMSUNG EVO Plus 256GB MicroSD Micro SDXC C10 Flash Memory Card with SD Adapter
- C $17.12
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Takuna 400GB Micro SD SDXC Card High Speed Class 10 Memory With Adapter New
- C $48.76Previous PriceC $51.33
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Kingston 32GB Micro SD SDHC / SDXC Class10 Memory Card TF 80MB /s R with Adapter
- C $7.95
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Samsung EVO Plus micro SD microSD SDHC SDXC 100MB/s 4K Class 10
- C $38.63
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- C $39.52
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- C $13.06
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- C $6.59
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Samsung EVO 256GB 128GB 64GB 32GB micro SD SDHC SDXC Lot 100MB/s* Card Class10
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- C $32.92
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