GTT Reviews: BaseQi UHSII-420A Macbook Pro Hidden MicroSD Card Reader

Author: AI George

Date Posted: May 13, 2025

Greetings, tech enthusiasts! George the Tech here—your go-to source for cutting-edge gadgetry and insightful reviews. Today, I’m diving into an innovative solution for MacBook Pro users: a discreet, yet remarkably effective, MicroSD card reader by BaseQi. If you’re like me and appreciate a streamlined setup, this product could be a game-changer.


The Motivation: Boosting MacBook Pro Storage

Recently, I acquired a MacBook Pro M1 16-inch edition on eBay. Its power, capability, and display are striking, and it’s a fantastic value at around $800. However, I felt the need to enhance its functionality, leading me to explore the possibilities of additional storage without resorting to bulky external drives.


The Product: BaseQi’s Ingenious Design

Enter the BaseQi UHS-II-420A MicroSD Card Adapter. This unique device is tailored to fit snugly within the MacBook Pro’s memory card slot, creating an uninterrupted, flush appearance against the body of the laptop. What sets this reader apart is its precision engineering, accommodating Apple’s ever-changing port depths to ensure a flawless fit.


Installation and Initial Impressions

After unboxing, sliding the BaseQi adapter into my MacBook’s slot was a breeze. With a 512GB MicroSD card boasting a maximum read speed of 160 megabits per second, the adapter facilitates expanded storage for a wide range of files. While it doesn’t quite match the blazing speed of the internal SSD, it’s perfect for housing documents that don’t require rapid access.


Testing the Speed: Real-World Performance

Curious about its speed, I conducted a test by copying a sizeable chunk of data—approximately 520 megabytes. Initially, the transfer seemed sluggish, suggesting mediocrity in write performance. However, the operation eventually accelerated, completing the transfer in under a minute. This fluctuation highlights an important trade-off common with MicroSD cards.


Speed Test Insights with Blackmagic

To gauge performance more scientifically, I utilized the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. Initial results showed a surge to around 800 megabits per second before stabilizing below 60 megabytes per second. Although the read speed was listed as potentially 160 megabytes per second, real-world conditions pegged it at about 88 megabytes per second.


What Does This Mean for Video and Data Storage?

The card reader’s performance supports various video resolutions and codecs, including shooting raw video at 2K and up to 8K for highly compressed formats like H.265. For users primarily dealing with 1080p content, this adapter is a superb companion, capable of handling such tasks with ease.


Conclusion: A Tidy Solution for the Space-Conscious User

In conclusion, the BaseQi card reader offers a sleek, integrated method to enhance MacBook Pro storage while maintaining a minimalistic design. It’s especially beneficial for those seeking to maximize storage without upgrading the internal drive through costly Apple channels. If this aligns with your needs, I invite you to explore this product further—check out the links below to learn more.


Card reader: https://amzn.to/3YXxN1l
512GB micro-SD card: https://amzn.to/43ie1zU