Are you looking to add blazing fast storage to upgrade your MacBook Pro? Older MacBook Pros with 128GB of storage only have as much space as the larger iPad Pro. Thankfully, Transcend has engineered a solution called the JetDrive Lite 360. This is the answer that many of us have been looking for instead of buying a newer MacBook Pro.

Overview

Transcend 256GB JetDrive Lite 130 Storage Expansion Card for 13-Inch MacBook Air (TS256GJDL130) Description. 256GB (MLC) Storage Expansion Card for MacBook; Max Read: 95MB/s, Max Write: 60MB/s; For MacBook Air 13' (Late 2010 - Early 2015) Compatibility with Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan is currently under verification.

The Transcend JetDrive Lite 360 256GB is a fast, compact memory card upgrade for a MacBook Pro’s SDXC card slot. Installing the JetDrive Lite 360 only takes a few moments, and is similar to adding a SD card to a digital camera.

• Transcend's JetDrive Lite 130 Expansion Card gives you the chance to instantly boost the total available capacity of your MacBook Air system without the need to upgrade to a larger capacity SSD. Built-In Error Correction Code (ECC).
• 256GB (MLC) Storage Expansion Card for MacBook Max Read: 95MB/s, Max Write: 60MB/s For MacBook Air 13' (Late 2010 - Early 2015) Compatibility with Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan is currently under verification New Update JetDrive Toolbox (v1.14.3).Width:25 mmCapacity:256GB 95 MB/s read.

The box contains:

Transcend 256 Gb Jet Drive Lite 130 Expansion Card For Macs

• Transcend JetDrive Lite 360 256GB Memory Card

Transcend 256 Gb Jetdrive Lite 130 Expansion Card For Mac Pro

This is a non-volatile upgrade for your MacBook up to mid 2015 MacBook Pro 15” with Retina. Unlike other MacBook Pro storage upgrades that combine with its internal storage to create a new virtually combined disk, the JetDrive Lite 360 can be easily removed. There are multiple modules to choose from depending on the year and model of your MacBook or MacBook Pro.

The Transcend memory card arrives in a small box and offers an optional downloadable Mac app to enable extra features. The process for adding this hardware upgrade is as simple as plugging it into the MacBook Pro’s memory card slot.

It can be used like a fast SD card for extra storage or with the help of the JetDrive Toolbox app, it offers Power Save and Recovery. Use the Recover function to restore accidentally deleted MP3, videos, images, and PDF files. Enable the Power Save function to automatically eject the JetDrive Lite 360 before the Mac enters Standby mode and remount it upon the next wake up.

Transcend built its JetDrive Lite 360 to be resistant to water, shocks and dust. If you happen to take your MacBook Pro to the desert to edit video during a video shoot, then this is the card to bring along for backup.

Easy installation and 256GB of storage sounds great but if it is not fast, why even consider it? They are built with high quality MLC flash chips and are rated to achieve read speeds of up to 95MB/s and write speeds of up to 60MB/s. Use the memory for fast TimeMachine backups from within your Mac, now that is cool.

Use the JetDrive Lite 360 for fast backups, rendering large photo sets and much more. This memory disk would also be great for transferring your massive iTunes and iPhoto libraries too.

Final Thoughts

The Transcend JetDrive Lite 360 upgrade does exactly what it says it will, expand the MBPro’s internal storage space with an extra 256GB of high speed memory. If your MacBook Pro 15” is like mine, its internal memory storage is always full and this card makes for a quick and worthwhile upgrade.

Transcend 256 Gb Jetdrive Lite 130 Expansion Card For Mac X

A caveat I see with the JetDrive Lite 360 is that it is not compatible with the MacBook Pro that has the Touch Bar, as it does not have a memory card slot. However, the next macOS should recognize the JetDrive Lite 360 like any SD memory card. If your budget for an internal memory card expansion kit is smaller, consider Transcend’s JetDrive Lite 360 128GB option.

With everything considered, installing and using a JetDrive Lite 360 256GB in a MacBook Pro 15” with Retina screen provides a non-permanent upgrade option that anyone should be able to do on their own. The upgrade takes seconds and will give any user peace of mind that they can continue to work on projects that demand hundreds of gigabytes of fast storage with a recovery option.

Rating: 4.5/5

Price: $141.86 –Available on Amazon.

Pros:

• Takes Seconds To Install
• DIY Upgrade
• Installs Flush With MacBook Pro 15” Retina SDXC Slot
• Seamlessly Adds Fast Storage

Cons:

• Upgrade Takes Over SDXC Card Slot (Temporarily)
• May Not Be Compatible With Future MacBooks

Disclosure: I was provided with a Transcend JetDrive Lite 360 256GB disk at no cost for review. I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.