Reality check by Mac generation
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4 — 2020+): SSD is soldered to the logic board. NO upgrade possible without board-level work (and even then, requires firmware re-pairing — usually fails). Buy the storage you'll need at purchase time.
Intel 2018–2019 (T2 Macs): SSD is removable (proprietary connector) but T2 chip binding means upgrade requires DFU restore + firmware pairing. Possible but specialised.
Intel 2015–2017 (no T2): SSD upgrade is straightforward via NVMe + adapter card or proprietary Apple SSD. Best upgrade target.
Intel MacBook Pro 2015–2017 SSD upgrade
Adapter board (Sintech NGFF M.2 → Apple PCIe): PKR 4,000–6,000. NVMe SSD: 512GB ~ PKR 18,000, 1TB ~ PKR 32,000, 2TB ~ PKR 65,000. Fitting + macOS install: PKR 5,000–8,000.
Total: PKR 27,000 for 512GB upgrade, PKR 41,000 for 1TB, PKR 75,000 for 2TB. Excellent value vs buying a higher-storage Mac.
Intel MacBook Air 2015–2017 SSD upgrade
Air uses different SSD connector than Pro. NVMe via adapter possible but compatibility varies. PKR 25,000–55,000 depending on capacity. Some pre-2015 models max out at 1TB Apple-spec SSDs.
Intel 2018–2019 T2 Macs
Technically upgradable but requires Apple Configurator + another Mac to DFU restore. Specialised workshop work — PKR 15,000–25,000 labour above part cost. Often not worth it — better to sell + buy higher-storage M-series.
Apple Silicon storage workarounds
External Thunderbolt 3/4 SSD: 1TB Samsung T9 ~ PKR 25,000, 2TB ~ PKR 45,000. Reads/writes at 2,800 MB/s — fast enough for most work including 4K video editing.
iCloud Drive: PKR 1,290/month for 2TB. Files-on-demand keeps drive free, downloads on access.
External RAID NAS for studios: bigger investment but unlimited expandable storage.
Cost-benefit decision tree
Your Mac is 2015–2017 Pro + you need more space: SSD upgrade is worth it.
Your Mac is M-series + storage full: get a Thunderbolt SSD or upgrade to a higher-storage Mac via trade-in.
You're buying a new Mac: spec 1TB minimum unless you're certain your needs will stay under 256GB.