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Do note that this Satechi hub doesn’t play well with the new 2020 Macbook Pro. Enter the Flexibility All of the portable USB-C hubs reviewed here are compatible with the Mac’s Thunderbolt 3 and 4 ports, but most feature slower USB-C connections (5Gbps or 10Gbps) compared to Thunderbolt (40Gbps). Keep in mind that the hub’s power port is for taking power into your laptop, and not outto a phone. But your hub may still be able to charge your phone, with some caveats. A “bus-powered” USB hub connects to your laptop and pulls power from it, which it has share with several devices—and it won’t do it that well. You can also get other versions of Inatek's USB hub, the HB2025 for example, that connect to your computer via USB-C, which is a more common interface for 10 Gbps connections, particularly on laptops. We really wish one of these hubs had a mix of USB-C and USB Type-A downstream ports, but they are all Type-A downstream. Apple MacBook and Microsoft Surface line of products are aiming actively to redefine portability. Unlike the full-featured laptops, these machines are thin, light, and powerful. But those improvements come at the cost of the ports. Thankfully, there are enough USB-C adapters and hubs in the market to help bridge the gap.
Apple has a range of adapters, too, but at a (high) price. We have tested them here, but other gadget makers offer more budget-friendly alternatives, along with a range of other USB-C cables, chargers and accessories–and we present the best ones below.Sabrent's HB-U3CR looks like it was built for MacBooks, thanks to a gunmetal gray aluminum chassis and a stylish, slanted design that will prop it up at an insertion-friendly angle on any table. However, it's an equally strong choice for use with a PC laptop that has USB-C ports and needs a few USB Type-A connections. Powered or not? Some USB hubs come with their own AC adapters so that they can provide more power than your computer delivers from one of its ports. Bus power from your computer can be pretty low, not enough to juice several power-hungry peripherals at once or to charge devices at a reasonable rate. By definition, a USB hub that needs its own plug isn’t very portable. It doesn’t have its own power supply but offers passthrough PD charging at a more than healthy 100W. Last but not least, we have Satechi’s Multi-Port Adapter. This one is the most expensive one on the list, but you can rest assured that it offers a solid performance. Plus, this one brings a premium look to the table with its flat design and low-profile design. Again, it’s not the one for you if you plan to run a 4K display at 60Hz.
At 174g, it’s heavier than most of the USB-C adapters tested here, but we like it compact and robust shape. The HDMI port supports a variety of resolutions up to 4K@30Hz and 1080p@60Hz, including 1080p, 1080i, 720p, and 480p. If your smartphone is compatible, you can charge your phone up to 80% in just 35 minutes. To fast-charge an iPhone, you need a minimum of 18W and USB-C, so look for extra USB-C slots, which are more capable than USB-A.Other ports to look for include Gigabit Ethernet for faster wired Internet access (without the flakiness of Wi-Fi), and an SD or microSD card reader for adding inexpensive portable storage to your system. Card readers come at different speeds: UHS-I at 104Mbps, and UHS-II at 312Mbps; although some are slower at 60Mbps. All MacBooks and many of the best Ultrabooks come with only USB-C ports, and just a couple of them. That’s why there are so many portable USB hubs that connect to a computer via a built-in USB-C cable and then provide a few Type-A ports, along with some extra goodies such as an HDMI out or a card reader. Anker’s PowerExpand 4-in-1 USB-C hub has one whiz-bang feature we haven’t seen anywhere else, and that’s a built-in 256GB SSD. Connecting directly to two of the MacBook’s Thunderbolt ports, it boasts a bunch of ports that should be enough for most of us. The hub receives 40Gbps from each of the Thunderbolt ports on the Mac (so a total of 80Gbps). 40Gbps is used for the USB4 pass-through port, while the second Thunderbolt port distributes 40Gbps of bandwidth to the rest of the ports on the hub. From SD card readers to USB-C ports and USB-A ports, all of those things are fairly distributed . The best part is the price and the design. Not every USB Hub is one of the best USB hubs you can buy. We tested a number of other models that are worth considering, but not necessarily at the head of the class.
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