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USB-C is the latest standard of USB that allows transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps, as opposed to the maximum 5Gbps rate available with the older USB-A, while it also offers faster charging times. It’s no one-trick pony, either—USB-C handles data transfer, video output and power input. You’ll find Type C on the old 12in MacBook, and faster variants of it (called Thunderbolt 3 or 4) on the MacBook Pro (post-2016 models), MacBook Air (post-2018), the iMac (after 2017) and Mac mini (2018 and later). Thunderbolt 3 and 4 Macs can use USB-C accessories, but may lose some of their extra bandwidth—Thunderbolt’s 40Gbps significantly outpaces USB-C’s 5-10Gbps. USB4, like Thunderbolt, boasts 40Gbps bandwidth, although note that there is also a 20Gbps version to look out for. From an Apple user perspective, Thunderbolt 3 and 4 are very similar. Both have 40Gbps bandwidth but TB4 has a few extra benefits; find out more in our Thunderbolt 4 vs Thunderbolt 3 comparison. If you need super-fast data transfer, read our roundup of the best Thunderbolt 4 hubs. Similar to Apple’s Lightning connector and Thunderbolt, USB-C doesn’t have to be plugged in at a certain orientation, which means that you can wave bye-bye to the age-old USB guessing game of “Which way does it go in?”. Few people have a full range of USB-C or Thunderbolt gear, so you’ll likely need a USB-C hub to add different ports—such as old-school USB-A—to your Mac. In general, an “adapter” works with a single port (such as USB-A or Ethernet) while a “hub” gives you multiple ports. If you require even more, then look for a “dock” or “docking station”. If you’re after a full desktop setup for your MacBook, look out for our recommendations for the best USB-C and Thunderbolt docking stations for MacBooks. 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. Here we have tested and reviewed the premium USB-C hubs and adapters. There are many much cheaper versions out there, but we recommend these for quality and robustness. You’ll likely need some old non-reversible USB-A ports, and most adapters and hubs have at least one for your non-USB-C memory sticks and drives. Look for at least USB 3.0, which has a speedy bandwidth of 5Gbps compared to the sluggish USB 2.0’s 480Mbps. if you want to use these older USB slots for charging your phone, look out for chargers that include IQuick Charge 3.0 (35W) or BC 1.2 (7.5W) ports. 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. Look for hubs that offer passthrough charging, so you can charge your laptop even though you are using up one of the laptop’s USB-C ports for the hub itself. Most don’t ship with a charger, so you’ll need to add your own, and remember that it needs to be a 100W charger to give 85W and above charging if offered by the hub. Lower wattage chargers are fine but will limit the hub’s charging potential. Check the Power Delivery (PD) charging power each hub or adapter offers connected laptops or iPads. 12in MacBook and MacBook Air charge at 30W; the 13in and 14in MacBook Pro at 67W, the 15in MacBook Pro at 87W; and the 16in MacBook Pro at 96W. You can certainly use a charger at lower power, but remember that it will power up slower than when using a higher-wattage charger, and if too low your laptop might run out of juice altogether when maxed out on power-hungry apps and devices. You can also buy USB-C adapters for the many display standards out there, such as VGA and DVI. Most of the products tested here work with non-Apple USB-C laptops too, but you can read Tech Advisor’s more general roundup of the best USB-C hubs. Many hubs and docks aren’t compatible with Apple’s SuperDrive CD/DVD drive. We’ve found only one USB-C dock that is compatible with the SuperDrive, the Caldigit USB-C Pro Dock.
Anker 555 PowerExpand 8-in-1 USB-C Hub – Best overall USB-C hub
Pros
8 ports inc Ethernet, 60Hz 4K HDMI
10Gbps USB-C and USB-A
85W PD
Cons
Can get warm during use
UHS-I SD reader
The Anker PowerExpand 8-in-1 USB-C Hub is compact and powerful, offering greater specs than some of the other leading options on this list. It offers two USB-C ports—one that supports 85W USB-C Power Delivery, while another supports data transfers up to 10Gbps. You also get speedy 10Gbps transfer rates through two additional USB-A ports, where many rivals max out at 5Gbps.
The Anker PowerExpand is special as it offers an HDMI port that supports 4K 60Hz resolutions, where most are limited to 4K 30Hz. For 4K 60Hz resolution, your device must support DP 1.4. This includes MacBook Air (from 2020), MacBook Pro 15in (from 2018), MacBook Pro 16in (from 2019) and iPad Pro (from 2018). Also included are an SD card reader (that can support a microSD card with an adapter). This is rated at UHS-I (104MBps) so not the fastest but speedier than some other hubs tested here offer. The Gigabit Ethernet port is great for those times when Wi-Fi just won’t do. It’s also incredibly light at just under 130g and compact so you can take it anywhere. At $79.99/£79.99 it’s hard to deny this hub’s value for money. In our experience, it does get warm with use but Anker says this is normal.
Ugreen 4-in-1 USB 3.0 Hub – Best hub for multiple USB-A ports
Pros
Inexpensive
Four 5Gbps USB-A ports
10W device charger
Cons
Limited to USB-A ports
No passthrough charge to host
If all you need from an adapter is the ability to connect a bunch of older USB-A devices to your MacBook, this simple adapter should do the trick. The Ugreen USB-C 4-port hub is a slim and inexpensive adapter that allows you to add four full-size USB 3.0 ports that can handle data transfer at up to 5Gbps. It has recently been upgraded to feature a further USB-C port that can supply a 10W charge for connected devices, but not the host computer. While all four ports can be used simultaneously, a maximum of two hard drives can be connected at one time. It looks the part with most modern MacBooks, and is an easy way to connect memory sticks, a printer or other older devices that don’t come with USB-C.
Satechi Pro Hub Max Adapter – Best 40Gbps USB4 hub for Mac
Pros
USB4 40Gbps data transfer
7 ports inc 4K 60Hz HDMI, Ethernet
Cons
No device charging from USB-A and USB-C ports
Price When Reviewed: CA$110
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). The Satechi Pro Hub Max, available in either Silver or Space Gray, features USB4 ports that are both compatible with Thunderbolt and can reach the same 40Gbps maximum throughput. 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. The USB4 port supports up to 96W charging—easily fine for a 14-inch MacBook Pro and punchy enough to keep a 16-inch Pro going and charged pretty quickly. This same USB4 port can be used to connect to an external display—up to 6K at 60Hz display output, transferring data at 40Gbps. It should allow video output and passthrough…
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