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The compact and very affordable 7-port Plugable USB-C Multifunction Hub has seven ports from one integrated USB-C connection, including a 4K HDMI output for adding an external display, power pass-through (at an impressive 87W) to charge connected devices, three 5Gbps USB-A ports, and SD and microSD slots. Looking for other home-office gizmos and gadgets? We've got a number of guides that can help, like our Best Work-From-Home Gear, Best USB Flash Drive, and Best Portable External Storage Drives roundups. 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. Five of the ports on this hub that clamps to the underside of the iMac are front-facing ports for easy access to memory cards, USB storage, or storage cards. There are two USB-C ports and one USB-A port (all rated at a speedy 10GBps). The USB-A port can charge a phone at 7.5W.
It boasts four 40GBps Thunderbolt 4 ports (compatible with USB-C, Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4) plus four 10Gbps USB-A ports. One of the TB4 ports is upstream, so connects to the computer; the other three are downstream for connecting other devices. Terms Apply. Promotion ends 3 December 2023. Items are subject to availability. Max 5 units per customer. 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.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).
Even though two USB-C hubs may have wildly different brand names, you may sometimes find that they’re otherwise identical or just very similar.
Which is better: power chargers or combined hub chargers?
Overall, Anker’s hub is well designed, with adequate spacing between the two 5Gbps USB-A ports. There’s also a 5Gbps USB-C connection for data, plus a second USB-C port for power input at up to 85W rated. (The charger allows up to 100W in, but supplies 85W.) An HDMI port allows for 4K/30Hz video or 1080p/60Hz video to a single external display, standard for the category. Ethernet is excluded, however, so you’ll need to use Wi-Fi instead. Cord length is about 8.5 inches, above the standard 6-inch length.
The transfer speed depends on the device your connecting it to. For instance, if you have connected a USB Type C cable to a USB 3.1 port, you will get 10 GB per second transfer speed. The USB 3.2 port will offer 20 GB per second data transfer speed, whereas the Thunderbolt 3 port will offer 40 GB per second. Talking about power, the USB Type C can charge portable devices like smartphones, laptops, power banks and more. Although similar to Type A, Type C also offers just 2.5 watts of power. But if the device features PD aka Power Delivery protocol, then the USB-C can deliver up to 100 watts of power.That’s a great set of ports, but it’s not it’s biggest plus for users of Apple’s original M1/M2-based MacBooks.
At 88g, it’s lightweight, and, as with many hubs, features a short integrated cable so works well as a portable travel device. The business end of the integrated USB-C cable can be stored in a special slot, creating a handy loop to keep things tidy, and could also be used to hang from a hook, if desired. And there’s an LED indicator to show activity.Ethernet: Even with Wi-Fi so prevalent you still can’t beat the speed of a wired Ethernet connection, still found in hotels and of course from your router. If so, you want a hubwith an RJ45 Ethernet port – and make sure it’s a Gigabit Ethernet connection for faster data transfer. Much more expensive adapters use the latest 2.5GBASE-Tor 5GBASE-T ports that provide multi-gigabit speeds capable of up to 5Gbps over existing Cat5e or better cabling. But 1Gbps Ethernet will be speedy enough for most. Lasuney’s 10-in-1 hub (two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, two HDMI 1.2 ports (4K@30Hz), DisplayPort gigabit ethernet, microSD/SD, USB-C power input) offers a lot for your money, including an unusual mix of not one, but two HDMI ports, and even a DisplayPort. Thanks to ethernet support, the hub can replace many of your wired connections. Power input is rated at 100W in, with about 87W available to the laptop. 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. Which extra ports do you need Power delivery to external devices is more impressive than other hubs reviewed here, up to 15W on the Thunderbolt ports. Some of the same complaints are outlined here, from when zero port-duplicating "hubs" were available:
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