Usb Type C Hub For Macbook Pro

USB-C is pitched as a panacea for all your computer and gadget connection woes because it can be used as a charging port, to carry data and video, and more. It has replaced most of the connectors on many devices over the past decade—remember Apple’s 2015 MacBook with its single USB-C port? If you want to connect accessories like a flash drive with an USB-A (the traditional rectangular plug you’re likely used to), your mouse, or an external display to your computer—and especially if you want to connect a lot of them at once—you’re best served with a hub, which is an adapter with multiple kinds of ports that plugs into your device’s USB-C port.

The best USB-C hub you can buy is Anker’s 555 USB-C Hub (8-in-1) because it has more ports, and faster ports, than the competition, plus it supports high-resolution 4K video at a smooth 60-hertz refresh rate, which is less common than you might think. Ugreen’s 7-in-1 Multiport Adapter is a good alternative if you’re not as concerned with data transfer speeds or a USB-C data port. Anker’s 341 USB-C Hub (7-in-1) is the best option if you want to spend less; its speeds are slower and the video output isn’t as good, but it has a great selection of ports. If you simply want to add more USB-C data ports, go with Satechi’s 4-Port USB-C Hub.

• Best overall USB-C hub
• Runner-up USB-C hub
• Best lower-price USB-C hub
• Best USB-C hub for adding more USB-C ports
• Others you should know about
• How we picked

Best overall USB-C hub

Pros

• More ports than the competition
• Fastest USB-A and USB-C transfer speeds
• 60 Hz, 4K video support
• Good power passthrough for power-hungry laptops

Cons

• Supports only one external display
• Higher price

Specs

• 2 USB-A 3.2 (10 Gbps) data ports
• 1 USB-C 3.2 (10 Gbps) data port
• 1 USB-C PD (85 W) power port
• 1 60 Hz/4K HDMI port
• 1 Ethernet port
• 1 SD card reader
• 1 micro SD card reader

Anker’s 555 USB-C Hub (8-in-1) beats every other USB-C hub we researched and tested in terms of both its port selection—as the name implies, there are eight—and its performance. It offers the fastest data transfer speed through its three USB ports, double that of the rest of the competition. On both the USB-A and USB-C ports, we measured read speeds around 660 megabytes per second, and write speeds averaging 625 MBps. Every other hub we tested was half as fast, meaning Anker’s hub will be a better choice if you’re ever transferring data between external storage and your computer.

The Anker hub supports full 60-hertz video output through the HDMI port, even at 4K resolution, which is something of a rarity. 4K output—meaning a large and sharp image—is pretty common, but it’s the 60-hertz refresh rate that’s often lacking. This figure is the number of times the image refreshes per second, and you really need 60 hertz for a smooth, fluid experience; your cursor will feel laggy with anything less.

We measured 85-watt power passthrough that should juice up even larger laptops rapidly. Other than dual-external display support, no other model offers anything more than this one, making it the clear first choice for anyone who needs the expansion a hub offers.

In addition to the ports we mentioned above, the 555 USB-C hub packs an Ethernet port, SD card reader and micro SD card reader. We measured identical performance on every hub that included these connectors, so they’re something of a wash. It’s great if they’re there, but don’t expect to see better or worse performance across different models.

The Anker hub’s drawbacks are that it only supports one external monitor and that the 555 costs more than twice what our lower-price pick does.

Runner-up USB-C hub

Pros

• 60 Hz, 4K video support at a lower price
• Highest power passthrough
• Slimmer design
• Braided cord

Cons

• No USB-C data port
• Slower data transfer speeds

Specs

• 2 USB-A 3.1 (5 Gbps) data ports
• 1 USB-C PD (95 W) power port
• 1 60 Hz/4K HDMI port
• 1 Ethernet port
• 1 SD card reader
• 1 micro SD card reader

If you don’t need a USB-C data port and can live with data transfer speeds that are half the speed of our top pick, we recommend the Ugreen 7-in-1 Multiport Adapter. While it has most of the same ports as the 555 USB-C Hub, it’s missing the USB-C data port. This means you can’t connect a USB-C flash drive or anything else that transfers data to or from the computer unless you use a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter or one of your computer’s other USB-C ports, if it has them.

The transfer speeds are also slower than our top picks’ because the two USB-A ports only support USB 3.1 speeds; we measured the average read speed at 325 MBps and write at 329 MBps. That’s still fast enough for day-to-day tasks, but might hinder you if you need to transfer a lot of data often. You still get full 60-hertz video at 4K resolution, in a package that’s about two-thirds the volume of our top pick.

While both the Ugreen and the Anker advertise 100-watt charging passthrough, the Ugreen takes less power for itself, passing on 95 watts. That’s a benefit for larger, more power-hungry computers, but it won’t make a big enough difference to be the only reason to choose this model.

The Ugreen hub is about 1.3 inches wide and just shy of 5 inches long, making it narrower than our top pick and barely longer. We appreciate the braided cord, which should hold up well to being tossed into a bag or otherwise manhandled.

Best lower-price USB-C hub

Pros

• Lower price
• Only one less port than our top pick
• Good power passthrough

Cons

• Video output is limited to 30 Hz at 4K resolution
• USB data speeds are half those of our top pick
• No Ethernet port

Specs

• 2 USB-A 3.1 (5 Gbps) data ports
• 1 USB-C 3.1 (5 Gbps) data port
• 1 USB-C PD (85 W) power port
• 1 30 Hz/4K HDMI port
• 1 SD card reader
• 1 micro SD card reader

Anker’s 341 USB-C Hub (7-in-1) looks nearly identical to the 8-in-1 version, and performs similarly, too. There are only three real differences between them: the video refresh rate, the data transfer speeds and the Ethernet port. If you just need a basic hub for plugging in accessories on occasion, and especially if you won’t be connecting a 4K monitor, this is the one to buy.

The read and write speeds using the 341 USB-C Hub were 326 MBps and 310 MBps, respectively. Those are the same as the speeds of the Ugreen model we recommend, and about half those of the 555 model. For peripherals like a wired keyboard or mouse, there won’t be any difference in performance; data transfers to and from external devices will be slower, though.

Best USB-C hub for adding more USB-C ports

Pros

• The most USB-C data ports

Cons

• Only USB-C data ports
• Data speeds are half those of our top pick

Specs

• 4 USB-C 3.1 (5 Gbps) data ports

Not everyone needs to output video or connect Ethernet or SD cards to their computer through a hub. If all you care about is adding additional USB-C data ports to your computer, buy the Satechi 4-Port USB-C Hub. Unlike the rectangular hubs we mention above, this model is square, with two ports on two of its sides. They’re not the fastest data ports—the average read and write speeds were around 325 MBps. But that’s plenty for saving occasional files to a flash drive while you have other devices connected.

Others you should know about

Satechi’s USB-C Multiport MX Adapter costs more than double what our top pick does, and is larger and heavier. While it can support two 4K displays at once, only one can be at 60 hertz, and you have to install special software to run both at the same time.

Satechi’s Aluminum Multi-Port Adapter V2 offers almost the same selection of ports as the Anker 555, but swaps the USB-C data port for an extra USB-A port. It’s a decent selection, but unless you need that particular configuration of ports—and don’t mind slower speeds—there’s no reason to choose it over our top pick.

Kensington’s G1000P costs as much as the Anker 555, with a significantly limited number of ports.

Anker’s 655 USB-C Hub (8-in-1), 364 USB-C Hub (10-in-1, Dual 4K HDMI) and 556 USB-C Hub (8-in-1, USB4) are all Windows-only and cost more than our top pick, so we declined to test them.

Hiearcool’s 7-in-1 Hub is the top seller in the category on Amazon and costs less than most of our picks. But the brand is relatively unknown, and when we tried to visit its website while researching this guide, we received a message that the site might not be secure. That’s concerning when you’re buying something that’s made to plug into your computer.

CalDigit’s Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock is the only third-party hub Apple sells, but it’s twice the price of our top pick, doesn’t support power passthrough and lacks USB-C data, SD and micro SD connectors.

How we picked

Trust us

I’ve been reviewing consumer technology for more than a decade, including at Wirecutter, where I was responsible for articles and reviews on computer peripherals including USB-C hubs. In 2015, when the standard was still in its earliest days, I even published a blog about every single USB-C accessory that was available at the time—there are many, many more now. In addition to testing dozens of these hubs and similar devices over the years, I’ve had extensive interviews and conversations with some of the top names in the field, including Benson Leung, a software engineer at Google who gained fame in certain nerdier corners of the internet for his reviews of USB-C cables and devices in the mid-to-late 2010s. While I didn’t reconnect with him for this story, what I learned from him has informed my coverage over the years.

We tested

There’s a huge range of products that fall under the category of “USB-C hub.” Anything that has a USB-C connector on one end and multiple ports on the other could be considered a hub. So we set a few core criteria for the products we wanted to test:

• A brand with a strong reputation: Amazon and other retailers are flooded with USB-C hubs from brands most people have never heard of, and that don’t have an established presence in the tech accessory space. Because this is something you’re going to plug into your computer, it’s important to choose a product from a company with a proven track record, as well as accessible customer service and a good warranty in case something goes wrong.
• Port selection: We researched multiple port configurations, but in general, we were searching for a hub with an array of ports for power, data, video and more. We found the top options offered at least two USB-C ports (one for data and one to pass power to the computer), USB-A ports, and video output (usually in the form of HDMI), while Ethernet, SD and micro SD connectors were nice to have, but not essential.
• Port performance: It’s not enough to just build the ports into the hub; they have to perform well, too. Faster data transfer speeds, high-resolution video with fast refresh rates and high-wattage power passthrough were the three big factors we considered.

Once we had narrowed down the list of products that met our criteria, we tested each port on each hub. We measured data speeds by plugging in a USB 3.2-compatible solid state drive, using either a USB-A or USB-C cable, and measuring the read and write speeds using the AJA System Test Lite app for Mac. To evaluate video output, we connected the computer to a 4K TV, verified the resolution and used the Blur Busters UFO Motion Tests to confirm the refresh rate. Finally, we connected the hub to a 100-watt power source and confirmed the amount of power making it to the Mac through the System Settings app.