Its short cable means you won't be able to place this too far from your laptop and it is lightweight, so depending on how many cables you run from it (and how stiff or straight they are), you may have trouble keeping it flat on your desk. Topping things off is an extra port in the form of Gigabit Ethernet jack in the front. There's also a 100-watt USB-C Power Delivery charging port letting you charge your MacBook Air or other laptops through the hub with 87-watt output. On the other side is a USB 2.0 port - great for a wireless mouse or keyboard receiver - and 4K HDMI port out supporting a 4K display at 30Hz refresh rate. On one side you have SD and microSD card slots and two USB 3.1 ports, all with transfer speeds up to 5Gbps. This little USB Type-C hub is perfect for a small home office setup and travel (it even comes with a storage pouch). But since our experience with the quality and value of Aukey accessories has been positive, we continue to recommend the company's hardware.

It's worth noting that Aukey, which makes two of our top picks, has been booted from Amazon because it was one of several vendors reported to have solicited positive user reviews for gift cards. Check with your computer manufacturer for what your laptop (or desktop) model supports before you buy a USB-C dock or adapter. Unfortunately, you can't just look at the port and know exactly what you have. For instance, Thunderbolt 3 or 4 devices will only be fully supported by a computer with the corresponding Thunderbolt USB-C port. However, while the port might appear the same from device to device, not all USB-C ports are the same. The newer USB-C port is a small oval that uses a reversible connector so that you don't need to flip it around to get the correct position. Sometimes called a standard or regular USB port, it is rectangular and requires you to plug in your cable with the right side up so tabs inside the connectors are properly aligned. The USB port most are familiar with is USB Type-A. And if you're looking to charge your USB-C devices, here are the best options we've tested.Īlso see: The best USB-C PD chargers of 2021 Is a USB-C port the same as a USB port? We'll continue to update this list as we find new USB hub models to recommend. Here are some of our favorite USB-C docking stations that we've tested. Narrowing down your many options and finding the best USB-C hub comes down to knowing how portable you need it to be, your desired data transfer speed and exactly what connections you need. It can also let you read and write to memory cards or other external drives. A multiport adapter or powered USB hub has way more to offer than an extra USB port - it can turn a single USB-C connection on your laptop or desktop into the hook up for a monitor, keyboard, mouse and Ethernet. A USB-C hub or docking station can save you from constantly swapping dongles and relying on Bluetooth.

C & c power