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It costs around the same as the OWC Thunderbolt Hub, reviewed above, and matches that hub on ports, with the only difference being that the OWC’s 10Gbps USB-A port can charge a device at 7.5W, while Plugable’s USB-A port is equally fast but doesn’t offer device charging. For that, OWC’s hub wins our best budget recommendation.
4-Port USB-C Hub | 4-in-1 Data Expansion Adapter - Satechi 4-Port USB-C Hub | 4-in-1 Data Expansion Adapter - Satechi
It sullies its Pro title, however, with a couple of the ports being rather average, and the power supply could do with being higher, but it is otherwise well equipped. Windows users can add up to three displays, using the two HDMI and one Thunderbolt 4 port. The TB4 port can attach directly to a USB-C monitor or you can buy a USB-C adapter to connect to a DisplayPort or HDMI display. One 8K display can run at 30Hz, or you can have two 4K at 60Hz. Video resolution for up to three displays is dependent on your laptop’s capabilities. One of the TB4 ports is Upstream, for connection to your computer. The other three are Downstream, for connecting other devices. That aside, the US-4VPD is a tempting offer, with 2.5Gb Ethernet future-proofing for fast wired network access as it becomes more mainstream.It boasts four Thunderbolt 4 (all at 40Gbps bandwidth and 15W charging) and four USB-A 3.2 Gen.2 (10Gbps and 7.5W) ports. That’s more than any other Thunderbolt 4 hub we have seen or tested. Gigabit Ethernet frees you from dodgy Wi-Fi and the fast SD card reader is a great way to add inexpensive portable storage. This does make it reasonably hefty but still much easier to travel with, and is perfect for laptop professionals often on the move and working on location.
USB-C hub deals in October 2023 | TechRadar The best USB-C hub deals in October 2023 | TechRadar
Key specs – Upstream connection: 1x USB-C; USB ports: 3x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2; Other ports: Gigabit Ethernet, SD Card, 3.5mm audio; Power:135W power adapter; Maximum power load: 90W per port; Dimensions: 190 x 75 x 27mm; Weight: 338g; Warranty: 12 months For years, Caldigit ruled the Thunderbolt 3 roost with its compact but powerful Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus (TS3 Plus). Its Thunderbolt 4 successor, the Thunderbolt Station 4 (TS4) is physically and stylistically similar but boasts even more ports at even faster speeds. Razer looks at power distribution differently from other manufacturers and we still can’t quite understand how each port shares its charging capacity, but it worked well in testing.
If you need to keep all your connected devices powered up at the same time as your laptop, the Echo 20’s 150W power supply should suffice but is nowhere near the TS4’s mighty 230W supply. We would have preferred to swap one of the USB-A ports for a second USB-C, but appreciate the powerful 20W charging capability of that USB-C—enough to fast-charge a phone or other smaller device.
USB hub 2023: Improve your laptop’s connectivity for less Best USB hub 2023: Improve your laptop’s connectivity for less
At 150W, the power supply should accommodate most of your needs, with up to 60W reserved for powering the laptop or tablet—enough for all but the biggest, meanest laptops. All the USB (5x USB-A, 3x USB-C) and Thunderbolt ports (3x TB4) are super fast and offer impressive device charging—at the front, there’s a USB-C port with 20W power. It is priced the same as the Caldigit Element Hub, which is still our favorite Thunderbolt 4 hub, with its four 40Gbps/18W Thunderbolt 4 and four 10Gbps/7.5W USB-A ports. However, if you own a large power-hungry laptop, the Belkin’s 96W USB PD charging will impress. Unlike cheaper hubs, it supports a full 60Hz refresh rate over HDMI, while there’s a Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 port for when you need a physical network connection. The Type-C and Type-A connections could be faster, with our SSD speeds limited to around 458MB/sec, but this is a great, fully featured hub that’s still affordable and – most importantly – it just works. The other 11 ports include super-fast 2.5Gb Ethernet, fast SD, audio and seven USB connectors, so it is specced out at the top end, although we would have preferred more USB-C ports than USB-A.
Take some of the claims made by some manufacturers with a pinch of salt. We tested a couple of hubs that promised high-end features but failed to deliver during testing. For example, they might promise 4K at 60Hz, but you might find that this only works on specific laptops and displays.
USB and USB-C Hubs - PCMag UK The Best USB and USB-C Hubs - PCMag UK
Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 are easy to confuse, not least because both offer the same USB-C connector and the same maximum data transmission performance (40Gbps). Though USB 4 can only send at this rate over 1 meter, half that of Thunderbolt 4. USB 4 is even based on the Thunderbolt protocol, but the two are not the same. They're just very similar. Essentially, it's a tiny, super-fast connector that many of the best laptops today have a connector for, with the only downside being that USB A or USB B connectors can't be used with a USB Type-C port (that's where a USB Type-C hub comes in handy). Some USB-C hubs go further by incorporating USB-PD passthrough. Here the idea isn’t so much to power the connected devices as to power the laptop the hub connects to, so that you just connect the laptop to the hub, and it charges as you use it without the charger taking up the spare USB-C port. The key thing here is how much power the hub can supply. Most will deliver 80W or more when used with a 100W charger, which should more than cover any laptop. However, with some you’re looking at 50W or less, which might mean missing out on fast-charging modes on some of those laptops that support them. It matches the excellent Caldigit TS4 on port speed with 10Gbps US-A and USB-C, UHS-II SD card reader and 2.5Gb Ethernet alongside the two downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports— differing mainly by its choice of the more popular HDMI video port compared to the TS4’s DisplayPort.This UGreen unit is another basic USB hub, with four USB 3.0/3.1 Gen 1 ports connecting through a single USB-A connection. Disappointingly, what looks like an aluminium casing turns out to be plastic, which feels a little creaky in comparison to some models, but it’s robust enough for daily desktop or mobile use. The big advantage this one has over similarly priced rivals is a 5V micro-USB input, meaning it can charge devices while in use (without any fast charge support) and run one or more USB SSDs or HDDs – we tried it with one of each without any issues. The only downside? You’ll need to supply your own charger and cable, but it’s hard to grumble at this price. USB Type-C has plenty of perks, and with one of the USB Type-C hubs you might be considering getting, you'll be able to copy files at USB 3.1 speeds, deliver enough power to charge a laptop, or use Alt Mode to send other types of data using DisplayPort or Thunderbolt 3connections. Where once DisplayPort 1.4 was superior to HDMI, HDMI 2.1, as seen here, is as powerful if not more so than the top DisplayPort.
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