To squeeze essentially the most productiveness attainable out of a laptop computer, or perhaps a high-end pill, you would possibly must plug in additional stuff than your machine natively permits. A USB-C hub connects to a single port in your machine, and thru that you would be able to connect a monitor, keyboard, mouse and even exterior storage. Plus, once you’ve obtained all of your bells and whistles plugged right into a hub, liberating up your machine to be extra cellular is so simple as unplugging one factor. Then, once you return to your desk, one step totally connects you once more. We checked out tons of of hubs earlier than testing out 15 extremely rated choices to seek out the most effective USB-C hubs you will get right this moment.
What to search for in a USB-C hub
Hub vs docking station
The very first thing to resolve is whether or not you want a USB-C hub or a docking station. There’s no set commonplace for what differentiates the 2, however docking stations are likely to have extra ports, provide a separate DC energy provide and value extra, with some reaching upwards of $400. We now have a separate information to the most effective docking stations to take a look at when you’re in search of one thing larger than what we’re discussing right here. USB-C hubs, in distinction, have between 4 and 10 ports, can help pass-through charging and usually value between $30 and $150.
Hubs make extra sense for smaller setups with only a few peripherals, equivalent to a monitor, a wired keyboard and mouse, and the occasional exterior drive. They’re additionally extra transportable, since they’re small and require no devoted energy. That could possibly be helpful when you change work places however need to convey your equipment with you, or if you wish to change your laptop computer with a extra highly effective pill. A docking station makes extra sense for somebody who wants a sturdy setup for his or her laptop computer, together with a number of exterior screens, webcams, stream decks, microphones and so forth.
Each docks and hubs make it straightforward to seize your laptop computer off your desk for a gathering or different temporary relocation and once you get again, plugging in a single cable will get all of your equipment reconnected.
Ports
The primary port to think about is the one in your laptop computer or pill. For a USB-C hub to work, it wants to connect with a port that helps video, information and energy — all of which is roofed by something listed as USB 3.0 or higher. The port, after all, must be Kind-C as nicely. The ocean of laptops out there’s huge, so it’s exhausting to make generalizations, however fashionable laptops ought to have at the very least one USB-C port that can suffice, and certainly, each certainly one of our prime picks for the most effective laptops do.
Subsequent, it’s a matter of discovering a hub that has the fitting connections in your wants. Most hubs provide some combo of HDMI, USB, reminiscence card, Ethernet and three.5 mm ports. When you’ve got a 4K monitor and would love at the very least a 60Hz refresh fee, you’ll want a hub with an HDMI 2.0 port — HDMI 1.4 solely goes as much as 30Hz. HDMI 2.1 will deal with 4K at as much as 120Hz, however hubs which have adopted that commonplace aren’t as frequent simply but. Needless to say a low refresh fee may cause your display to really feel laggy, making your mouse seem glitchy and your webcam actions to look delayed.
Extra USB ports on these equipment are often Kind-A or Kind-C. They will help information with completely different switch charges, usually 5Gbps or 10Gbps. Some ports solely deal with passthrough energy and no information, and a few can do information, energy and video, so it’s greatest to test the spec listing to be sure you’re getting the help you want. Needless to say a hub might invoice itself as a 7-in-1, however a kind of ports might not be usable for something aside from charging.
Customary SD and microSD slots are helpful for transferring information from cameras and the like. Ethernet ports might ship quicker web speeds than your Wi-Fi and a hub with a 3.5mm jack can convey again the wired headphone connection that some laptops have ditched.
Energy supply
Practically the entire USB-C hubs I examined help passthrough charging. Meaning in case your laptop computer or pill solely prices through USB, you don’t need to take up one other port in your laptop computer to maintain the whole lot topped up. In contrast to a docking station, powering a hub is optionally available. The one exception is if you wish to shut the lid in your laptop computer when you work on an exterior monitor. Most computer systems will go into sleep mode if the lid is closed with out energy, so both the laptop computer or the hub will must be plugged into the wall to forestall that from occurring.
Most of the newer hubs embody a 100W energy supply (PD) port, with a wholesome 80 to 85 watts going to your pc (the hubs take a little bit of the juice for themselves, therefore the 15-watt or so distinction). In my exams, sending energy by way of the hub made them run even hotter than they do already, so I desire to cost the pc straight. However for tablets or different gadgets with no additional ports, that PD possibility is necessary.
Some PD ports are additionally information ports — which is each good and dangerous. On one hand, it feels wasteful to make use of a wonderfully good information port only for boring previous electrical energy. However alternatively, USB-C connections that solely carry a cost are much less versatile, and it makes it seem to be it has extra accent hookups than it really does.
Design
There’s surprisingly little design variation amongst hubs. Most appear to be a flat slab, a little bit smaller than a smartphone, and have an connected Kind-C host cable. The hues vary from a silvery black to a silvery grey. Some are thinner than others, some have all ports on one edge and a few have ports on each side. All of that is simply to say that aesthetics most likely gained’t make or break your shopping for determination.
One variation that would tip the scales is the size of the cable. An extended one will provide you with extra freedom as you prepare the hub in your desk, probably even letting you disguise it behind your laptop computer. Or you might desire a shorter one to maintain the hub neatly set beside your laptop computer.
How we take a look at USB-C hubs
Earlier than we take a look at something, we check out what’s obtainable and the way they’ve been acquired by buyers, forum-goers and different publications. I turned accustomed to a couple of respected manufacturers after I was testing docking stations, so I appeared into hubs from these firms as nicely. I targeted on objects that may assist with a median day of productiveness — not high-end setups or demanding gaming conditions. As soon as I settled on a dozen or so that may make good candidates, I had them shipped to my humble workplace within the desert and began testing them out over the course of some weeks.
I used an M1 MacBook Professional because the host pc and plugged in equipment that embody a 4K Dell monitor, a ZSA USB-C ergo keyboard, a Logitech USB-A gaming mouse, an Elgato USB-C 4K webcam, a Logitech streaming mild, a USB-A 3.0 Sandisk thumb drive, a USB-C Samsung T7 Protect exterior drive and a pair of wired headphones I obtained without spending a dime on an airplane (I ought to most likely spend money on some wired headphones, however the wire dangling on my chest drives me nutty so all my earbuds are wi-fi). I used high-end HDMI and USB-C cables to make sure that any information or connectivity points weren’t associated to my tools.
Then I put every USB-C hub by way of a gamut of primary exams. I checked out what could possibly be plugged in without delay, the decision on the monitor, information switch speeds, the general construct high quality of the hub and common usability elements, like the location of the ports and the size of the cords. And, lastly, the value to worth ratio helped decide the most effective ones for a couple of completely different use instances.
Greatest USB-C hubs for 2024
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Whole downstream ports: 8 | Cable size: 10” | Energy supply: 100W in, 90W to host | USB-C: 1 x USB 3.0, 1 x 3.1 | USB-A: 2 x 5Gbps, 1 x 10Gbps| Monitor: HDMI 2.0 | SD Card: microSD and commonplace SD | Different ports: Ethernet
The “109” in UGreen’s Revodok Professional 109 USB-C hub probably stands for the nine-in-one declare in its advertising supplies, however since a kind of ports is energy solely, the variety of downstream connectors makes it extra of an eight-in-one. However it’s a great-performing hub nonetheless. It has all of the hookups that is likely to be lacking from a contemporary laptop computer, together with SD slots, USB-A ports, an Ethernet connection and an HDMI hookup.
The 4K decision and 60Hz refresh fee appeared nice on my take a look at monitor and the information switch charges had been forward of different hubs in its worth vary. The velocity take a look at on an Ethernet cable was on par with that of a dearer docking station, and I appreciated the design of the microSD slot. Most readers have you ever insert the cardboard all the way in which in, counting on a spring mechanism to push it again out once you’re accomplished. Right here, the tip stands out simply sufficient that you would be able to merely pull the cardboard out. These spring-loaded ejectors by no means work on the primary strive for me, so it is a extra elegant resolution.
There’s only one usable downstream USB-C port; the opposite is simply able to delivering energy to your machine. I want there was simply one extra USB-C so it may deal with each, say, a USB-C keyboard and webcam. However the three USB-A ports, with one supporting as much as 10Gbps charges, principally make up for that oversight. Total, the hub performs nicely and affords a well-rounded number of connectors.
It was truthfully a tricky name between this and Anker’s 555 8-in-1 for the highest advice. They’ve a fairly related port array and Anker’s possibility is $15 cheaper. However the UGreen hub has a extra premium construct and a wire that is about two inches longer, plus there’s one additional USB-A port that would actually come in useful.
- Good array of ports
- HDMI 2.0 helps 4K screens at 60Hz
- Beneficiant 10-inch cable
- Three USB-A ports
- Only one downstream USB-C port
$65 at Amazon
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Whole downstream ports: 4 | Cable size: 10” | Energy supply: 100W in, 85W to host | USB-C: 1 x USB 10Gbps, 1 x energy supply solely | USB-A: 1 x 10Gbps, 1 x 480Mbps | Monitor: HDMI 2.0 | SD Card: No | Different ports: No
This was my first expertise with a Wavlink product, as I used to be beforehand solely accustomed to them as a Wi-Fi router and extender model. My preliminary impression of the Wavlink USB-C 4K@60Hz was disappointment at its generic identify, however the performance-to-price ratio is so spectacular, it will get a move for the shortage of branding pizazz.
It’s slimmer than most hubs at about an inch-and-a-half broad, but the cable itself is a pair inches longer than the norm. The unit and the cables simply tuck behind a laptop computer, significantly for the reason that ports run alongside only one edge, with the HDMI connection on the finish.
The cable can also be braided, making it really feel extra premium than its $30 price ticket would counsel — which is the overall theme right here. The HDMI 2.0 port can deal with a 4K exterior monitor at 60Hz, which ought to be lots zippy sufficient for a median workday, and I discovered the decision and lack of lag to be simply as marketed.
One of many two USB-A ports helps speedy 10Gbps transfers and the one USB-C jack is able to the identical fee. The webcam carried out nicely, even with a USB-A streaming mild at full brightness (one thing different hubs had hassle with), and I discovered information switch speeds to exterior drives to be on par with and even quicker than dearer hubs.
After all, having only one downstream USB-C connection places a restrict in your setup: You possibly can have, for instance, a USB-C webcam or a USB-C keyboard plugged in, not each. However when you want one thing with good monitor output, a few high-quality USB ports and a compact design, it is a good decide.
I additionally suggest Plugable’s equally cleverly named USB-C 4-in-1 hub. It’s a greenback cheaper than the Wavlink possibility with an analogous array of ports that every one carried out nicely in my exams. In the end, its shorter tethered cable and single USB-C port that both delivers energy or runs a peripheral led me to desire Wavlink’s mannequin. However when you don’t must cost your machine by way of the port, you get hub for the cash with Plugable’s machine.
- Slim and compact
- Beneficiant 10-inch cable
- Nice worth
- Only one downstream USB-C port
$30 at Wavlink
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Whole downstream ports: 5 | Cable size: 20” | Energy supply: 100W in, 80W to host | USB-C: 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 2, 1 x 4K @60Hz video solely | USB-A: 0 | Monitor: USB-C | SD Card: No | Different ports: No
One problem with most USB-C hubs is an ironic lack of accessible downstream USB-C ports. Many prime out at two, and a kind of usually delivers energy solely and may’t run peripherals. Throughout three keyboard guides, our suggestions overwhelmingly require USB-C connectivity, all however certainly one of our beneficial webcams use USB-C and plenty of exterior storage drives depend on that port as nicely. Meaning if you’d like a hub that connects your keys, digital camera and a drive on the similar time, you need to hunt for one thing suitable.
The EZQuest Slim Gen 2 hub offers you not only one or two usable Kind-C ports, however 5 of them. It’s additionally one of many few hubs that has a removable cable (and the equipped one is a beneficiant 20 inches lengthy). One port is for video output with a claimed 4K output at 60Hz — simply notice that this connector doesn’t help audio or drive different peripherals. The remaining 4 ports adhere to the USB 3.1 Gen 2 commonplace, delivering as much as 10Gbps. As with every hub, the extra objects you’ve gotten plugged in, the decrease the speeds every port will be capable to ship, in order that max 10-gigabit fee is for one port at a time.
The connections had been lots for my setup, dealing with a keyboard, mouse, webcam and streaming mild all on the similar time. (Since I haven’t got a USB-C monitor, I plugged the HDMI cable straight into my laptop computer). Even totally loaded, the unit stayed comparatively cool. Whereas the included cable is lengthy, the hub itself is tremendous compact and in regards to the measurement of a Skor bar. All of the ports come out of 1 aspect, so just like the funds decide above, it’s straightforward to rearrange all of your connections to look neat in your desk.
- Loads of USB-C ports
- Removable and lengthy 20-inch cable
- No USB-A ports
- No HDMI port (helps USB-C video)
$80 at Amazon
Photograph by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Whole downstream ports: 8 | Cable size: 9” | Energy supply: 100W in, 85W to host | USB-C: 2 x USB 10Gbps, 1 x energy ship and 10 Gbps | USB-A: 2 x 5Gbps | Monitor: 1x HDMI 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0 | SD Card: No | Different ports: Ethernet
At $140, the value of Belkin’s Join Common hub is edging into docking-station territory. However it doesn’t require a devoted energy provide and it has a compact construct, so it’s nonetheless decidedly a hub. That worth bump does get you a couple of options that the majority hubs don’t have, specifically the choice of three USB-C ports (one port can be utilized for both energy supply or accent help) and twin prolonged shows with a MacBook (after you obtain the SiliconMotion driver).
A lot of the hubs I examined had twin HDMI ports, however the second exterior show was solely able to mirroring the primary monitor and invariably dropped the decision of each supplemental screens. SiliconMotion’s InstantView software program will get round that by basically “sharing” a view of a tertiary display with the second monitor. That second monitor has a most refresh fee of 30Hz for 4K resolutions, however the first exterior show retains its 4K@60Hz visuals. I haven’t examined each possibility on the market, however from what I’ve seen, that’s fairly good for a USB-C hub — something extra and also you’re probably taking a look at a docking station.
The Join Common 8-in-1 is on the bigger finish of the spectrum for this class, measuring about the identical as an iPhone however about twice as thick. The multitude of plugs meant I may run a webcam, keyboard, mouse, Litra mild, two screens and join an Ethernet cable. There was nonetheless one USB-C port left over for an exterior drive or energy (although I simply used my MacBook’s MagSafe port). And since they’re all on one aspect, the association on a desk seems tidy, avoiding the spidery look of a hub with ports on all sides.
Shunting all of this connectivity does make the unit get fairly sizzling: it appeared to get hotter than the entire different models I attempted. Whereas I by no means seen any in poor health results consequently, I solely used it over the course of a pair days and wonder if there’d be any heat-related points with prolonged use.
- Plenty of ports
- Good number of ports
- Driver permits for 2 prolonged exterior shows
- Costly
- Will get extremely popular throughout use
$140 at Belkin
Different hubs we examined
HyperDrive Subsequent 10 Port USB-C Hub
There’s rather a lot to love about HyperDrive’s Subsequent 10 Port USB-C Hub. The tethered cable is a lavish 13 inches lengthy, the HDMI 2.0 port outputs clear and crisp 4K visuals at 60Hz and the information transfers are screaming quick. It has the coveted two USB-C information ports plus a PD port, and there’s even a headphone jack. The one factor that holds again a full-throated endorsement is the way in which our unit dealt with a streaming mild. Having it on at full brightness made the webcam flicker each time. The problem went away at 75 % brightness, however the identical drawback didn’t occur on every other hub I examined.
Anker 341 USB-C Hub (7-in-1)
There’s nothing mistaken with the Anker 341 USB-C hub. In actual fact it’s a present advice in our iPad equipment information and it comes at a terrific $35 worth. It offers you two USB-A ports in addition to SD slots. However at this level, a 1.4 HDMI connection, which solely helps 4K decision at 30Hz feels a little bit retro. There’s additionally only a single USB-C downstream port and the information switch exams proved to be a contact slower than the opposite hubs. However when you’ve obtained a decrease decision monitor and don’t want multiple USB-C, you gained’t be disenchanted with it.
Startech 4-Port USB-C Hub (information solely)
I solely turned conscious of Startech after I began researching for this information. The standard is respectable and the yellow accents are a welcome little bit of colour within the in any other case very grey world of hubs. The efficiency is stable, with no hiccups that I encountered. The model’s 4-Port USB-C Hub has a protracted wire that wraps across the hub itself, which is exclusive. It doesn’t trouble with energy supply, which isn’t a problem when you can energy your pc straight. However the 4 USB ports (three Kind-A and one Kind-C) max out at 5Gbps and there’s no HDMI connector. It goes for $46, and sadly for it, there are cheaper methods to get a couple of extra USB ports in your setup.