To squeeze probably the most productiveness attainable out of a laptop computer, or perhaps a high-end pill, you would possibly have to plug in additional stuff than your machine natively permits. A USB-C hub connects to a single port in your system, and thru which you can connect a monitor, keyboard, mouse and even exterior storage. Plus, whenever you’ve acquired all of your bells and whistles plugged right into a hub, releasing up your system to be extra cellular is so simple as unplugging one factor. Then, whenever 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 at the moment.
What to search for in a USB-C hub
Hub vs docking station
The very first thing to determine 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, supply a separate DC energy provide and value extra, with some reaching upwards of $400. We now have a separate information to the finest docking stations to take a look at in the event 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 sometimes value between $30 and $150.
Hubs make extra sense for smaller setups with just some 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 in the event you change work places however need to deliver your equipment with you, or if you wish to substitute 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 whenever 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, knowledge and energy — all of which is roofed by something listed as USB 3.0 or higher. The port, after all, must be Sort-C as effectively. The ocean of laptops out there’s huge, so it’s onerous to make generalizations, however fashionable laptops ought to have a minimum of one USB-C port that may suffice, and certainly, each considered one of our prime picks for the finest laptops do.
Subsequent, it’s a matter of discovering a hub that has the best connections in your wants. Most hubs supply some combo of HDMI, USB, reminiscence card, Ethernet and three.5 mm ports. In case you have a 4K monitor and would really like a minimum of 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. Remember that a low refresh fee may cause your display screen to really feel laggy, making your mouse seem glitchy and your webcam actions to look delayed.
Extra USB ports on these equipment are normally Sort-A or Sort-C. They will help knowledge with completely different switch charges, sometimes 5Gbps or 10Gbps. Some ports solely deal with passthrough energy and no knowledge, and a few can do knowledge, energy and video, so it’s finest to test the spec checklist to ensure you’re getting the help you want. Remember that a hub could invoice itself as a 7-in-1, however a type of ports will not be usable for something apart from charging.
Normal SD and microSD slots are helpful for transferring knowledge from cameras and the like. Ethernet ports could ship sooner web speeds than your Wi-Fi and a hub with a 3.5mm jack can deliver again the wired headphone connection that some laptops have ditched.
Energy supply
Almost all the USB-C hubs I examined help passthrough charging. Meaning in case your laptop computer or pill solely costs through USB, you don’t must take up one other port in your laptop computer to maintain every thing topped up. Not like a docking station, powering a hub is elective. The one exception is if you wish to shut the lid in your laptop computer whilst 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 have to be plugged into the wall to stop that from taking place.
Lots of the newer hubs embrace 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 assessments, sending energy via the hub made them run even hotter than they do already, so I favor to cost the pc instantly. However for tablets or different gadgets with no further ports, that PD choice is essential.
Some PD ports are additionally knowledge ports — which is each good and unhealthy. On one hand, it feels wasteful to make use of a wonderfully good knowledge port only for boring outdated electrical energy. However then again, 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 truly 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 hooked up Sort-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 either side. All of that is simply to say that aesthetics in all probability gained’t make or break your shopping for resolution.
One variation that might tip the scales is the size of the cable. An extended one offers you extra freedom as you organize the hub in your desk, probably even letting you cover it behind your laptop computer. Or chances are you’ll favor a shorter one to maintain the hub neatly set beside your laptop computer.
How we check USB-C hubs
Earlier than we check something, we check out what’s obtainable and the way they’ve been obtained by consumers, forum-goers and different publications. I grew to become accustomed to a couple of respected manufacturers after I was testing docking stations, so I appeared into hubs from these corporations as effectively. I targeted on objects that might assist with a mean day of productiveness — not high-end setups or demanding gaming conditions. As soon as I settled on a dozen or so that might 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 embrace 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 gentle, a USB-A 3.0 Sandisk thumb drive, a USB-C Samsung T7 Protect exterior drive and a pair of wired headphones I acquired without cost on an airplane (I ought to in all probability 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 knowledge or connectivity points weren’t associated to my tools.
Then I put every USB-C hub via a gamut of fundamental assessments. I checked out what could possibly be plugged in directly, the decision on the monitor, knowledge switch speeds, the general construct high quality of the hub and normal usability elements, like the position of the ports and the size of the cords. And, lastly, the worth to worth ratio helped decide the most effective ones for a couple of completely different use circumstances.
Greatest USB-C hubs for 2024
Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Complete 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 possible stands for the nine-in-one declare in its advertising supplies, however since a type 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 may 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 check monitor and the information switch charges had been forward of different hubs in its value vary. The pace check on an Ethernet cable was on par with that of a costlier docking station, and I appreciated the design of the microSD slot. Most readers have you ever insert the cardboard all the best way in, counting on a spring mechanism to push it again out whenever you’re accomplished. Right here, the tip stands proud simply sufficient which you can 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 system. I want there was simply one extra USB-C so it might deal with each, say, a USB-C keyboard and webcam. However the three USB-A ports, with one supporting as much as 10Gbps charges, largely make up for that oversight. Total, the hub performs effectively and provides a well-rounded choice of connectors.
It was truthfully a tricky name between this and Anker’s 555 8-in-1 for the highest suggestion. They’ve a reasonably comparable port array and Anker’s choice 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 further USB-A port that might definitely turn out to be 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
Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Complete 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 title, however the performance-to-price ratio is so spectacular, it will get a cross for the shortage of branding pizazz.
It’s slimmer than most hubs at about an inch-and-a-half huge, but the cable itself is a pair inches longer than the norm. The unit and the cables simply tuck behind a laptop computer, notably 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 final theme right here. The HDMI 2.0 port can deal with a 4K exterior monitor at 60Hz, which ought to be loads zippy sufficient for a mean 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 effectively, even with a USB-A streaming gentle at full brightness (one thing different hubs had hassle with), and I discovered knowledge switch speeds to exterior drives to be on par with and even sooner than costlier 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 in the event you want one thing with good monitor output, a few high-quality USB ports and a compact design, it is a good choose.
I additionally advocate Plugable’s equally cleverly named USB-C 4-in-1 hub. It’s a greenback cheaper than the Wavlink choice with the same array of ports that every one carried out effectively in my assessments. Finally, its shorter tethered cable and single USB-C port that both delivers energy or runs a peripheral led me to favor Wavlink’s mannequin. However in the event you don’t have to cost your system via the port, you get a very good hub for the cash with Plugable’s system.
- Slim and compact
- Beneficiant 10-inch cable
- Nice value
- Only one downstream USB-C port
Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Complete 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 difficulty with most USB-C hubs is an ironic lack of obtainable downstream USB-C ports. Many prime out at two, and a type of usually delivers energy solely and may’t run peripherals. Throughout three keyboard guides, our suggestions overwhelmingly require USB-C connectivity, all however considered one of our advisable webcams use USB-C and lots of exterior storage drives depend on that port as effectively. Meaning if you would like a hub that connects your keys, digital camera and a drive on the similar time, it’s a must to hunt for one thing appropriate.
The EZQuest Slim Gen 2 hub provides you not only one or two usable Sort-C ports, however 5 of them. It’s additionally one of many few hubs that has a removable cable (and the provided one is a beneficiant 20 inches lengthy). One port is for video output with a claimed 4K output at 60Hz — simply observe 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 might have plugged in, the decrease the speeds every port will be capable of ship, in order that max 10-gigabit fee is for one port at a time.
The connections had been loads for my setup, dealing with a keyboard, mouse, webcam and streaming gentle all on the similar time. (Since I haven’t got a USB-C monitor, I plugged the HDMI cable instantly 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 concerning the dimension of a Skor bar. All of the ports come out of 1 facet, so just like the funds choose 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)
Picture by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Complete 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 worth 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 value bump does get you a couple of options that almost all 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).
Numerous 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 primarily “sharing” a view of a tertiary display screen 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 choice on the market, however from what I’ve seen, that’s fairly good for a USB-C hub — something extra and also you’re possible 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 might run a webcam, keyboard, mouse, Litra gentle, 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 facet, the association on a desk seems to be 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 all the different items I attempted. Whereas I by no means observed any unwell results because of this, I solely used it over the course of a pair days and wonder if there’d be any heat-related points with prolonged use.
- A lot of ports
- Good number of ports
- Driver permits for 2 prolonged exterior shows
- Costly
- Will get extremely popular throughout use
Different hubs we examined
HyperDrive Subsequent 10 Port USB-C Hub
There’s quite a bit 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 knowledge ports plus a PD port, and there’s even a headphone jack. The one factor that holds again a full-throated endorsement is the best way our unit dealt with a streaming gentle. Having it on at full brightness made the webcam flicker each time. The difficulty 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 flawed with the Anker 341 USB-C hub. The truth is it’s a present suggestion in our iPad equipment information and it comes at an incredible $35 value. It provides 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 assessments proved to be a contact slower than the opposite hubs. However in the event you’ve acquired a decrease decision monitor and don’t want a couple of USB-C, you gained’t be disillusioned with it.
Startech 4-Port USB-C Hub (knowledge solely)
I solely grew to become conscious of Startech after I began researching for this information. The standard is first rate and the yellow accents are a welcome little bit of coloration 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 an extended wire that wraps across the hub itself, which is exclusive. It doesn’t hassle with energy supply, which isn’t a difficulty in the event you can energy your pc instantly. However the 4 USB ports (three Sort-A and one Sort-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.
