Satechi Pro Hub Slim review: Good port expansion for Mac, on a budget

Professional Hub Slim

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The corporate launched it in January and particularly designed it for MacBooks with an M2-series chip. These fashions have two Thunderbolt ports on the left aspect, and that is how the Professional Slim Hub connects to the machine.

The Professional Hub Slim has seven ports designed to extend knowledge switch speeds and prolong office connectivity. The 2 USB-A knowledge ports on the hub help as much as 10Gb/s of information switch speeds, whereas the USB 4 pass-through port helps as much as 6K at 60Hz video output, as much as 100W of charging, and has knowledge switch speeds as much as 40Gb/s.

The SD and Micro SD slots help UHS-I charges as much as 104MB/s. Moreover, the 4K HDMI port for twin show helps as much as 60Hz in decision.

It really works with any MacBook from 2017 to later and would not require drivers or software program. Mac customers can plug the Professional Hub Slim into their units to begin working.

Because the identify implies, the dock is certainly slim. The hub is shorter than an iPhone 14 and practically the identical thickness, measuring a bit underneath 5 inches lengthy and barely multiple inch huge.

The Slim Hub, like nearly all of Satechi units, integrates aluminum right into a svelte kind to match the Apple product. It’s going to match neatly in a pocket or bag for storage and transportation.

The hub was particularly good to make use of on a 2023 MacBook Professional as a result of it wasn’t essential to take over the USB-C PD port for charging. The USB-A ports at as much as 10Gb/s of switch are additionally good, though it requires a USB 3.2 Gen 2 storage drive to attain most pace.

The USB 4 port is a superb addition to the hub because it has a number of capabilities. For instance, it has pass-through charging for MacBooks with out MagSafe, quick switch speeds of as much as 40Gb/s, an influence output of as much as 100W, and a video output of as much as 6K at 60Hz.

Utilizing an previous USB 2 flash drive, transferring a 2.6GB folder with the Slim Hub took about 5 minutes. With the USB 4 port, shifting the identical folder to a USB 3.2 Gen 2 drive took about three seconds.

The SD and Micro SD slots help SD/SDHC/SDXC playing cards with as much as 2TB capability and as much as 104MB/s switch speeds. For instance, utilizing an SDHC (SD Excessive Capability) Micro SD card took roughly 10 minutes to switch the two.6GB folder.

Satechi notes in its information that the USB-A and USB-C ports do not help charging or connecting to CD readers, together with the Apple USB SuperDrive. However, though we did not carry out a time take a look at, we might cost our iPhone 14 with every port.

The final port on the hub is the HDMI port that may output 4K video to an exterior monitor at as much as 60Hz. This functionality is superb for individuals who want an additional show for productiveness or gaming.

The hub barely wobbles up and down as a result of it might solely connect to a MacBook on one aspect. It isn’t a major concern, though we would not go away it on whereas carrying a MacBook.

It solidly connects to a Mac in any other case, however it’s best to maintain on to the hub whereas eradicating cables as a result of attempting to tug one out additionally causes the hub to tug away. However, once more, that is not a trigger for concern, and it will not fall out by itself.

• A wide range of several types of ports
• Quick knowledge switch on every USB port
• Good design

• Sluggish knowledge charges for SD and Micro SD playing cards

Photographers most likely will not be proud of the SD slot speeds as transferring massive information from their cameras takes a very long time. But it surely’s a superb product in all different points, and the price of $79.99 is not dangerous for what it presents.