Satechi USB-C Pro HUB is a Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C HUB designed especially for MacBook Pro, given the affinity of Design with Apple’s laptop. The most important peculiarity is undoubtedly the fact of operating directly, without cables, and operational choice, rather than a style.
For the rest a very capable connection that brings speed and a more effective bandwidth especially in the video. We tried it for a few weeks, let’s see how it went.
- 1 Form Factor
- 2 Out of the box
- 3 Almost all on one side
- 4 How it works
- 5 Considerations
- 6 Pros:
- 7 Cons:
- 8 Price:
Form Factor
Anyone who buys a MacBook Pro or Air (above all) today has to deal with external HUBs, adapters, card readers, and power ports because Apple’s minimalism is beautiful to look at, but little goes along with the practicality of daily work.
A USB adapter can be an inexpensive choice, but after a few uses you realize that something more is needed to optimize the (always) few ports available (and even less, this also applies to Desktop computers).
There are many solutions in this area: we can have a HUB without a power supply with an articulated cable (such as the Caldigit SOHO Dock), which is practical but needs a desk on which to work well. lean on, or a more powerful solution, such as the Caldigit TS3 Plus, certainly one of the best HUBs, but which by its very nature cannot work on the move.
There are also very particular solutions, such as the Satechi Type-C Aluminum Stand & Hub for Mac Mini (also in its recent version for Mac mini M1) which, however, are closely linked to a computer model.
For this review, we opted for the new Satechi USB-C Pro HUB, whose shape is particular (they do not need a cable but connecting directly to the Mac) but which unlike many other HUBs offers a Thunderbolt 3 port that should not be underestimated.
Out of the box
Inside the box, the HUB and … nothing else, on the other hand, nothing is needed: you connect it to a MacBook Pro and it’s ready.
The dimensions speak of a small parallelepiped of 11.43 x 2.79 x 1.02 cm and a weight of 39.6 grams: basically, it is a lighter a little higher, and very light, if desired it also fits in the trouser pocket, being at ease in any bag or backpack.
On the one hand, there are two USB-C connectors to put on the MacBook Pro (we tested it on a 13 ″ model of 2018 but the standard is identical to all MacBooks with at least two USB-C / Thunderbolt sockets currently in commerce), to be used to communicate.
We have no data on this from the manufacturer, but probably one of the two ports is used for data passage and the other for power supply, in addition to the fact that the adherence of the HUB with two ports is better than just one. .
Due to the small size, some accessories such as SD cards remain partially exported, nothing major
Almost everything on a side
The connectors are all almost on one side, apart from the HDMI one which is housed alone on the short side. The number is not to be underestimated: two 5 Gbit USB-A ports, 1 5 Gbit USB-C, 1 40 Gbit Thunderbolt 3 port, 1 HDMI port capable of supporting a 4K 60 Hz display and an SD card reader and MicroSD.
A curiosity: the Thunderbolt 3 port (the first at the top) is such, even if on the site it is listed as a USB-C port. When connecting the MacBook Pro to a Mac mini via Thunderbolt 3 in Target (Target Mode, available from System Preferences> Startup Disk), the display only showed the Thunderbolt symbol. This aspect is also supported by the data transfer, which Satechi declares up to 40 Gbit, typical of Thunderbolt 3.
For recharging, Satechi suggests no more than one device at a time
There are some attentions to consider when using the Satechi USB-C Pro HUB: for connecting an external video, MacBook Pro with M1 is only supported in screen duplication, the two USB-A ports support the charging of external devices, but only one at a time, while the manufacturer does not recommend the use of optical CD / DVD players (including Superdrive). During our tests, the HUB correctly powered an iPhone (via USB-A) and supported the use of a 2.5 ″ mechanical disk (the WD_Black P10), not having an external CD or DVD player available.
Finally, the difference between the two fast ports is noticeable (one Thunderbolt the other “only” USB-C), but only for very fast disks, in particular for Thunderbolt 3 ones (such as the G-Technology G-Drive Mobile SSD) , while for the more “accessible” disks such as the SanDisk Extreme V2 portable SSD the difference is not felt.
How does it work
Given the good weather, we used the portable HUB for several “missions” around Milan, always connected to our MacBook Pro, even in the backpack (but be careful, our Razer Rogue 15.6 Backpack V2 houses the laptop vertically, with the ‘HUB in the upper part, for bags with horizontal pocket more attention is needed).
Once you take the laptop out of the backpack, the practicality of the HUB is obvious, because you start working immediately: other HUBs must be detached before placing the laptop in the bag.
For just one USB stick the Satechi USB-C Pro HUB is almost wasted, but sometimes it’s essential
Using mainly an SSD disk via USB-C, the difference between the ports was not decisive (but it could become so with other accessories) and in any case, the HUB supported the use of one disk, two USB-A sticks (one with lighting), and a MicroSD card inside, without batting an eye all at the same time.
This writer does not use Apple’s official power supply, preferring something more versatile, and we have found that the power supply can switch between the two USB-C connectors, which is a great advantage when you are working and do not have to unplug. a disc to connect the charging unit, being able to use the other port.
Finally, a mention for the video output: many of the cheap USB-C HUBs have an HDMI video output that allows up to 30 Hz, while here 4K is guaranteed at 60 Hz, which visually transforms into a softer and less flickered signal. (which is the only solution if you want to play).
Considerations
This external HUB, which on the SATECHI website is at the standard price of 99 Dollars, you can get it for 89 Euro on Amazon, a bit high priced for a classic USB-C HUB, but completely proportionate for a model Thunderbolt 3, much more capable both in data transfer speed (double) and for video connectivity, which goes from a 30 Hz signal (useful only for the Finder and Office) to a 60 Hz one (with which you can do everything, especially the multimedia part).
The Satechi USB-C Pro is a very important and very useful accessory, born to be the ideal shoulder of a MacBook Pro, both in terms of design and from the point of view of performance.
Some attention in the connections is a must, but nothing so apocalyptic, and with the advantage of being able to always leave it connected, even in the backpack (vertical), because sometimes those 10 seconds really matter.
Pro:
• Interesting and comfortable design • Powerful thanks to Thunderbolt 3 • Video output at 60 Hz
Cons:
• Pay attention to how you put it in the bag • On Mac M1 only video duplication • Important price
Price:
• 89.00 Euro
Satechi USB-C Pro is available directly from the website of the parent company or you can find it more conveniently also at Amazon in three different colors.
