Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub review: Compact and well-priced

Price When Reviewed

$199.99

Best Prices Today: Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 5-in-1 Core Hub

Forget about shopping for an costly docking station. With its of mixture of USB and Thunderbolt ports, the 5-in-1 Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub is perhaps all it’s essential to broaden your Thunderbolt laptop computer right into a fuller desktop system with exterior shows and spare device-connection ports.

Thunderbolt 4 permits for hubs that may boast as much as 4 of the super-fast 40Gbps Type-C connector which is backwards appropriate with Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C.

With the fitting units or adapters, this hub is perhaps ample so as to add a few exterior shows and a high-speed storage drive.

Further studying: See our roundup of the best Thunderbolt docks to find out about competing merchandise.

Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub specs and options

The Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub boasts 4 Thunderbolt 4 (all at 40Gbps knowledge switch and 15W system charging) and one USB-A 3.2 Gen.2 (10Gbps and 4.5W) port.

Calling it a “5-in-1 hub” is a little bit of a cheat, as one of many Thunderbolt 4 ports will likely be used to attach knowledge and energy to your laptop computer, leaving three TB4 ports and the quick USB-A port. That may nonetheless be sufficient ports for a lot of customers.

• One upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40Gbps, 96W)
• Three Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps, 15W)
• One USB-A port (10Gbps, 4.5W)
• 150W energy provide

Belkin

That vary of ports is the norm for Thunderbolt 4 hubs. Larger, dearer Thunderbolt 4 docks can have extra ports, however if you happen to simply want a couple of further versatile Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, a hub may prevent each cash and desk area.

The single USB-A port affords quick knowledge switch at 10Gbps however is underpowered for charging a linked system. 4.5W will cost a telephone however very slowly, and is admittedly solely highly effective sufficient to cost up your headphones, smartwatch, or wi-fi keyboard/mouse. The Thunderbolt 4 ports can cost at 15W.

The Belkin Core Hub comes with a beneficiant exterior 150W energy provide. The upstream Thunderbolt 4 port that connects to your laptop can cost a laptop computer at as much as 96W, which is the best Power Delivery (USB PD) connection on a hub reasonably than a full docking station.

The hub is a bit mild on connections with its single USB-A port, however all hubs apart from one provide the identical single USB-A port. No hub affords as many ports because the Caldigit Element Hub, which boasts 4 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 that may every cost at 18W and a blow-away-the-competition 4 10Gbps USB-A ports (7.5W). Read our Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Element Hub review.

The many-ported Caldigit’s solely limitation is that, regardless of its equal 150W energy provide, its laptop computer PD charging energy is proscribed to 60W.

60W energy supply is sufficient for a mid-sized laptop computer however not a bigger 15- to 17-inch moveable. A big laptop computer may stay charged on 60W however its battery would fade if in full use.

Belkin’s Core Hub fixes this limitation with its spectacular 96W laptop-charging port. If you’ve gotten a bigger laptop computer and don’t want as many USB-A ports, the Belkin Core Hub makes extra sense than the Caldigit Element Hub.

Foundry

Other choices embody the Sonnet Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub that may cost a laptop computer at 85W and has a extra highly effective 7.5W USB-A port than the Belkin, however maxes its complete energy output at 100W, in comparison with Belkin and Caldigit’s 150W.

Belkin’s Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub is just not a docking station by strict definition—nor does it declare to be—however it may possibly provide most of what a dock can whenever you add adapters.

For instance, in order for you a quick, steady wired community connection you possibly can add an Ethernet adapter (Gigabit or quicker) akin to Ugreen’s USB-C to Ethernet Adapter for below $20 / £15.

You can join two exterior shows to your laptop computer utilizing the Core Hub’s Thunderbolt 4 ports. These would join on to displays with USB-C ports, or you possibly can add cheap USB-C to DisplayPort or HDMI adapters.

The two displays may every deal with as much as 4K at 60Hz, or you possibly can connect a single 8K at 30Hz.

That stated, Apple’s plain non-Pro/Max M1 and M2 chip computer systems assist only one exterior monitor. Check out our workaround answer for adding two screens to an M1 or M2 MacBook.

If you like a fuller docking station, check out our spherical up of the best Thunderbolt 4 docks, which additionally seems at different Thunderbolt 4 hubs.

Belkin

Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub design and construct

Hubs with their very own energy provide can act as mini docking stations, and they’re much extra compact. The Belkin Core Hub measures 5.3 x 3 x 0.7 inches (135 x 75 x 18mm), which is somewhat longer and wider than the Caldigit Element Hub however nonetheless fairly petite.

The Belkin’s energy brick is much less chunky than the Caldigit hub’s however on the similar mighty 150W complete output.

We favor the Element Hub for its upstream TB4 port neatly mounted on the aspect not like most different Thunderbolt hubs, together with the Belkin Core Hub, that situate it on the entrance. A entrance connection would possibly make it barely quicker to disconnect however its an unpleasant answer when in use with the cable stretched out from the entrance.

The Belkin Core Hub ships with a 0.8m Thunderbolt 4 cable. This will join the hub to your laptop computer, however you’ll want to purchase further cables if utilizing the hub’s different ports.

Foundry

How a lot does the Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub value?

The Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub prices US$199.99 or £199.99.

That’s the identical value because the multi-ported Element Hub from Caldigit, however bear in mind the upper laptop computer charging energy of the Belkin hub.

Should you purchase the Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub?

The Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub is a compact and well-priced Thunderbolt 4 hub with quick connections that may deal with as a lot as a small docking station. You can add as much as two exterior 4K shows and nonetheless have one quick Thunderbolt 4 port free so as to add a quick storage drive or different USB-C system. Its 96W laptop-charging port is essentially the most highly effective we’ve seen on a Thunderbolt 4 hub.

You will discover three extra USB ports on the equally priced Caldigit Element Hub however the Belkin wins out on its extra highly effective 96W PD laptop computer charging output that makes it a better option for bigger laptops.

This evaluation initially appeared on techadvisor.com.