Choosing one of the best USB-C hub or dongle feels a bit like visiting a salad bar: The sheer number of merchandise means which you could actually store for a tool that has precisely what you’re searching for, and for one of the best worth.
That doesn’t all the time imply a USB-C hub or dongle works as marketed, or that it’s going to fulfill you. To know that requires precise hands-on testing. I take into account a USB-C dongle to be a less expensive different to both a DisplayLink dock or Thunderbolt docking station, which share some testing standards. USB-C docking stations, which have change into extra frequent, are extra full-featured merchandise, and require extra testing to substantiate they carry out as marketed.
I’ve examined USB-C hubs, dongles, and docking stations for the final three years, and compiled the ends in a listing of the best USB-C hubs and dongles. Some of the merchandise I check get written up in separate critiques, however not all. Regardless, I exploit a set of frequent standards to judge each USB-C hub, dongle, and docking station:
- Price
- Ports and options
- Physical development and thermals
- Stability and connectivity
- Power and efficiency, with a subset of assessments reserved for USB-C docking stations
All of the USB-C gadgets reviewed by PCWorld employees are achieved so independently, with none affect from distributors. We acquire every system both by buying it ourselves or by asking the seller for a overview unit.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
How I check USB-C hubs by worth, ports, and options
In basic, shopping for a USB-C hub is primarily a query of worth and ports. USB-C hubs are usually marked as “X-in-1” hubs, which means that they’re merely a group of ports. That language signifies that I start by what the hub provides, and evaluate it to what the producer expenses. It’s not honest to say {that a} USB-C hub is a commodity, however they actually share a few of these components.
At press time, my choose for the best USB-C hub is an 8-in-1 hub, the Anker 555, which has what I take into account to be a fairly very best mixture of ports: two USB-A ports (for a mouse and keyboard), a USB-C port for energy enter, and one other for data-out; plus a microSD/SD card slot, Ethernet, and an HDMI show port. I don’t check (or advocate) all mixtures of ports, due to the huge variety of choices.
It’s price noting that older hubs tended to hook up with a single 4K show at 30Hz, which might pressure your eyes over lengthy classes. Newer hubs join at 4K, 60Hz as an alternative, which is what your eyes are used to.
My suggestions can and do differ primarily based upon pricing. Budget hubs can drop into the $20 vary, whereas dearer hubs will be $30 or $40 and above. Competition will be brutal — however that’s good. I’ll fortunately bump a very good USB-C hub from our checklist of suggestions if a comparable product permits you to get monetary savings with out sacrificing high quality.
USB-C docking stations can use applied sciences similar to DisplayLink or DSC/HBR3 to approximate the power of a Thunderbolt dock to hook up with a couple of 4K show. I’m nonetheless searching for a aggressive worth, although I’m keen to account for the next worth ($100 to $150 or so) if there are extra options and an influence brick to cost your laptop computer.
How I check USB-C hubs for bodily development and thermals
Some USB dongles are made from plastic; others are fabricated from steel. I give no choice over both, however I do take be aware if a hub will get excessively sizzling. I used to make use of a temperature sensor, however discarded it in favor of my very own fingers — on the uncommon event {that a} hub or dock heats as much as alarming temperatures, I merely don’t advocate it.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
I do plug in a lot of check peripherals to test the port spacing. It would possibly sound a bit of dumb, however I’ve caught dongle distributors jamming ports so shut collectively {that a} USB key can’t be inserted subsequent to a different system. I don’t do something like whack the dongle on my desk to check it; as an alternative, it’s right here that I’ll learn buyer critiques to smell out any long-term issues. Here, too, is usually the place I see if there’s a very good guarantee. It makes for peace of thoughts.
A steel docking station usually prices a bit extra, however it tends to dissipate warmth higher than a plastic dock. Again, that is one thing that may be simply confirmed.
How I check USB-C hubs for stability
Some stability assessments will be carried out shortly — does a show flicker and/or refuse to gentle when linked to a dock? Is there sufficient energy to drive a peripheral, like an SSD? I’ve a number of peripherals on my desk particularly designed for this, together with a pair of 4K shows that I exploit for Thunderbolt dock testing.
With a USB-C hub or dongle, I don’t run via the varied check laptops that I exploit with a Thunderbolt dock. I do attempt to use the USB-C hub hooked up to the identical laptop computer for a day or so, bringing the laptop computer up out of sleep and checking to see if it reliably connects.
How I check USB-C hubs for energy and efficiency
I don’t ask a $20 hub to ship the efficiency of a $150 USB-C docking station, and I don’t prioritize one hub over one other due to high quality nuances in efficiency. Each USB-C hub is actually splitting a 10Gbps USB-C port bandwidth over a number of ports, and I measure to see if the efficiency suffers an sudden drop. For efficiency testing, I exploit a devoted laptop computer with a Thunderbolt 4 port that may fall again to the 10Gbps of a USB-C connection.
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
Mark Hachman / IDG
I join a hub or dongle to the show — assuming it has a show port — after which play again a 4K60 YouTube stream and be aware any body drops. This shouldn’t occur. I then carry out a storage check with an SSD to measure the storage efficiency utilizing an trade benchmark, PCMark 10. I then repeat the streaming check and run the storage benchmark once more. It’s common for the mixture to lead to lowered efficiency and dropped frames, producing a stuttering video stream.
Most full-featured USB-C docks embrace an influence brick that provides energy to your laptop computer and peripherals; a USB-C hub might embrace an influence enter port that routes your laptop computer’s USB-C charger energy via the hub. It’s all the time good to know if that hub goes to eat a lot energy that your laptop computer complains that it’s not getting sufficient.
With a dock, I exploit a USB multimeter to measure how a lot energy every port supplies, and if relevant, how a lot is arriving in your laptop computer.
I check USB-C docks by repeating the efficiency assessments above, however I do be aware my outcomes and the way effectively every docking station compares to others I check. I additionally carry out an extra check the place I copy a folder of recordsdata from an SSD I connect to the dock, all the way down to the check laptop computer.
How to interpret our USB-C hub score system
Quite frankly, most USB-C hubs that I consider work fairly effectively. I choose our greatest picks primarily based upon worth, options, thermals, and efficiency. I weight USB-C docks extra on efficiency and options than worth.
Generally, most docks that I check charge three stars and above, a score which I take into account to be a passable rating. Hubs, docks, and dongles that rating 4 our of 5 stars are usually ones that I’d advocate, however might have some flaw (a excessive worth? A gradual connection?) that holds them again. I award an Editor’s Choice award to a hub, dongle, or dock that I might unreservedly advocate to a buddy or member of the family. The finish purpose, after all, is to check after which advocate one of the best USB-C docks so that you can get pleasure from.