Review- If you are like me, you always want/need more device storage space. Certain fruit-themed brands charge high fees for larger storage options, so many of us end up with very limited hard drives on our computers or tablets. Satechi previously helped bridge this gap by providing an external USB-C SSD (Solid State Drive) chassis, allowing you to instantly connect larger storage drives at a lower price.They also make excellent multifunctional USB-C hubs with various shapes and ports (e.g. Satechi Type-C Multiport Adapter 4K with Ethernet V2 ). A certain genius of Satechi must have had an instant moment, and combined these two ideas into a magical device, which provides us with the Satechi USB-C hybrid multi-port adapter. I tested it on Mac and Windows laptops, and what followed was my endless and mostly unstructured ideas. The short version is that it won a place as a device for daily use, rather than collecting dust in a drawer after the review is complete.
What is it?
The Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter is a USB-C hub with HDMI and USB ports. It supports power supply (PD) and has a built-in SSD shell for additional external storage. Basically, you can plug this device into your laptop, and it can provide you with more storage space (with an SSD drive of your choice not included), connected USB peripherals, and HDMI video.
What’s in the box?
- Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter itself
- manual
Hardware specifications
- 4k/60Hz HDMI display output
- Fast USB-C PD charging up to 100W
- 2 USB-A data ports-up to 5 Gbps
- Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.8 x 0.6 inches
- Weight: 3.8 ounces
- Material: Aluminum
- SSD compatibility: M.2 SSD (non-NVME), size 2230/2260/2280
Design and features
The Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter looks like many other USB-C dongles I have used before and seen on the market. It is a small and thin aluminum device that is connected to the device via a USB-C cable and has multiple ports on one side.
This is the port and bottom, there is a USB-C PD port (for power only), two USB-A gen 3.1 ports, and an HDMI port capable of transmitting 4k video at 60 Hz. The SSD access panel is visible in the image above. Power supply is optional, if it is not connected, the hub will draw power from the device itself to run HDMI and USB-A ports.
The cable looks sturdy enough and it is reinforced around the connection to the main body of the device.
The USB-C connector itself is an industry standard. I am glad that it is not too thick (some of my USB-C devices and cables may conflict with the dual USB-C ports on my work Macbook because they are too big).
Installation and setup
Accessing the M.2 solid-state hard drive bay is very easy: you only need to slide the cover down. It has enough resistance, has a rubber edge, and does not slip in the bag or when moving, but it is easy to get out of the car when I want to access it. Then pull out the rubber plugs in each hole. These plugs conveniently mark the different lengths of the M.2 hard drive. You only need one of these plugs to install the SSD, and the rest can be stored as spare parts or discarded.
Install the M.2 hard drive by making sure that the notch/key is aligned with the notch/key of the port, and then press while at an angle of about 30 degrees. My small Macbook hard drive is divided into 2 (I run a lot of Windows programs, so I use Bootcamp to switch between Windows and macOS). Due to space constraints, I often have to clean up files and delete programs, so I purchased a Teamgroup 1 TB SSD to use.
Next, you slide one of the previously removed rubber plugs onto the hard drive and push it in.
This is one of the easiest M.2 SSD installations I have ever done. Usually, you need to screw in a micro screw (sometimes you even need to screw in a bracket of the proper drive length first). After the drive is installed, you slide the cover back and you can start using it.
Performance
The performance of this drive in the Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter is better than my previous external USB-C SSD enclosure (nearly), and it is within the error range of the drive speed declared by the manufacturer. 500+ MB/s is quite fast for most things; it is about 5 times faster than the old mechanical drive. I do want it to have the latest NVME speed (this is another 3-5 times jump), but the math on the back of the napkin tells me that 10 Gbps USB-C only allows a maximum hard drive speed of ~1250 MB/s, if you still use it HDMI port, then it will be less, so this may be the reason why Satechi uses the old SSD SATA-3 standard. To take advantage of NVME, you may need Thunderbolt bandwidth instead of USB-C 3.1, which limits compatibility and increases costs. Thunderbolt and USB-C ports and cables look the same. I tested this hub on both Thunderbolt and non-Thunderbolt devices. On Thunderbolt devices like my Macbook Pro, it just runs at USB-C speed.
HDMI detects various displays perfectly, and even supports 100 Hz on my 3k ultra-wide main screen (this screen can reach 144 Hz, but the Satechi USB-C hybrid multi-port adapter can’t fully push that much). This should translate well to the quoted 4k/60Hz. I have no video problems on various monitors and TVs, which is better than most dongles I have used before.
I like that it supports Power Delivery, which means I can connect my 100 watt Macbook charger (or you can get something like this Satechi 100W USB-C PD charger ) Then just plug a single USB-C cable into your laptop to drive SSD storage, USB-A port and HDMI video output. The end result is that you can set up a desktop workstation, just plug a cable into your device and everything will work, I really like it.
what do I like
- Additional SSD storage
- Considering the bandwidth limitation of USB-C, a good port option
- Easy to install SSD and support different sizes
What will i change
- At this price point, there may be nothing: adding good things such as faster NVME hard drive support, Gigabit Ethernet, more USB-A ports, or faster screen refresh capabilities requires more bandwidth (Thunderbolt ), and will cost more and work with less equipment.
Final thoughts
Considering the 10 Gbps USB-C gen 3.1 bandwidth budget, Satechi has achieved a good balance between features and ports. This is exactly what I need most on my work Macbook: HDMI output, USB-A port and more storage space. The retail price of the Satechi USB-C hybrid multi-port adapter is quite reasonable in terms of functionality and manufacturing quality, and has become an important part of my daily kit!
Price: 89.99 USD
Where to buy: Sada with Amazon
source: The sample for this review is made by Sada
