Best USB-C hubs and dongles 2024: Add ports to your laptop or tablet

The most effective USB-C hubs are designed to increase your laptop computer’s capabilities, permitting you to attach legacy printers, mice, and keyboards by way of a dongle that connects to your laptop computer’s USB-C port.

Every of my USB-C hub suggestions incorporates quite a lot of ports (together with USB-A ports, HDMI, and extra) that can help you join legacy gadgets like USB reminiscence keys, show connectors, and extra to your laptop computer. Our suggestions dive into the advantages of every dongle, which we’ve examined and reviewed, with new picks for 2024.

I’ve organized my USB-C suggestions this manner: conventional USB-C hubs on high, adopted by my picks for the very best USB-C docking stations. The latter are a bit bulkier, however have a tendency to supply extra connections. I’ll additionally introduce you to DisplayLink docks, an improved model that provides hardware-based compression to maneuver extra information over the USB-C port. Extra superior options lie inside the very best Thunderbolt docks, which I’ve listed individually. It may possibly all be a little bit complicated, so I’ve included an expanded FAQ and a shopping for information under my suggestions that can assist you make sense of all of it.

Why it’s best to belief me: I’ve written about expertise for 30 years, and have compiled this roundup of the very best USB-C hubs and dongles since 2022, after I began reviewing dozens of those merchandise. I additionally supply associated suggestions for the very best Thunderbolt docks, so I perceive precisely how advanced the straightforward USB-C port could be and what expertise works greatest with it. Few if any publications will even write about, not to mention evaluate, DisplayLink docks, which additionally present a reasonable but highly effective different to a USB-C hub. I evaluate these as effectively. It’s a distinct segment that I do know fairly a bit about.

Up to date April 5, 2024: I’ve up to date our testing part with extra particulars (and up to date checks) in addition to hyperlink to a web page with extra particulars. The Anker 555 is now our greatest choose for the very best USB-C hub of 2024.

How to decide on a USB-C hub

First, take inventory of your peripherals

Right here’s the place to begin: Check out the peripherals you personal, or plan to purchase. Do you might have an previous exterior exhausting drive that makes use of a conventional USB-A cable? Do you manually again up images from an SLR by way of its SD card? Or is your Wi-Fi connection unreliable sufficient that you simply’d desire ethernet? Determine what ports you’ll want. This recommendation can also be for Home windows customers; Macs have their very own limitations on USB-C connections.

Remember the fact that it’s possible you’ll wish to use each a mouse and keyboard, and presumably join a printer, too. You may disconnect a keyboard to print, however it’s form of a ache.

Subsequent, try what ports your laptop computer already has

It’s additionally vital to take inventory of your laptop computer or pill’s ports: Does it have one USB-C port or two? In case your machine solely has one port, is there a separate charging connection? In case your laptop computer or pill has a USB-C port and makes use of it completely for charging, you’ll wish to purchase a USB-C hub with a devoted charging enter port. (On this case, it’s additionally attainable that solely the charging port on the hub will work, although this isn’t typical.)

Notice how a lot enter energy the port permits, and ensure that will probably be ample to your laptop computer. In any other case, you’ll be pressured to decide on between charging your laptop computer and accessing different gadgets, which makes little sense. Most laptops will pop up a warning a couple of “gradual charger” in case your laptop computer’s not getting sufficient juice.

Does your monitor have a USB-C port?

Not too long ago, we’ve begun to see extra shows embrace a USB-C port in addition to HDMI and DisplayPort inputs. It is a optimistic signal (form of) in that your monitor might be able to eradicate the necessity for a USB-C hub.

Matt Smith/IDG

Matt Smith/IDG

Matt Smith/IDG

This has a few wrinkles. First, monitor ports have by no means been essentially the most accessible, and looking for the suitable port on the again of a giant, clunky show isn’t enjoyable. You could discover wish to put money into an affordable USB-C hub simply to keep away from the trouble.

Second, that monitor’s USB-C port may very well be a video enter — so as a substitute of connecting an HDMI cable between your PC and the show, you possibly can merely run a USB-C to USB-C cable and achieve the identical factor. How are you aware to do this? First, try our roundup of the very best USB-C shows, then learn it fastidiously. We distinguish between the 2 that can assist you out.

Assess your laptop computer and peripheral energy wants

Remember the fact that the hub’s energy port is for taking energy in to your laptop computer, and never out to a telephone. However your hub should still be capable to cost your telephone, with some caveats. A “bus-powered” USB hub connects to your laptop computer and pulls energy from it, which it has share with a number of gadgets—and it received’t do it that effectively.

Some docks will embrace a USB-C port whose solely goal is to just accept your laptop computer’s USB-C charger. That port will energy your laptop computer in addition to any ports related to it. These gadgets will make extra energy out there for quick charging your telephone. (Your hub in all probability received’t allow specialised charging just like the Samsung Galaxy S20’s Tremendous Quick Charging, nonetheless, even for those who use the equipped Samsung cable. You’ll nonetheless want to attach your telephone to its charger for that.)

Making sense of the USB-C applied sciences

A USB-C port in your laptop computer can both run at 5Gbps or 10Gbps, with the latter being nearly ubiquitous nowadays. That’s loads of bandwidth for a printer, a mouse, a keyboard, or a tough drive, even suddenly. Merchandise like shows, ethernet, and high-speed SSDs gobble up that bandwidth, nonetheless.

We discover that the show applied sciences are inclined to have essentially the most affect over what you can purchase. When you merely wish to connect with an exterior 1080p show—or two—a USB-C dongle ought to work tremendous, offered that the dongle has the out there ports. It’s actually the most affordable possibility. When you begin making an attempt to connect with one or two 1440p or 4K shows, nonetheless, it’s possible you’ll discover that you simply’ll wish to take into account choices just like the USB-C docking stations. You may get round this, partly. As an alternative of plugging your ethernet cable into the USB-C dongle, you need to use a separate Wi-Fi connection, for instance.

Historically, the one different different was a Thunderbolt dock. Offered your laptop computer had a Thunderbolt port, Thunderbolt’s 40Gbps bandwidth permits for 2 4K shows, working at 60Hz, plus numerous peripherals. (You should use a USB-C dock even you probably have a Thunderbolt port, by the way in which.) USB4, an analogous expertise, is mainly the identical as Thunderbolt to your functions.

Now, there are additionally two middleman applied sciences to select from: a DisplayLink USB-C dock, and a USB-C dock that takes benefit of one thing referred to as HBR3 and DSC.

DisplayLink, owned by Synaptics, makes use of software program compression between your laptop computer and the dock to approximate a Thunderbolt expertise over a generic USB-C connection. It requires a software program driver, however our expertise is that it’s a superb selection for workplace work, however not gaming. Listed below are the very best DisplayLink docks and why to purchase them.

HBR3 with Show Compression (HBR3 with DSC) is basically an business normal model of DisplayLink. The issue? The expertise hasn’t been broadly publicized, not to mention supported. Our expertise has been that docks that assist HBR3 work effectively with laptops utilizing Twelfth-gen Core processors on up. Laptops with a Tenth-gen Core chip inside them aren’t supported, and Eleventh-gen Core laptops are iffy. When you personal a Twelfth-gen Core laptop computer, particularly a member of Intel’s premium Evo model, you stand a great likelihood of success. In any other case, don’t hassle. (We haven’t examined with laptops that use an AMD Ryzen chip.)

Lastly, don’t fear about platform branding

As a result of USB-C is widespread amongst Macs, Home windows PCs, and telephones, some hubs align their branding with a specific platform. Go forward and use that USB-C that’s billed as being “for MacBook Professional, Chromebook, and XPS” with any Home windows PC—we did, and it really works simply tremendous. You received’t want any particular software program or drivers. 

After testing our USB-C hubs, we are able to affirm that some no-names carry out simply in addition to their extra well-known counterparts, and for much less cash, too. One factor to bear in mind: As a result of value is so vital to our suggestions, know that a few of the costs could change as producers supply gross sales. Due to this fact some hubs we didn’t advocate based on value might grow to be extra purchase-worthy. 

How we take a look at USB-C hubs

We take a look at USB-C hubs/dongles barely otherwise than docking stations. A separate article affords an in depth rationalization on how we take a look at USB-C hubs, however right here’s a abstract of the method:

We consider USB-C hubs based mostly upon value, options, and performance. Worth actually issues, as do any gross sales. Extra advanced hubs normally command extra money, however that’s not all the time the case!

When evaluating a hub or dongle, we first test how intently the ports are spaced. You’ll want a dongle that enables for each USB keys in addition to extra conventional cords to one thing like a printer. How lengthy is the wire? It sounds a little bit dumb, however we do run into gadgets the place these fundamentals aren’t even thought-about.

We’re searching for essentially the most superior, most versatile USB-C hubs at the very best value. In sure situations, we rule out older {hardware} (that which drives a 4K show at 30Hz, fairly than 60Hz, for instance). The tempo of change within the USB-C hub market is gradual, which means that value is usually the figuring out issue.

We do run efficiency checks, nonetheless. We test for stability: Does every thing join, and reliably? We use dwell take a look at {hardware} that you simply’d discover in your house: mice, keyboards, displays, and so forth. We run storage checks (utilizing PCMark’s storage benchmark) towards a take a look at SSD to find out the efficiency. It’s uncommon {that a} USB-C machine overheats, however we’ll test that too, although by really feel.

We go into extra element with docking stations. We carry out the above checks, however usually study a USB-C docking station utilizing the identical methodology as a Thunderbolt dock. We join it to a number of 4K shows and be certain that they’ll hit the focused refresh price. We then carry out a number of storage checks: connecting an SSD to a USB-A or USB-C port and checking the efficiency utilizing PCMark 10; streaming video to the show; and, whereas working the PCMark take a look at, persevering with to stream video. We additionally copy a take a look at folder of information from the SSD to the host laptop computer throughout the USB connection.

We’ve given you loads of element on what makes a great USB-C hub or dongle and what to think about when shopping for one. Generally, nonetheless, these are pretty cheap, versatile methods to improve your laptop computer, and I’d advocate all the time carrying one in your laptop computer bag!