UsmartTech 6-in-1 Hub

With all Mac laptops now using USB-C ports, most people need a way to connect legacy USB-A devices, as well as an external monitor. If you find that you need extra connectivity, check out the UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub.

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UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub – Unboxing

In the box is the UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub, and a User Manual.

The hub measures 4-7/8” long x 1-5/8” wide x ½” thick. The USB-C cable that gets attached to your Mac measures about 4-3/4” long.

The cable is long enough to provide good access to the hub when connected to your Mac, but our personal preference is to have a connection cable that can be detached from the hub. Beyond the fact that it allows you to replace the cable if damaged in the future, we like the option of using a longer cable to better position the hub.

UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub – Ports

The UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub has a nice variety of ports to connect everything you might need.

Starting on the front of the hub are two (2) USB-A 3.0 ports. These are perfect to connect your legacy accessories like a keyboard, mouse or external hard drive.

One the side of the hub, opposite from the cable is a standard RJ45 Ethernet port for a LAN connection. The port is rated for 10/100/1000Mbps.

Finally, on the back of the hub is a USB-C port which supports Power Deliver (PD), powers the hub and has pass-thru power to charge your Mac. It is Unidirectional and supports up to 100W Max power with intelligent voltage between 14.5V/20V.

Also on the back is an HDMI port for an external monitor up to 4K@30Hz, and another USB-A 3.0 port. All of the USB-A ports support USB 3.1 Gen 1, 5Gbps Max data transfer rate and 4.5W (5V/900mA) power output.

We are a little disappointed that there wasn’t another USB-C port included on the hub. Sine the hub itself uses one of the USB-C ports on your Mac laptop, it would be nice to be able to replace it in the hub. Ultimately, this isn’t a serious issue since we already have a USB-C to USB-A adapter but with the popularity of USB-C growing, it would have been nice to have a port available.

UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub – Test Results

Over the years we have used a lot of different hubs, and have had mixed results.

We have used some hubs that don’t have enough power to charge our MacBook Pro and support an external hard drive. Another hub we have used had a hard time keeping a video signal with the attached monitor. On a regular basis, our monitor would indicate there was a connection but the screen would go black. The only way to recover it was to unplug the HDMI cable and reconnect it.

We did not experience any of those issues with the UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub. We connected our Time Machine disk to the hub. It did take a little longer than usual to mount to the desktop but we attributed that to the fact that our USB-C disk was now using a USB-A connection. Once it did mount, it worked as expected.

We also spent several weeks testing the UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub and did not have a single monitor drop in the entire time.

Overall, we were very impressed with the performance of the UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub.

The Bottom Line

There is no shortage of hubs on the market. So how do you decide which one to purchase?

In the end it comes down to whether the hub provides the connectivity you need and whether you can find any indication on how well the hub performs.

While we can’t say that the UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub has the all ports you need, we can tell you that amongst all of the hubs we have tried over the years, the UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub is one of the best performers and we think you will agree that it is a great choice.

The UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub is available from Amazon here. You can also check out other UtechSmart products on their web site here.

We would like to thank the folks at UtechSmart for providing the UtechSmart 6-in-1 USB-C Hub for our testing and review.

What is your favorite hub and what do you connect to it? Why not join the conversation and leave a comment below?

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