If you’ve been on the hunt for a future-proof hub, Anker may have just delivered. A new Anker Thunderbolt 4 hub has emerged, and it does what many solutions that preceded it could not: turn one port into several. It doesn’t stop there – a DC power cable provides enough juice to charge MacBooks at 85-watts via an upstream Thunderbolt 4 input. Three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports provide a maximum 15 watts of power and can “transfer a 20GB file in just over 10 seconds.” And for those one-off situations when you need USB-A, a 3.1 Gen 2 port is also made available. Continue reading to learn more.
New Anker Thunderbolt 4 hub wants to future-proof your setup
Truth be told, most hubs and docks out there focus on support for increasingly-outdated ports. While there is occasionally a need for those, going all-in on ports with the USB-C form-factor is something many of us are ready to fully embrace. Unlike USB-A, it’s always been difficult to turn a single Type-C port into several. This is where the new Anker Thunderbolt 4 hub steps into frame.
Once equipped with Anker’s new PowerExpand 5-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock, Mac owners will be able to connect three USB-C shaped cables using just one of their computer’s dedicated ports. Best of all, performance is top tier. There’s enough power in this device to support a single 8K display at 30Hz and two monitors in 4K at 60Hz. Owners will also benefit from 40Gb/s data transmission rates when using those ports.
Pricing and availability
The new Anker PowerExpand 5-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock is available now. Pricing clocks in at $199.99. This offering joins a burgeoning list of solutions that the company already offers. That being said, this offering is arguably in a league of its own as it marches onward with Thunderbolt 4 and largely leaves legacy ports in the dust.
9to5Toys’ Take
If you’re anything like me, you’ve committed to USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 (or later) wherever possible. This makes docks and hubs with legacy ports less useful while also increasing the need for an increased number of Type-C shaped inputs.
While rumors are swirling that beefier Apple Silicon-powered MacBooks are on the way, the new Anker Thunderbolt 4 hub could be all you need to make an M1 Air or 13-inch Pro your primary computer. With it, you’ll be able to convert a 2-port MacBook into a 4-port unit when at your desk, a capability I have yet to see any other dock or hub deliver.
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