CalDigit has introduced a hub that offers what many have long wished for: more Thunderbolt ports!
So it is indeed a nice Thunderbolt 4 hub. We get one Thunderbolt 4 port for connecting the Mac and three additional ones for free use. All of them support up to 40 Gbps speeds. In addition, there are four USB ports with up to 10 Gbit/s speed.
This should allow you to connect just about anything you have sitting around at home. Up to 8K monitors at 30 Hz are supported, but a setup of two 4K monitors or Apple’s 6K display, for example, is probably more realistic.
The hub solves one of the most annoying limitations of MacBooks in a sympathetic way: not the switch to USB-C was bad, but the fact that only two USB-C connectors are available instead of eight ports. CalDigit also doesn’t overdo it with the price: the device is supposed to cost around 140 dollars (it will be available in March).
Since the hub comes with a 150 watt power supply, it can also be used simply as a charging hub: it charges connected Macs with up to 60 watts, it outputs 7.5 watts on the USB-A ports and up to 15 watts on the USB-C ports – even when no host device is connected. That is quite practical for everyday use.
If you are annoyed that you did not find an HDMI port: As usual, we recommend simply buying a USB-C to HDMI cable. Since Thunderbolt is adaptable to pretty much everything, this is the cleanest solution (and looks better than a dongle). You do not miss anything, the graphics capability is simply disguised as a Thunderbolt port.
- [8 Ports of Connectivity] 2 x USB-C 10Gb/s (Host/Data), 1 x USB-C (Passthrough Charging), 1 x USB-A 10Gb/s, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 1 x UHS II SD, 1 x UHS II microSD
- [Passthrough Charging or Bus Powered] Can be used without additional power or with your laptop charger
- [FULL 4K 60Hz] Single display up to 4K 60Hz, Dual 4K 60Hz Mirrored (Mac & Windows), or Dual 4K 30Hz Extended (Windows only). Please check which display configuration is supported by your system
- [UHS-II SD 4.0 CARD SLOTS]: Latest UHS-II SD and microSD card slots support SD/SDHC/SDXC at up to 312 MB/s bus speed. Transfer full days of footage from your camera 3x faster than UHS-I counterpart!
- [MAC & WINDOWS COMPATIBLE] USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 port that supports DP 1.4 required for full 4K 60Hz output. Ideal for 2018+ MacBook Pro, 2020 MacBook Air, 2018+ iMac, 2019+ MacPro, USB-C equipped Microsoft Surface, or Windows PC with DP 1.4 support. Macs or PCs without DP 1.4 will output up to 4K 30Hz only. ² Please check our website to ensure compatibility for your system!
