Comment-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 external USB-C SSD (Solid State Drive) enclosures, allowing you to instantly connect larger storage drives at a lower price. They also made excellent multi-function USB-C hubs with various shapes and ports (such as Satechi Type-C multi-port adapter 4K with Ethernet V2). A certain genius of Satechi must have had a flash of light, 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.

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.

The Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter looks like many other USB-C dongles that 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 the 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 is reinforced around the connection to the main body of the device.

The USB-C connector itself is an industry standard. I am happy 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).

Accessing the M.2 solid-state hard drive bay is very easy: you just need to slide the cover down. It has enough resistance, has a rubber edge, and will not slip off in the bag or when moving, but it is easy to get off the car when I want to access it. Then pull out the rubber plugs in each hole. These plugs conveniently mark the different M.2 hard drive lengths. You only need one of these plugs to install the SSD, and the rest can be stored or discarded as spare parts.

Install the M.2 hard drive by making sure that the notches/keys are aligned with the notches/keys 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 need to clean up files and delete programs, so I bought 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 simplest 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 can slide the cover back to start using it.

The performance of this drive in the Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter is better than my previous external USB-C SSD chassis (nearly), and it is within the error range of the drive speed declared by the manufacturer. 500+ MB/s is pretty 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 use it again 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 the Satechi 100W USB-C PD charger), and then just plug a single USB-C cable into you A laptop computer can 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.

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 Multiport Adapter's functionality and build quality is also quite reasonable, and it has become an important part of my daily kit!

Price: $89.99 Where to buy: Satechi and Amazon Source: A sample of this review is provided by Satechi

Read reviews/queries on Amazon, saying that the device becomes very hot after installing NVMe. Have you noticed this situation?

I don’t have a heat problem at all, and today I conducted some stress tests to make sure-even under the maximum load I can give it for more than 15 minutes (graphics, full power transmission and continuous use of the hard drive), the maximum I can measure outside the device The temperature is below 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It feels warm, but not hot. Thanks!

SATA only, in 2021? This is a direct deal breaker.

This is more of a limitation of USB 3.1 than a supported hard drive. If they add nVME support, if you also push 4k/60FPS video, the drive speed may not be much faster than SATA. I think they have a good balance here. If you want a faster external SSD, you either need a dedicated SSD case or switch to Thunderbolt (not supported by many devices).

Maybe, but because SATA M.2 drives are downgraded to the lower end of traditional devices, they are either low-capacity or too expensive. The maximum size you can get is 2TB. It is meaningless to buy an SSD interface of this size that has passed the shelf life for a long time.

There are many USB-C cases that support NVMe, and their price is usually $40. The whole point of this device is to minimize the number of ports used on the computer (for example, for a MacBook Air with 2 ports, one of which is used for charging), because most USB-C hubs are in terms of the number of USB-C ports They are severely restricted. By weakening it with SATA, they greatly reduced its usefulness.

I checked Amazon and found multiple Teamgroup 1 TB SSD boards. Can you be more specific on the board you get?

definitely! I got this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GL4M3HX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (TEAMGROUP MS30 1TB with SLC Cache 3D NAND TLC M.2 2280PS71000000SATA1000)

Your email address will not be published. Required places have been marked *

Do not subscribe to all replies to my comments and notify me of follow-up comments via email. You can also subscribe without commenting.

This website is only used for information and entertainment purposes. The content is the views and opinions of the author and/or colleagues. All products and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Without the express written permission of The Gadgeteer, it is forbidden to reproduce in whole or in part in any form or medium. All content and graphic elements are copyright © 1997-2021 Julie Strietelmeier and The Gadgeteer. all rights reserved.