This beautifully made hub and SSD Enclosure is a great companion to a MacBook or even an iPad Pro. ... [+] It can hold an M.2 SATA SSD which means lots more storage space for your laptop or tablet plus extra USB ports and an HDMI connection.

Back in September, I brought you news of a new USB-C hub from Satechi that also had a slot for installing a Solid-State Drive (SSD). I’ve now got my hands on that hub and I’ve been giving it a thorough testing to see how it performs.

The Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter is a well-made little device about the size of a small case for a pair of spectacles and it’s made from aluminum. The hub’s case is finished in Apple Space Gray so it will match most MacBooks. It’s fitted with a fixed vinyl cable that’s just over 20cm in length and terminates with a USB-C plug. I wish the cable had been a removable type because then it could be used with any length of cable and maybe a USB-A plug, but it’s not a big deal. 

This is a USB-C hub designed to fulfill some of the functions of a regular mini-hub as well as doubling up as an SSD. In terms of connections, the USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter has a USB-C PD (power only) port which is there for connecting to a power adapter and it can handle up to 100W and the hub needs 15W of that for itself. If you don’t connect a power adapter, the hub will draw any power that it needs from the host computer’s battery. 

Adding an M.2 SATA SSD to the hub takes seconds and provides loads of extra storage.

The hub also features a couple of regular USB-A 3.1 ports for attaching almost any peripheral you can think of, whether that be a mouse, keyboard, card reader or conventional hard drive. There’s also an HDMI port that can be used to drive an external monitor with resolutions up to 4K at 60Hz. The 60Hz refresh rate will be perfectly fine for most people’s needs.

By combining ports, video output and an SSD in one handy device, Satechi has created a convenient little accessory and it means there’s one less item to pack in the work bag as you don’t need a separate external drive. The hub isn’t supplied with any SSD storage but if you slide the cover open on the rear of the casing, there’s a socket for an M.2 SATA SSD. All you need to do is slot in an SSD of whatever capacity you want and you’ve got yourself a superfast external drive with speeds topping out at 500M/s over USB 3.1. 

Fitting the M.2 SATA drive is very easy and Satechi even provides little rubber grommets, so the SSD sits securely in its cradle. One very important point: do not buy an NVMe SSD to fit in the hub. Even though it looks almost identical to an M.2 SATA drive, the controller chips are different and it simply won’t work. My advice would be to buy a 1TB WD M.2 SATA drive and then you’ll have yourself a capacious and fast SSD that you can take anywhere and you get a couple of extra USB ports and a 4K video output.

AS well as space for an SSD, the multipart Adapter from Satechi offers two USB-A 3.1 ports, a USB-C ... [+] PD connections for a 100W power supply, plus an HDMI port which can drive a 4K monitor at a refresh rate of 60Hz.

Verdict: This is a well-made USB-C hub that’s the perfect partner for the latest MacBooks. It doesn’t have an Ethernet port built-in or an old-school analog VGA adapter, but who uses those these days? The Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter is such a handy little gizmo, especially if you haven’t got a very large SSD on your laptop. Highly Recommended.

Pricing & Availability: Satechi’s Hybrid Multiport Adapter is available now on Satechi.net and Amazon.com and costs $89.99 in Space Gray and Black colorways. The SSD drive is not included.

More info: Satechi.net