The Satechi Aluminum Type-C Mobile Pro Hub was designed specifically for the 2018 iPad Pro. It adds all the the most-useful ports to Apple’s latest tablet. With it, you can add headphones, an external monitor and other USB-A accessories. All in a tiny package.
Those who want even ports can choose instead this company’s slightly larger but still slim USB-C hub designed for laptops. This also works with the new iPad.
Don’t miss our hands-on review of the Satechi Alumiunium Type-C Mobile Pro Hub.
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Satechi Aluminum Type-C Mobile Pro Hub review
The USB Type-C port in the 2018 iPad Pro can be used with an HDMI adapter, a headset jack, a USB-Type-A adapter and more. With the right hub, all of these can be connected at the same time.
The Satechi Mobile Pro Hub stands out because it sits neatly on the edge of the tablet, almost looking like it’s part of the computer. Especially as it comes in either silver or space grey to match the finish of the iPad. It’s 3.25 inches by 1.1 in. by 0.4 inches, and weighs just 1.1 ounces.
Photo: Satechi
The latest iPad is the first without a 3.5mm headset jack, but this hub includes one. We tested it with a pair of wired headphones and sound quality was quite good.
Next to it is an HDMI port that boasts 4K video at 30Hz. iOS still offers limited support for external displays so don’t expect to pull up a second desktop. But you can mirror your iPad Pro screen on any larger display. What’s more, this video port is very useful for playing streaming video on a full TV. We tested it with Amazon Prime and it worked well, displaying the video full-screen. YouTube videos don’t show up full-screen but are otherwise acceptable.
The third port in Satechi’s latest hub is USB-A 3.0. This can be used with thumbdrives but here we run into another iOS limitation: images and video can be transferred from the drive to the iPad Pro but nothing else. And the files have to start out in the right folder. Still, other USB-A accessories perform as expected. You can use a wired keyboard, and we even tested the Apple USB Ethernet Adapter ($29) without a hitch. There’s no mouse support in iOS 12, unfortunately.
Update: iPadOS 13 makes this hub much more useful. It gives iPad Pro full access to the contents of USB drives, and there’s mouse support.
The final port is USB-C so you can keep your tablet charged while using all those other accessories. It’s power only though, so you can’t hook up other USB-C peripherals.
And it has another drawback: Satechi says that its accessory offers Power Delivery 3.0 but in our tests it charged the iPad Pro quite slowly. Over multiple tries, recharging the iPad Pro through the Mobile Pro Hub for 20 minutes resulted in the battery increasing by just 1 percent. Under the same conditions but without the hub the tablet’s battery went up 15 percent 20 mins. Still, power flows fast enough that we can use the iPad with power coming in through the hub without the tablet’s battery actually dropping, even with the backlight at 100 percent.
It’s not necessary for the hub to be plugged into the wall for accessories to function; the tablet alone can provide plenty of current. And in a potentially handy trick, the hub sends power to the USB-A port whenever it’s plugged into a wall, even if when it’s not connected to the iPad. So it can be used as a USB-C to USB-A adapter to recharge other devices.
Photo: Satechi
An important consideration is that there’s a lot of strain on the iPad Pro’s USB-C port when something is plugged into all four of the hub’s ports while the tablet is propped up with the Apple Smart Keyboard Folio ($179 or $199) or other keyboard case,. We had no problems in the weeks we tested this hub but that doesn’t mean there won‘t be issues after several months.
Also, keep in mind that a bulky case might not have a wide enough opening for the USB-C port for the Mobile Pro Hub to be able to make a connection. It needs to be right next to the iPad to work.
Satechi Aluminum Type-C Mobile Pro Hub final thoughts
The USB-C port is a dramatic improvement in the 2018 iPad Pro, as demonstrated by the Satechi Alumiunium Type-C Mobile Pro Hub. The adapters need to attach the most common types of accessories fit into a surprisingly small package.
At $59.99, it’s a bargain compared to buying adapters individually. The Belkin USB-C to HDMI adapter alone is $49.95, for example. Or the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter is $69.00 but offers fewer ports.
Buy from: Amazon
Satechi provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more stuff we recommend.
