USB-C accessories

Apple charges a ton for storage upgrades on Macs. Worse, you cannot extend the built-in storage after buying the Mac. Thankfully, smarter solutions exist, as long as you don’t mind plugging an external disk into your Mac.

Here’s a breakdown of the best ways to expand your Mac’s storage, along with ideal solutions based on particular needs.

Got a load of computers and devices that need power every day? The Plugable PS-10CC 10-port USB-C charger might be just what you’ve been looking for.

It can handle a family’s entire collection of MacBooks, iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. Or charge up all the phones needed by an office at once.

The name for inCharge XS must stand for “extra small.” It packs multiple USB formats plus a Lightning connector into a cable tiny enough to fit on a keychain. But it can handle up to 240W of power.

The accessory from Rolling Square enables any iPhone or Mac to plug into a battery or wall charger wherever necessary. It can even handle data transfers.

The Plugable 15.6” USB-C Portable Display connects to MacBook or iPad to add more screen space and a hub: it includes a pair of high-speed USB-C ports.

It’s intended for those who need to get loads of work done while on the go, whether from a hotel room or a coffee shop.

The itty-bitty Samsung USB Type-C Flash Drive is now available with up to 512GB of storage capacity — twice as much as before. And the company’s miniature USB-A version also doubled in capacity.

Plus, the 256GB versions are on sale at some nice discounts.

The new Satechi 4-in-1 USB-C Hub With 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet expands a Mac with a trio of high-speed USB-C ports and fast networking. It launched Thursday at an affordable price. Alternatively, there’s the Zagg 4-Port Hub, which offers a pair of USB-C ports, USB-A and HDMI.

Either of these hubs can make a MacBook into the center of an extensive office setup on the go.

Backbone One USB-C game controller adds real buttons, sticks and triggers to the newest iPhone models, and Androids too.

This is  second-generation version of the wrap-around gaming accessory that’s beenupdated, to better fit handsets in protective cases.

I really enjoyed testing the controller out with the iPhone 15 Plus. It lived up to my high expectations.

Wrap your iPhone 15 in the GameSir G8 Galileo and you have the physical buttons, triggers and sticks needed for high-end gaming. And it has a USB-C port so it works with Apple’s latest handsets. Plus the game controller includes swappable sticks, pass-through charging, a headphone jack and more.

I tested GameSir G8 Galileo with my iPhone 15. I had a heck of a good time.

Apple’s transition away from the old Lightning connector includes a USB-C version of EarPods, and these can now be purchased online for under $20.

The wired earbuds that come with iPhone are surprisingly good — audio quality is closer to AirPods than you might realize. And there are other advantages for Mac and iPad users, too.

The Satechi Pro Hub Slim plugs directly into the side of a MacBook to greatly expand the range of ports available. It’s sleek enough for Apple’s latest notebooks, and adds minimal bulk. But there’s still room for HDMI, a pair of full-size USB-A ports, memory card readers and more.

I tested each of the features of the 7-in-2 hub to be sure it lives up Satechi’s promises.

The Satechi USB-C Mobile Pro Hub SD is designed to look and act like it’s part of an iPad. It attaches directly to the side of the tablet and adds an HDMI video port, a USB-A port plus a headphone plug, SD card reader and more.

I tested the six-port hub with my iPad Pro, and am quite pleased with it.

Plugable’s new USB-C dock is small enough to be mistaken a hub but has room for seven ports. And that includes dual 4K HDMI ports that can be used even with Macs that ordinarily support only one external monitor.

The USB-C HDMI Docking Station also has USB and Ethernet ports, as well as an SD card reader.

Your MacBook isn’t charging right and you can’t figure it where the problem is? Plugable’s USBC-VAmeter3 can help. Connect it to the power cable running to your Mac, iPad or iPhone to see the voltage, wattage and amperage.

I’m no electrical engineer, but I tested this miniature power meter. I found it both useful and kind of fun.

Place the new Belkin Connect USB-C 6-in-1 Multiport Hub in the back of an iMac or monitor to discreetly add multiple ports to a computer. It offers a couple of USB-A ports, memory card readers and more.

The hub is available now.

Anyone who’s ever said to themselves “Is this $%&@ thing even charging?” might be interested in the new version of Plugable’s voltage and amperage meter.

Plug the USBC-VAMeter3 into your device then plug the charging cable into the meter and you’ll see how much power is flowing and in which direction.

A new version USBC-VAMeter3 launched Tuesday for under $30. It can handle more power, which makes it more useful and less likely to be accidentally damaged.

Satechi’s USB-C Slim Dock sits on the stand for the 24-inch iMac and adds six frequently-used ports. It also sports an enclosure for user-installed SSDs.

It launched Friday, and is available now for 20% off the usual price.

The Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80 External SSD includes a touchscreen and hardware encryption to protect user data. Unlock the XTS-AES 256-bit encryption by tapping in a password or numeric passcode onto the touchscreen.

It’s available in capacities up to 1920 GB.

The OWC Envoy Pro mini is a thumbdrive designed to work with almost any computer. It has both USB-C and USB-A connectors, and comes with up to 1TB of storage.

The tiny drive supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 and benchmark tests show it can transfer data at over 900 MBps.

The HyperDrive Duo Pro 7-in-2 USB-C Hub plugs into the side of a MacBook to add a variety of useful ports. The standout is Ethernet, but there’s also USB-A, HDMI and microSD.

I did real-world testing of the 2022 version of this clip-on hub, and found that it lives up to the hype.

The Pitaka Power Dongle for Apple Watch is a lot more portable than Apple’s own charger. And it looks better, too.

I tested this Apple-certified charger through real-world use. Here’s why it belongs in your luggage.

Flash 2.0 is a portable power bank that you can use to recharge your laptop, phone, or tablet on the go, using its rechargeable graphene battery. For a limited time, you can find a Flash 2.0 USB-C Graphene 210W Power Bank on sale for $139.99 (Reg. $299), and it even comes in 3 colors. 

Plugable used CES 2022 to unveil a dock that can handle up to three 4K external monitors using either HDMI or DisplayPort. The UD-6950PDZ also has ports for Ethernet, USB-A, audio and more.

In addition, Plugable also announced the USB4-HUB3A, a small hub with three Thunderbolt ports and more.

The HyperDrive Turntable Dock for iMac includes a 360-degree swivel mechanism that makes turning the computer a breeze. Plus, it has room for an SSD and 10 useful ports.

Hyper also unveiled on Monday the HyperDrive Thunderbolt 4 Power Hub, which combines a docking station and 100W computer charger.

Both are nominated for CES Innovation Awards.

You won‘t need a MacBook with an HDMI port if you have Plugable’s USB-C to HDMI cable. Just run the cable between the external display and your Mac or iPad and you have 4K@60Hz. Even better, it’s currently available at a discount that drops the price to less than $17.

I tested this accessory in my home office to be sure it lives up to its promises.

Because you can never have too much storage or too many ports, the just-launched Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter includes an SSD storage compartment as well as four additional ports.

The multiuse Mac or iPad accessory launched Friday.