Satechi Pro Hub Slim review: Good port expansion for Mac, on a budget

Pro Hub Slim

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The company released it in January and designed it specifically for MacBooks with the M2-series chip. These models have two Thunderbolt ports on the left side, which is how the Pro Slim Hub connects to the device.

The Pro Hub Slim has seven ports designed to increase data transfer speeds and expand connectivity in the workplace. The two USB-A data ports on the hub support up to 10Gb/s data transfer speeds, while the USB 4 pass-through port supports up to 6K at 60Hz video output, up to 100W charging, and data transfer speeds up to 40Mbps. gigabit/sec.

The SD and Micro SD slots support UHS-I rates of up to 104MB/s. In addition, the Dual Monitor’s 4K HDMI port supports resolutions up to 60Hz.

It works with any MacBook from 2017 onwards and requires no drivers or software. Mac users can connect the Pro Hub Slim to their devices to get started.

As the name implies, the dock is really thin. The hub is shorter than the iPhone 14 and about the same thickness, measuring just under five inches long and just over an inch wide.

The Slim Hub, like the majority of Satechi devices, fuses aluminum into a slim form befitting an Apple product. It will fit perfectly in a pocket or bag for storage and transportation.

It was especially nice to use the hub on the 2023 MacBook Pro because it didn’t have to grab the USB-C PD port for charging. The USB-A ports with up to 10Gb/s transfer speeds are great too, though they require a USB 3.2 Gen 2 storage drive for maximum speed.

The USB 4 port is an excellent addition to a hub because it has multiple functions. For example, it has pass-through charging for MacBooks without MagSafe, fast transfer speeds of up to 40Gb/s, up to 100W power output, and up to 6K video output at 60Hz.

Using an old USB 2.0 flash drive, moving a 2.6GB folder using the Slim Hub took about five minutes. Using a USB 4 port, transferring the same folder to a USB 3.2 Gen 2 drive took about three seconds.

The SD and Micro SD slots support SD / SDHC / SDXC cards with capacities up to 2TB and transfer speeds up to 104MB/s. For example, using a Micro SD SDHC (SD High Capacity) card took nearly 10 minutes to transfer a 2.6GB folder.

Satechi notes in its manual that the USB-A and USB-C ports do not support charging or connecting to CD readers, including the Apple USB SuperDrive. But, even though we haven’t run a time test, we can charge our iPhone 14 with every port.

The last port on the hub is an HDMI port that can output 4K video to an external display at up to 60Hz. This capability is excellent for those who need an extra screen for productivity or gaming.

The hub wobbles slightly up and down because it can only be attached to the MacBook on one side. It’s not a huge concern, though we wouldn’t let it go while holding a MacBook.

It connects solidly to an otherwise Mac, but you have to hold on to the hub while removing the cables because trying to pull on the cables also causes the hub to pull away. But, again, this isn’t a cause for concern, and it won’t fall off on its own.

• Different types of ports
• Fast data transfer on each USB port
• Nice design

• Slow data transfer rates for SD and Micro SD cards

Photographers probably won’t be happy with the speeds of the SD slot because it takes a long time to transfer large files from their cameras. But it’s an excellent product in all other respects, and the $79.99 price tag isn’t bad for what it offers.