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Review on Satechi Aluminum Type-C Clamp Hub Pro with USB-C Data Port, USB-A 3.0 Data, Micro/SD Card Reader - Compatible with 2019/2017 iMac & iMac Pro, Excludes 2021 iMac (Silver) by Boyan Popov ᠌

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Not a bad product, but I expected a little more.

Although the implementation is weak, the principle is good. One can detect the device's "Chineseness" in all its manifestations. The item is poorly constructed from an ergonomics standpoint, thus you can't anticipate the aforementioned flaws. Everything is straightforward when it comes to connecting to iMacs older than the 2022 model; however, you must purchase a Satechi ST-TAUC converter to convert the hub to a standard USB port. Additionally, I ordered an adapter from Red Line for this hub, but when it arrived, it actually had a recessed port for USB Type C even though it did not appear to be recessed in the photo. As a result, the hub connector could not be plugged into it, so it was decided to purchase a native adapter from Satechi. In fact, this hub is shown in additional photos for this adapter. Will this hub function with iMacs manufactured in 2022 and earlier? cannot be answered definitively by the maker or retailers for some reason. One response applies everywhere: iMac 2022 and new. By the way, although the USB 3 ports appear blue in the image, they are actually black. Thus, the official photo is rather inaccurate.

Pros
  • This hub's primary function is to move USB ports from the rear to the front, which is both practical and a smart idea.
Cons
  • Flash drives and memory cards fit into the ports of this hub very tightly; the iMac's native USB ports do not have this property. - Very hard ports for USB and SD-cards. The connector must be inserted into the USB port carefully, and it must be taken out in the same manner. - Actually, this causes the following inconvenience: the iMac body begins to tilt, forcing you to hold it with your other hand. - I put a USB flash drive with a plastic connector; I squeezed some of the plastic, and now all of the USB connectors have small chips of plastic within. - The color is different from the iMac's body color (see image). But it's trivial. - The lower plane of the hub itself is heated by the LED burning on the front panel; if you contact it with your hand, it feels warm. - With such tight USB connectors, mounting the hub—which is plastic in real life but appears to be metal in photos—is fraught with reliability concerns. However, the hub did not slightly tighten while fastening; as a result, it may progressively shift to the left, right, or even down, leaving a significant space between the hub and monoblock body. Making metal clips encased in a stiff and elastic rubber band seemed more trustworthy to me. When all the aforementioned "features" are taken into account, the device is obviously overpriced. In addition, if there weren't all these flaws, I would gladly pay $5,000 for a quality gadget. and in this instance, an accommodation.