Budget and mid-range laptops and devices will often use the lower USB-C formats to keep the price down. So why don't you find Thunderbolt 3 in all USB-C plugs and ports? The main reason is cost. Thunderbolt 3 is backwards-compatible via adapters with Thunderbolt (10Gbps) and Thunderbolt 2 (20Gbps) connections and its DisplayPort video support means that via adapters you can also plug in DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and VGA.
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Thunderbolt 3 was designed to be a 'superset' of other connections, including 40Gbps Thunderbolt, USB 3.1 Gen-2 (10Gbps), and the DisplayPort 1.2 video standard, plus power, from a single USB-C port. This tiny USB-C shaped port can carry data, video and power – and plenty of it.Ī single Thunderbolt 3 cable can carry four times the data and twice the video bandwidth of other cables, along with up to 100W of power. Rated at up to 40Gbps, it's theoretically eight times faster than USB 3.0 and currently the fastest port you can get.
Thunderbolt 3 is really the ultimate form of USB-C. Thunderbolt 3 – the ultimate connectionįor most people, connection ports probably aren't anything to get excited about, but Thunderbolt 3 might be the exception. Asus and Apple, for example, provide ample detail, while HP seems lacking, in our experience.īudget laptops with USB-C may only support USB data but have other ports such as HDMI, ethernet, SD card slot, or VGA, so you probably won't need a USB-C hub, but the question remains as to whether the built-in USB-C port is first generation (5Gbps) or Gen 2 (10Gbps). Spec sheets for some brands/models list all the capabilities of a USB-C port, but we haven't found this to be the case for all. The trouble is, the type of USB-C on your laptop (particularly budget models) is not always clearly identified.
Whether it's USB-C (also known as USB 3.1), USB-C Gen 2 or Thunderbolt 3 will make a big difference to what you can connect. If you have HDMI or SD card built-in, for example, you obviously don't need to look for those ports on a USB-C hub.īut it's also important to know what sort of USB-C connection your laptop has. What to look forīefore deciding what type of USB-C hub to buy, you need to look at what ports are already available on your laptop. It's a minefield that can easily leave you frustrated, out of pocket and disconnected. Once again, the dream of universal computer connectivity has been let down by a lack of clear information, non-adherence to technical standards, poor-quality parts and the desire by knock-off makers to grab a quick buck at the expense of consumers. And if you're lucky it may actually work with everything, but our testing found that this is the exception rather than the rule.
In fact, when we tested these products for our USB-C hub reviews, we found there's a pretty high chance that it won't. When you buy a USB-C hub to connect to your shiny new USB-C laptop, there's no guarantee that it'll actually work with your existing devices. The promise of USB-C (also known as USB Type C) was to provide one port to rule them all – just one common plug to connect all your varied external devices. See usb c hubs review The limitations of USB-C hubs It's a simple idea to add a USB-C adapter or hub (multi-port adapter) but we've found that units we've bought don't work properly with all devices.
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As other laptop players also adopted USB-C, a whole new category of add-ons was created for laptops – multi-port USB-C adapters, or hubs.įew are as bold as Apple though, and while you'll find USB-C increasingly adopted by a range of Windows laptops, there are usually one or two other legacy ports as well. For that you needed the multi-port adapter (which we've included in our USB-C hubs review). You could connect a USB device or you could charge your MacBook, but not both at the same time. Of course, Apple provided its own adapters, including a typically minimalist single USB-C to USB cable, with no power. Taking a bold minimalist approach is nothing new to Apple, but it left people wondering, "How do I connect all my stuff to that?". The writing has been on the wall for legacy ports ever since Apple fearlessly debuted a lone USB-C port as the sole connector on its 2015 MacBook.
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