Essentially, it's a tiny, super-fast connector that many of the best laptops today have a connector for, with the only downside being that USB A or USB B connectors can't be used with a USB Type-C port (that's where a USB Type-C hub comes in handy).

The USBC-MSTH2 is a simple, driverless solution for those looking to add screens to their laptop through a single USB-C or Thunderbolt port. This simple double-HDMI adapter also includes a USB-C PD charging port (at up to 60W) so you can keep your MacBook charged while it’s in use. The Anker PowerExpand is special as it offers an HDMI port that supports 4K 60Hz resolutions, where most are limited to 4K 30Hz. For 4K 60Hz resolution, your device must support DP 1.4. This includes MacBook Air (from 2020), MacBook Pro 15in (from 2018), MacBook Pro 16in (from 2019) and iPad Pro (from 2018). The short breakout cable features a magnetic retainer that secures it in place while you’re not using it.

Expands USB-C port into an HDMI port, 2 USB-A 3.0 BC1.2 ports, Gigabit Ethernet port, SD card reader, and USB-C PD port Flexible cable management: Experience unique cable management with its patented design that keeps the cable concealed and protected when not in use. Easily extend or retract the USB-C cable by rotating the top and bottom cover of the adapter.

It can connect directly to a tablet USB-C port, and also ships with a 0.5 meter USB-C cable if you want to use it with a MacBook. And if your iPad is in a protective case, the cable will mean the hub can still connect to the tablet. The Kensington UH1440P hub has a choice of DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA, although it is limited to a maximum of two external displays, and these would be at 1080p HD only. It does support a single 4K display at 30Hz. Laptops often have just two USB-C or Thunderbolt ports, so some users will yearn for more of the modern connectors. Three of the USB-C ports are rated at a speedy 10GBps (USB 3.2 Gen. 2) for fast data transfer, with the other at 5Gbps but aimed at 100W pass-through charging for your laptop. The three USB-A ports all offer 5Gbps bandwidth.Just know that the M.2 SATA SSD is not included. One-terabyte drives like this one from Western Digital or this one from Samsung will do the job. (They come in other storage sizes too.) Other ports to look for include Gigabit Ethernet for faster wired Internet access (without the flakiness of Wi-Fi), and an SD or microSD card reader for adding inexpensive portable storage to your system. Card readers come at different speeds: UHS-I at 104Mbps, and UHS-II at 312Mbps; although some are slower at 60Mbps. You get 8 ports to add to your laptop with Baseus’s good-looking 8-in-1 USB-C Hub. It features excellent PD USB-C pass-through charging (up to 100W) so you don’t lose a valuable USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 port on the laptop if you need to charge or sync. There are three USB-A ports pushing data at 5Gbps but a little underwhelming on device charging at 7.5W each.