Professional’s Ranking
Professionals
- 4 Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 ports
- One 10Gbps USB-A port
- 150W complete energy
- 96W PD laptop computer charging
- Compact
Our Verdict
The Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub is a compact and well-priced Thunderbolt 4 hub with quick connections that may deal with as a lot as a small docking station. You’ll be able to add as much as two exterior 4K shows and nonetheless have one quick Thunderbolt 4 port free so as to add a quick storage drive or different USB-C gadget. Its 96W laptop-charging port is probably the most highly effective we’ve seen on a Thunderbolt 4 hub.
Value When Reviewed
$199.99
Finest Costs At present: Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 5-in-1 Core Hub
$199.99
Neglect about shopping for an costly docking station, with its of mixture of USB and Thunderbolt ports the 5-in-1 Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub could be all it’s worthwhile to increase your Thunderbolt laptop computer right into a fuller desktop system with exterior shows and spare device-connection ports.
Thunderbolt 4 permits for hubs that may boast as much as 4 of the super-fast 40Gbps Kind-C connector that’s backwards suitable with Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C.
With the best units or adapters, this could be ample so as to add a few exterior shows and a high-speed storage drive.
Specs and options
The Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub boasts 4 Thunderbolt 4 (all at 40Gbps information switch and 15W gadget charging) and one USB-A 3.2 Gen.2 (10Gbps and 4.5W) port.
Calling it a “5-in-1 hub” is a little bit of a cheat, as one of many Thunderbolt 4 ports might be used to attach information and energy to your laptop computer, leaving three TB4 ports and the quick USB-A port. That would nonetheless be sufficient ports for a lot of customers.
- One upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40Gbps, 96W)
- Three Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps, 15W)
- One USB-A port (10Gbps, 4.5W)
- 150W energy provide
That vary of ports is the norm for Thunderbolt 4 hubs. Bigger, costlier Thunderbolt 4 docks may have extra ports however when you simply want a couple of additional versatile Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, a hub may prevent each cash and desk house.
The only USB-A port gives quick information switch at 10Gbps however is underpowered for charging a related gadget. 4.5W will cost a telephone however very slowly, and is de facto solely highly effective sufficient to cost up your headphones, smartwatch, or wi-fi keyboard/mouse. The Thunderbolt 4 ports can cost at 15W.
The Belkin Core Hub comes with a beneficiant exterior 150W energy provide. The upstream Thunderbolt 4 port that connects to your laptop can cost a laptop computer at as much as 96W, which is the very best Energy Supply (USB PD) connection on a hub somewhat than a full docking station.
It’s a bit gentle on connections with its single USB-A port, however all hubs aside from one provide the identical single USB-A port. No hub gives as many ports because the Caldigit Aspect Hub, which boasts 4 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 that may every cost at 18W and a blow-away-the-competition 4 10Gbps USB-A ports (7.5W). Learn our Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Aspect Hub evaluation.
The various ported Caldigit’s solely limitation is that, regardless of its equal 150W energy provide, its laptop computer PD charging energy is proscribed to 60W.
60W energy supply is sufficient for a mid-sized laptop computer however not a bigger 15- to 17-inch transportable. A big laptop computer may stay charged on 60W however its battery would fade if in full use.
Belkin’s Core Hub fixes this limitation with its spectacular 96W laptop-charging port. When you have a bigger laptop computer and don’t want as many USB-A ports the Belkin Core Hub makes extra sense than the Caldigit Aspect Hub.
Foundry
Different choices embody the Sonnet Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub that may cost a laptop computer at 85W and has a extra highly effective 7.5W USB-A port than the Belkin, however maxes its complete energy output at 100W, in comparison with Belkin and Caldigit’s 150W.
Belkin’s Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub isn’t a docking station by strict definition—and nor does it declare to be—however it may well provide most of what a dock can if you add adapters.
For instance, if you’d like a quick, secure wired community connection you might add an Ethernet adapter (Gigabit or quicker) resembling Ugreen’s USB-C to Ethernet Adapter for beneath $20 / £15.
You’ll be able to join two exterior shows to your laptop computer utilizing the Core Hub’s Thunderbolt 4 ports. These would join on to displays with USB-C ports, or you might add cheap USB-C to DisplayPort or HDMI adapters.
The 2 displays may every deal with as much as 4K at 60Hz, or you might connect a single 8K at 30Hz.
That stated, Apple’s plain non-Professional/Max M1 and M2 chip computer systems help only one exterior monitor. Take a look at our workaround answer for adding two screens to an M1 or M2 MacBook.
If you happen to want a fuller docking station, check out our spherical up of the very best Thunderbolt 4 docks, which additionally seems to be at different Thunderbolt 4 hubs.
For extra on the variations and compatibilities of USB-C and Thunderbolt varieties, learn this detailed explainer on Thunderbolt 4 vs Thunderbolt 3 vs USB-C.
Belkin
Design and construct
Hubs with their very own energy provide can act as mini docking stations, and they’re much extra compact. The Belkin Core Hub measures 135-x-75-x-18mm (5.3-x-3-x-0.7 inches), which is a bit of longer and wider the Caldigit Aspect Hub however nonetheless fairly titchy.
The Belkin’s energy brick is much less chunky than the Caldigit hub’s however on the similar mighty 150W complete output.
We want the Aspect Hub for its upstream TB4 port neatly mounted on the aspect not like most different Thunderbolt hubs, together with the Belkin Core Hub, that situate it on the entrance. A entrance connection may make it barely quicker to disconnect however its an unpleasant answer when in use with the cable stretched out from the entrance.
The Belkin Core Hub ships with a 0.8m Thunderbolt 4 cable. This may join the hub to your laptop computer, however you’ll have to however additional cables if utilizing the hub’s different ports. Take a look at our roundup of the very best Thunderbolt 4 cables.
Value
The Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub prices US$199.99 or £199.99.
That’s the identical worth because the multi-ported Aspect Hub from Caldigit, however bear in mind the upper laptop computer charging energy of the Belkin hub.
Verdict
The Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub is a compact and well-priced Thunderbolt 4 hub with quick connections that may deal with as a lot as a small docking station. You’ll be able to add as much as two exterior 4K shows and nonetheless have one quick Thunderbolt 4 port free so as to add a quick storage drive or different USB-C gadget. Its 96W laptop-charging port is probably the most highly effective we’ve seen on a Thunderbolt 4 hub.
You will see three extra USB ports on the equally priced Caldigit Aspect Hub however the Belkin wins out on its extra highly effective 96W PD laptop computer charging output that makes it a better option for bigger laptops.
