The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro both come with a few ports, but they don't come with some of the ones that you might need. That's where Plugable's new 5-in-1 hub comes into play.
Even Apple's very best MacBooks don't have USB-A ports on them, which could be a problem depending on the peripherals you use. They don't have Ethernet for high-speed networking either. But plug this hub in, and both of those problems are fixed, and then some. Just like with the other best USB-C hubs for MacBook Pro.
The Plugable 5-in-1 USB-C Hub might not be for everyone, but if you're someone who needs the ports that their MacBook Air or MacBook Pro just don't have, read on — this could be the choice for you.
Ports with a compromise
First, here's what you'll get. There's that gigabit Ethernet port which could be enough to sell this for a lot of people right out of the gate. Then there's a 3.5mm audio in/out port for those situations when you need to plug a microphone in.
Moving on, there are two USB-A 3.0 ports that support up to 5Gbps and finally a USB-C port that offers 40Gbps of throughput and 100W of pass-through charging which is as much as you're going to get without using a MagSafe charger.
While not the biggest collection of ports around, the selection the Plugable hub offers is likely to cater to most people's connectivity needs in terms of Ethernet and a couple of USB-A connectors. There's also a handy cutout that leaves space for your own MagSafe connector to do its thing as well.
The downside? You'll of course lose two USB-C ports which also means you lose two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the MacBook Air and two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the MacBook Pro. But if that's a compromise that makes sense for you, is it really even a compromise? It helps that Plugable has priced this thing reasonably as well.
You can order the Plugable 5-in-1 USB-C Hub from Amazon for $32.95 right now.
