★★★★★ 3
Works, but man it is SLOW
TL/DR review follows: This thing does what it claims to do (gives you 4 USB ports that you wouldn't have otherwise), but the data transfer speed of any SSD I connect through this Satechi Hub is half what it is when the SSD is connected via my OWC Hub (data transfer rate is double when connected via the OWC Hub vs. being connected via the Satechi Hub). I'll keep this Satechi gadget (in a drawer) for times when I really, really need more USB C ports and therefore will be more willing to tolerate the data transfer speed slowdown penalty. I cannot possibly consider this to be a primary data transfer pathway however.
These above results are from an M1 Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and MacOS Monterey with speed measured by Blackmagic Disk Speed Test utility.
I did not get similar results on my 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900 processor PC running Windows 11. Data transfer rates are the same (SLOW) when any USB drive is connected directly to the PC USB C port or when connected via the Satechi Hub. Highly worth mentioning, though, is that all data transfer speeds on the PC are HALF the speed obtained on the Mac Mini when connected via my OWC Hub. All PC data transfer rates were measured by CrystalDiskMark utility
One interesting anomaly worth mentioning is that the PC will not eject USB drives if they are connected directly to the single USB C port on the PC BUT it WILL eject any/all USB drives if they are connected via the Satechi Hub. This particular PC has never been able to eject USB devices correctly. The Mac Mini ejects all these same USB devices correctly no matter how they are connected. All USB drives are formatted Windows NTFS whether connected to the Mac Mini or the Windows PC (for those who care)
Conclusion: An interesting experiment, but for me the Satechi Hub is not worth what I paid for it. I can easily see it being a worthwhile investment for many, assuming undemanding use cases, however
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Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2022
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