★★★★★ 4
Despite some caveats; this is a versatile hub
The Anker 555 8-in-1 USB-C Hub is a good buy if you’re looking for a hub from a reputable brand. I use it with an M1 Macbook Air, and it has been reliable so far. This hub has the following ports: 1 USB-C data port, 1 USB-C Power Delivery Port, 2 USB-A data ports, 1 HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and a microSD/SD card reader.
Charging, PD (Power Delivery):
To keep my Macbook charging, I connect a PD (Power Delivery) capable cable to the USB-C port meant for PD. (The other USB-C Port on this hub is meant only for data.) Once connected, the hub will eventually become warm to the touch, but this hasn’t caused any problems so far.
Video Performance - no problems in 1440p
I can connect my 1440p 144hz monitor to this hub’s HDMI port and my Macbook Air has no problem outputting a refresh speed of 144hz, as well the lower refresh rates of 120hz and 60hz. (I do not have a 4k monitor, so I could not test that.)
USB-A Ports - works flawlessly
I’ve tried keyboards, USB Drives, and even gaming Mice. All of these devices work as expected when connected to the USB-A Ports.
Ethernet - Excellent speed
I've connect this hub using an Ethernet cable to Gigabit speed Internet. The speed is just as fast as other computers on the network, and there is no slowdown at all, even with most of the ports on the hub being used.
Gaming Keyboards with USB-C connectors - some issues.
Some peripherals such as keyboards with USB-C connectors may not work on the USB-C ports on this hub. I tried using a Glorious GMMK Mechanical Keyboard and it did not work with this hub’s USB-C ports. (Of course you could try to simply use a USB-C to USB-A adaptor and then connect via the other USB ports on the hub instead.)
Extension Cable - Use a Thunderbolt 4 cable
Although this is totally optional, I like to use a small, 6-inch USB-C Extension cable to allow this hub to have more slack away from my laptop when connected. To allow this to work, I had to use a Thunderbolt 4 extension cable. I've tried other cables such as a Thunderbolt 3 extension cable. However, some of the attached devices on the hub were not recognized. Only the the Thunderbolt 4 extension cable allowed all my attached devices to be recognized.
Other devices
I have successfully connected an external SSD via the USB-C data port on this hub. I also regularly use an external DAC using the USB-A ports connecting to an IFI HIP DAC. Both of these devices work perfectly with this hub. Data transfer speed is rated at 10Gbs, though I haven't actually confirmed that. It works well enough for my purposes of transferring text documents and the occasional batch of vacation photos to my external SSD.
Conclusion
This hub from Anker is rated at 10Gbs which is plenty for me. But if you regularly transfer large amounts of data (like for video editing), I would instead recommend a powered docking station such as those from CalDigit. But for me, this portable hub does everything I need, and for much less money.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2023
