The iPad Pro is an extremely powerful machine. And whilst you can use it by itself…
The magic really happens when you add accessories to it.
It’s when you add accessories that you really make this tablet more useful.
Whether you are an artist, a photographer, an office worker, a creator… You’re always
gonna need to add accessories to the iPad to help you get on with your day.
I am Alex and I do down to earth tech reviews. And I am here every week.
It's another jam packed video today (with time stamps here to help you navigate the
content) with some accessories covering bluetooth accessories, storage options, USB and Thunderbolt
hubs.
There are many options here to suit every budget and a couple of options that I think
really complete the iPad Pro experience.
Starting with this stand which is also a hub from Satechi.
I am big fan of products that solve more than one problem. And in this case, this stand
solves multiple problems.
This hub is great whether you are at a desk or on the go.
I love how uncluttered the setup is with this option.
If you are using the iPad with an external Bluetooth keyboard for example this stand
would work great for that.
They have just released this stand and at the time of recording it retails for $99 dollars.
I think this will be a very popular product.
It has a thick enough base to hold the iPad in landscape orientation and one question
I got on Twitter was whether the USB-C connector is long enough to still reach the Thunderbolt
port even with a thick case.
And the answer is yes! I am using this fairly thick case right now
and the cable reaches fine.
I love how all of the ports are at the back, out of the way.
And in the centre which is nice for cable management, you have the main USB-C charging
port.
So you can plug the iPad charger into it and that will charge the iPad through the main
connector.
The connector itself is designed with space in mind, taking as little space as possible,
which is great if you are travelling, or maybe you just want to keep your setup minimalistic.
It supports up to 60W which is great for the iPad Pro. The iPad charger that comes with
it is only 20W anyway.
It would be nice if it was 100W so you could charge your MacBook Pro... But you could charge
a smaller laptop with it as well... if you want to simplify your setup in that way.
The HDMI port supports 4K @ 60Hz which is basically good enough for most monitors. Of
course if you are using a 5, 6 or 8K monitor this option is probably not gonna be good
for you.
But remember, the iPad itself doesn’t yet have enough apps to support external displays
yet so this option really isn’t that crucial right now.
You get a single USB Type A data port. Which is ok for connecting external storage to for
example but the transfer speeds are around 30MB per second on my SSD here which supports
about 800MB per second.
So it will be ok for transferring some photos and documents but not so great for larger
video files for example.
This 25GB video file here would take about 25 minutes so a nice and easily calculation
there of 1GB per minute. That is not very fast at all, but for small files that is totally
workable.
Then you have this neat little feature which is the Audio jack. Remember them?
For those of you who have studio monitor headphones, like this one here from Beyerdynamic, and
prefer that instead of the Bluetooth headsets and earbuds, this option is great for that.
It is just audio out, not microphone. So it’s really cool if you’re editing podcasts,
videos or simply listening to music and watching content.
And finally you have the SD and MicroSD slots.
These are the ones I'd use the most, for transferring photos from my camera to my iPad so I can
edit them in Lightroom, which to give you an idea, is exactly what I did for the thumbnail
for this video.
There are many things I could talk about covering this product but in the interest of saving
you time here is a quick fire version of it:
- It operates very cool, temperature wise, it doesnt get hot all. Even when I was really
pushing it. - It's sturdy enough but if you are not using
a keyboard, it's ok to type on but... this is not good for angry typing. Let me show
you... - As you can see, if you're bashing the iPad
anywhere near the top, the whole stand will tip. But I am being really forceful here guys.
So take a deep breath.... then type. - Having the hub at the back means it's great
for aesthetics and space saving with cable management, but could be fiddly if you are
constantly swapping things in and out. - There's only one USB-A. That could be a
problem for some people. For me I try to go Bluetooth as much as I can so that port is
always free it I have to plug something older in.
- The size and the folding design is fantastic for travelling or working at a cafe!
Very light, extremely well built in aluminium. It goes really well with the iPad design.
It is no surprise that Apple themselves sell Satechi products on their website. This hub
is so well designed that it looks like something that Apple would build.
Compact, sleek, portable and it's gonna suit many people in different situations. Great
piece of kit!
I am getting close to 100 videos on this channel. Some are not worth watching, I will give you
that - I am still learning. But some are pretty pretty good.
So if you like my stuff, it would be awesome if you subscribed to my channel.
And don't forget the bell. I will explain later. It's a thing on the channel.
FArtIE: Sorry to interrupt your flow. What is this thing?
Alex: Oh this is the Pitaka Air Omni Lite charging station.
FArtIE: Of course, you need more chargers! Alex: FArtIE, reduce sarcasm level to 3
FArtIE: Only because you asked me so nicely. Alex: I will replace you with Alexa or Siri!
FArtIE: Okay okay, level 3 it is. Fascist. Alex: Are You done?
FArtIE: So what are you going to do with it? Alex: I am getting rid of some cables in my
life! It's amazing!
FArtiE: That’s quite smart. Unusual from you.
Alex: Really?? I always preferred Siri and Alexa to be honest…
Right guys, this is the Pitaka Air Omni Lite charging station
This thing can charge up to 6 devices at the same time. It’s a bit like a Swiss Army
knife.
It has lots of little tricks up its sleeve whether you are using this at home or when
travelling.
Check this out…
I can charge my big iPad, Apple Watch, S21 Ultra, iPhone 12 Pro Max and a multitude of
Earbuds
And it has this little hidden compartment here for your condoms.
And if you’re really busy and active like me… Not just one condom!! but SD cards!
Or jewellery as well.
This comes in at about $130 dollars at the time of recording and I have put the links
down in the description for you.
I love Pitaka products, and reviewed a few of their smartphone cases in the channel so...
when they reached out about this product I was really intrigued.
I mean as FArtiE said at the beginning I probably don’t need another charger. But something
that clears up the mess of cables?
Yes that I need!
I personally will have this by my bedside table.
But you can totally have it on your main desk or at a central location in your house so
your family could share it too.
It is a good looking device and if I am not mistaken… let me check... yeah they do this
in different colours as well, this one here is a beautiful walnut or grey fabric material
finish so it won’t look out of place in your home.
I quite like the carbon fibre style so am pretty happy with this one. One slight issue
with this version is fingerprints but they clean up quite easily.
- You can charge up to 6 things at once! - It will wirelessly charge iPhones at 7.5
Watts and Android devices at 10 Watts. If you're in a hurry, then I'd recommend using
the wired option. But for me, this is more of an overnight charging station or at a desk
stand really. - It doesn't get hot, it uses heat-dissipating
materials. - It is absolutely silent so you can safely
have it in your bedroom, with no issues. That's how I've been using it.
There is a version with a travel pouch as well - which I recommend if you are travelling
and want less cables in your life.
The charging brick is a beefy boi!! Which is expected given how much it can do. But
I never noticed it getting too warm even after charging multiple devices at once.
The USB-C is 18 watts so perfect for the iPad and will slow charge a small laptop.
When you get an iPad Pro you know you're kind of constrained to Bluetooth and that single
Thunderbolt port... Whilst extremely powerful, it is just one port.
So I have a few more options here for you which will let you make the most of that connection.
I will preface this by saying... This Thunderbolt port is very powerful so by using a USB hub..
you are not really taking advantage of that power.
However I appreciated that a lot of people already have USB accessories and other people
may not need the Thunderbolt accessories right now.
If you do, then I suggest you skip to the Thunderbolt Hub section I have got here.
I will start from a couple of options here from this brand called Uni.
This option is for those of you who like a very minimal setup.
But also for those who are on the road all the time and need something to transfer data...
or quickly connect to an external monitor while you are away.
I have the 8 in 1 and the 6 in 1 hubs here. Uni have told me they are working on a Thunderbolt
version too so stay tuned for that.
Like the Satechi stand, this only supports USB Type A for connecting external storage.
Which is a shame, as it does have an additional USB-C port here which is only for power.
But what this doesn’t deliver in data transfer it delivers in power with 100W Power delivery,
so there’s enough here to be able to charge your big laptop!
Another great feature on this Uni hub is that it comes with an Ethernet port!
So if you’re someone who can’t rely on WiFi speeds, for example if you are streaming
and want that internet speed to be as reliable as possible, with this hub you get 1 GBps
Ethernet which is pretty good - it's not 10GB but its still pretty decent, especially if
you are on the road where you're not likely to experience Wifi 6 speeds anyway.
For something so small... That's pretty awesome!
This is the Lention USB-C standing dock. A really cool little stand, looks great on the
desk a bit like the Satechi option but in a different design.
And a different budget too, coming in at $49.99 at the time of recording. But if you use the
discount code in the description you will get 20% discount! In fact, that 20% discount
is for any products on their website.
So... you're welcome. I don't actually get a kickback on these if you buy it through
their website. I don't mind, it's a great hub!
But yeah, don't let that budget price fool you, this is very convenient.
It comes with 2 USB 3.0 ports, SD and Micro SD dual card readers and also a 3.5mm audio
port.
The SD and MicroSD slots can be used simultaneously. I mention this because not all hubs allow
that.
The HDMI port on this supports 4K. But only up to 30Hz video output!
The trick this one has up its sleeve is the USB-C charging port which supports up to 100W
pass through to the device.
So depending on your situation, you could alternate between charging the iPad or a laptop.
That way you'd have less cables on your setup to worry about.
By the way, all of these accessories so far were sent to me free of charge. The next products
in this video were all purchased by myself.
I don't do paid reviews but I do pick and choose who I work with. I spend quite a bit
myself on gear so sometimes its nice that brands want to work with me.
The good news for you is... you are hearing my honest opinion whether it was sent to me
for free or if I bought it.
This next accessory is a great find for me. This is the Keychron K1 V4 keyboard.
It is a low profile mechanical keyboard. It is not just an accessory that you can use
with the iPad but you can connect it to up to 3 devices and quickly switch between them.
So you could have the iPad, a windows laptop and an Android phone all connected to it.
It is great for Mac users because the layout is basically the Macbook Pro layout, with
very minor differences.
I went for this because I like the fact the arrow keys are on the side here, so whilst
it's not a full size keyboard with the numerical keys on the side, it is a very comfortable
size.
It's built like a tank but at the same time, very light. You could totally carry this around
with you.
It has great battery life with a 2000 MaH battery.
Officially stated, 35 hours of usage but for me, that translates into it's about 4-5 days
depending on how busy I am.
It feels really nice to type on this keyboard. And I will shut up for a few seconds so you
can actually hear it.
I covered this in a lot more detail in my review of this keyboard.
But to keep it short, these switches are not hot swappable, you can change the keycaps
but not the switches themselves. They come in 3 different types, from very clicky to
quiet.
But if you want hot Swappable switches, go for the K3 which is a bit smaller than this
but gives you that flexibility to customise your switches.
The way I think about keyboard is that you interact with it for MANY hours a day, sometimes
more with it than with people so... choose something that will make that experience as
comfortable as possible.
I do find that for longer sessions, having a wrist pad will help a little bit, to make
it even more comfortable.
Can't recommend this enough!
As I said, there's a link to my full review at the end of this video, if you want to know
a bit more about it.
Now, this is an EXTREMELY popular accessory, and extremely capable too.
Like many manufacturers out there right now, OWC seem to have been impacted by the chip
shortage so there could be delays in getting stock.
I managed to buy this one from someone on eBay and I am still waiting for stock on the
bigger dock they have.
With this Thunderbolt 4 hub you can add 5 additional Thunderbolt devices in a daisy
chain setup.
They are so powerful…If you are using it with a single display,
Thunderbolt 4 supports resolutions up to 8K @ 60Hz or 4K @ 120Hz.
If you are connecting two monitors, this will support up to 4K @ 60Hz which is amazing for
dual monitors.
As always I will leave links to all of this gear in the description for you.
I really wanted to take advantage of the Thunderbolt 4 that will start to become available soon.
With iPadOS 14.6 the speed wasn't quite there as per my previous video but I can confirm
now that on iPadOS15 there is a considerable improvement already and the software is still
in Beta, so it's very promising!
As I mentioned in my previous video we were gonna need more time to see if software improves
things and low and behold... It does indeed.
I am now getting much faster transfer speeds when using my Thunderbolt 4 dock to move large
files around.
From a design perspective, I love how small the hub is and the fact hat it has 3 Thunderbolt
4 ports.
All backwards compatible so gives you lots of flexibility for all accessories that you
may want to connect to the iPad.
On the front of the hub you get a USB 3.2, USB type A port.
But not the cheapo version that Apple gives us on Macbooks and Mac Minis.
This here at the front, is a 10 gig port! 10GB!!
So provided you are using the right 10GB cable, this is as good as it gets for USB type
A guys.
Now, these for me are the stars of the show really. For me, these accessories really complete
the iPad experience.
Of course I am talking about the Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard.
You may have heard me say this before, I was really looking forward to the Magic Keyboard
- Probably more so than the iPad itself.
It is not a cheap accessory but I really loved how close it resembles the Macbook Pro keyboard.
It made it made it really easy for me to get more work done on the iPad because of that
familiarity with the Mac keyboard..
The track pad is very responsive and its very clever how it accelerates slightly different
to many other trackpads on the market. It's those small details that make it stand out
for me and ultimately be worth that investment.
The keyboard and pencil is what makes me take the iPad to work every day as I know I can
go sit outside for a bit and continue to be productive. Whether I am just taking quick
notes whilst I am in a meeting or just jotting down an idea for my next project.
The Apple pencil is great, the way it responds to pressure is really cool. I gotta be honest,
it's quite slippery at first so your handwriting might look like a doctor's handwriting.
Is that still a thing, that doctors can't handwrite?
Anyway... You could in theory use one of those screen protectors that resembles paper but
I really don't like compromising the beautiful display as Apple intended it to be. That's
just a personal preference of course.
I think you will really like these videos right here where I cover even more iPad accessories.
Will see you and your smiling faces on the next one.
Bye!