In my last iPad Air 5 accessories video
I mentioned how I’ve been looking for a hub. I found the perfect one! In fact I found 5!
I am Alex and I do down to earth tech reviews.
If that’s something you might enjoy welcome the channel
If you are considering or already purchased the iPad Air 5,
you are probably thinking… That’s not gonna be enough storage.
Even if you go for the larger spec, in the long run storage is gonna be a concern.
The other problem you might face is there’s only one port. It’s not Thunderbolt 4
like in the iPad Pro but it’s a 10GB/s USB-C port which means we can use hubs.
Now when you choose the iPad Air, you’re making a conscious decision on the fact that
this is an ultra-portable device. So a hub that requires power is not good.
There are many features I need which we will talk about in a minute but portability was the main
thing for me. So all of these options here today, tick that main box for me which is portability.
Stick around as I will do a file transfer speed test too, but let’s cover each of
these hubs. I will make it real quick so you don’t have to skip.
### The first one is the CalDigit SOHO.
Absolutely love this thing. Look how cute this is! It can go in my pocket
or my bag without adding any bulk whatsoever. Perfect for my needs.
Yes I needed something portable but I also wanted something that allows high speed transfer
and options for connectivity. You never know… One day Apple might give us something like Samsung Dex
so these HDMI and DisplayPort connections might come in handy.
This hub is super capable, it gives me an SD and a MicroSD card so I can edit photos
and videos on the iPad straight from my camera, which is great for Instagram or
creating my thumbnails. It means I don’t need to wait until I get home to upload them.
It has a standard USB type port but it’s not just any port, this is also a 10GB port.
You gotta appreciate the design details here. It’s probably one of the best designs out
there for portability. The main cable that you need for the iPad comes off the side
here which makes it easier to use when you’re in a small space like at a cafe.
You don’t want to be encroaching into someone’s personal space and
their caramel lattes with your cables and your gear.
It has this lovely rounded corners too so they definitely though of those moments
when you are just choking this into a bag or putting it in your pocket. These corners are
not so sharp that they would hurt your pockets or device.
And that is true for all of the devices we are
looking at today. They all tick that portability box really well for me.
When you are at home and you want to use this with your PC or laptop,
this also provides power to charge your device and you can connect up to two monitors.
Really can’t recommend this little guy enough.
OWC also do a great travel hub but I haven’t tested that one yet.
### The second and third options today are from the Satechi
I reviewed a bunch of their products before and what I always say about
Satechi is how their products look like they could have been designed by Apple themselves.
In fact when you go to an Apple store, you will see Satechi products in there.
Because it clearly fits with that whole brushed aluminium look and very stylish design.
This hub has a great hidden feature here which serves a slightly different purpose for me which
is storage. See when you open it, you get this compartment here for a built-in SSD enclosure.
This is brilliant! I’ve got a 1TB here which gives me a lot of extra room for photos and videos
which means I can my iPad Air free of clutter.
Really fast access too, nice and small. One cable that does it all, AND
it has a power passthrough option as well so you can if you want to plug the power into this hub
and charge your device, up to 100W so even a big laptop like the MacBook Pro.
The only drawback with this one is that it doesn’t have an extra USB-C
port. But because it has that internal storage in it, I found that I don’t actually need it. It
does offer two USB type A ports, both 10 GB ports too so you’re not missing out on anything here.
### Uni hubs The next two
options are from a company called Uni.
These are in the budget category but the price is the only thing that feels budget,
everything else feels nice and premium. They thought of those unpleasant scratches you
might get when you chuck these things your bag by having a nice rubber case.
And their ports are really nicely arranged on both sides
too. The cable is detachable which makes it nice and safe too.
What I love about this
is is the options it gives you in such a small size. This version even has an ethernet port!
The USB type A ports are 3.0 which means you’re getting 5GB instead of 10GB speed. Still more
than OK for moving large files around but if you work with hundreds or thousands
of RAW photos for example, then the Caldigit or Satechi will work better.
### Satechi stand A bonus option here
is the Satechi USB-C stand. I capital letters LOVE this stand. I use it with my iPad Air,
my iPad Pro and more recently I’ve been using it with my Tab S8 Ultra too.
This one kills two birds for me which is propping the tablet and if you are not
using Apple’s Magic Keyboard you could use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse,
and use this stand for that lovely minimal workstation type setup.
SD and Micro SD ports as well as a HDMI port.
And a headphone jack! I haven’t tested it with a headset
I can’t recommend this stand enough, it looks gorgeous, it has that power
pass-through as well through PowerDelivery charging and is very versatile as you can
fold it up, tuck the cable away and all of a sudden you
get this ultra portable hub that will go in any bag. Super convenient!
You might want to consider battery packs, SSD drives and stands for the iPad Air 5
and I have great news for you! I cover all of those things in this video over here!
Told you I was gonna be quick!