The use case they mention is that some of the form fit hard cases for MacBook might not allow the hub to connect in the preferred orientation so you can flip it over and have it protrude from the back.

I like the fact that the small LED shows you it’s connected and working, and the fact that it’s visible on both sides of the device. Here’s what it looks like connected to a newer MacBook Air. The USB-As are your best bet for charging a phone or battery since the USB-C is again data only. This means that while you could run dual monitors it would be limited to a quick presentation that will need to finish before your battery dies.įor data, you’ve got USB-C, two USB-A’s and that Thunderbolt 3 (if you’re not charging again).

The USB-C port doesn’t help here as it is data only so it doesn’t work the same way the second port on your MacBook does. To charge your laptop simultaneously you’ll need to have a Thunderbolt 3 monitor that’s providing power through that one connection which narrows the compatibility quickly. The Thunderbolt 3 port does support video and lets you display gorgeous video up to 5k, but you unless you need USB-A ports, you would just connect that directly to your laptop. I had no issues connecting to my monitors, one at 3440 resolution and one at 4k. For video, the HDMI port works as it should.

M1 macbook air usb c hub