If you prefer a standard dongle-style hub or just one that doesn’t have a built-in kickstand, here are a few other options I’ve tested and liked. Read ours Guide to the Best USB Hubs and Docks for more recommendations.
12 South StayGo Mini USB-C Hub for $60: This Tiny USB-C Hub Might Be All You Need And It serious Compact. It’s a bit taller but narrower than a Zippo lighter, and you get a 4K HDMI port, USB-A, an 85-watt USB-C port with pass-through charging, and a headphone jack. I’ve had problems inserting it into a case-protected iPad, but Twelve South includes a female USB-C to USB-C male cable that helps with this.
HyperDrive 6-in-1 Dongle for $100: It has a 60-watt USB-C port, USB-A, a MicroSD slot, an SD card slot, 3.5mm audio, and HDMI 4K 60 Hz. You can plug it into your iPad’s USB-C port and lay it flat and sturdy with the edge, or swap to a short, thin cable. You need the cable if you have the case on your iPad, and Hyper provides screws and a screwdriver to swap this out (it took me two minutes). Just remember to unplug it when you’re not using it as it will slowly drain your tablet’s battery.
Satechi USB-C Hybrid with SSD Case for $90: Satechi’s four-port hub is a bit too big for the number of portals you get, but there’s a good reason for that. Open the aluminum cover and you’ll find a slot for an M.2 SATA solid-state drive slot. That means being able to access an external SSD, along with two USB-A jacks, one 100-watt USB-C pass-through charging port, and one HDMI 4K at the same time. I don’t have an M.2 SATA drive to test, but this 1 terabyte card will work. Just know that Satechi hub does not support NVME M.2 cards.
Anker USB-C to Ethernet Adapter for $23: Most people won’t need an Ethernet port on your iPad, but you’re probably doing some cloud gaming on your tablet. If so, you’ll need the fastest possible speed for your game to appear at the highest possible quality. This simple aluminum USB-C to Ethernet dongle delivers download speeds of around 700 Mbps on my home iPad Pro, which is something my desktop computer often encounters.
