AUKEY Unity link III usb-c hub REVIEW | MacSources
An impressive 8-in-1 hub for connecting to the world outside your laptop.
When you work with a USB-C driven laptop, you have to find ways to connect to the outside world (i.e. devices). For several years now a 2016 MacBook Pro has been my daily driver computer. In case you aren’t familiar with it, the 2016 MBP comes with four USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports — and that’s all. It can be a struggle to connect with external devices unless you have the right peripherals at your disposal — like the Unity Link PD III USB-C Hub from AUKEY.
DETAILS
The Unity Link PD III USB-C Hub is designed to provide users with an all-in-one connectivity solution for USB-C compatible computers. With the hub you have the ability to turn a single USB-C port into six ports plus a display connection, card reader, charging port, and an Ethernet port. The Power Delivery (PD) port provides up to 100W of power and is compatible with 15-inch MacBook Pros. The hub has the power to keep those larger laptops charged. The Unity Link III supports pass through charging and all 8 ports can be used simultaneously. The HDMI port outputs resolutions up to 4K @ 30Hz and allows for computers to be able to stream UHD videos to a monitor, TV, or projector.
SPECS
- Model: CB-C71
- Interfaces: 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB 3.0) data ports, 1 USB 2.0 data port, HDMI port, Ethernet port, USB-C Power Delivery port, SD & MicroSD card slots
- Connector: USB-C
- USB-C Power Delivery Input: DC 5V-20V 5A (up to 100W)
- USB Data Port Output: DC 5V 900mA (Max)
- USB Data Transfer Speed: Up to 5Gbps
- HDMI Display Resolution: Up to 4K@30Hz
- SD & MicroSD Card Compatibility: MicroSD, MicroSDHC, MicroSDXC, SD,SDHC, and SDXC cards
- SD & MicroSD Card Capacity: Up to 2TB
- SD& MicroSD Card Data Transfer Speed: Up to 5Gbps
- Material: ABS, PC
- Cable Length: 150mm / 5.91"
- Dimensions: 102 x 57 x 15mm / 4.02" x 2.24" x 0.59"
- Weight: 57g / 2oz
USER EXPERIENCE
For the past 8 weeks, I’ve had to either work from home or split my time between my office and my home. It’s been somewhat of an exhausting exercise because I feel like I’m living as a nomad. As a result of this lifestyle, I’ve been using hubs quite often to connect to external monitors, mouses, and keyboards. The Unity Link III hub actually provides some of the best connectivity I’ve used in recent days. Until it came across my desk, I was using a different hub that frequently overheated when many devices were connected. Just today, I’ve had my laptop plugged into the AUKEY hub along with a keyboard, mouse, and a set of headphones that are charging and the hub is not putting off any heat at all.
The hub is pretty simple in operation. It comes in a plain cardboard box with an outlined illustration that often accompanies AUKEY products. Inside the box, I found the hub wrapped in plastic with the multilingual user guide nestled below it. One thing that I didn’t expect to find was the carrying pouch that comes with the Unity Link III. It’s a very nice pouch that keeps the attached cable from getting caught on anything or damaged by something like loose keys if the user ends up carrying this in a pocket.
As a hub, it works really well. It has provided a consistent connection for my MacBook Pro to the external devices that I’ve need to be connected to. Even though I typically use WiFi with my laptop, I did connect an Ethernet cable to test that functionality out and found that it worked quite well. I think the Unity Link III is a really nice all-around hub. It does seem to be a little pricier than other models that are offered on Amazon but as I mentioned above, a lot of those other hubs tend to overheat and this one has not.
CONCLUSION
I’ve been a fan of AUKEY products for quite some time and I’m really excited to add this hub into my standard accessories for my laptop. The Unity Link III is a robust hub that provides just the right amount of connection for my needs. It’s portable and compatible with my laptop and other devices I use.
For more information, visit aukey.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
Originally published at https://macsources.com on May 26, 2020.
