Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub review

Overlook about shopping for an costly docking station, with its of mixture of USB and Thunderbolt ports the 5-in-1 Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub is perhaps all you want to develop your Thunderbolt laptop computer right into a fuller desktop system with exterior shows and spare device-connection ports.

Thunderbolt 4 permits for hubs that may boast as much as 4 of the super-fast 40Gbps Kind-C connector that’s backwards appropriate with Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C.

With the fitting gadgets or adapters, this is perhaps ample so as to add a few exterior shows and a high-speed storage drive.

Specs and options

The Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub boasts 4 Thunderbolt 4 (all at 40Gbps knowledge switch and 15W system charging) and one USB-A 3.2 Gen.2 (10Gbps and 4.5W) port.

Calling it a “5-in-1 hub” is a little bit of a cheat, as one of many Thunderbolt 4 ports will probably be used to attach knowledge and energy to your laptop computer, leaving three TB4 ports and the quick USB-A port. That might nonetheless be sufficient ports for a lot of customers.

• One upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40Gbps, 96W)
• Three Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps, 15W)
• One USB-A port (10Gbps, 4.5W)
• 150W energy provide

That vary of ports is the norm for Thunderbolt 4 hubs. Bigger, costlier Thunderbolt 4 docks can have extra ports however in the event you simply want just a few additional versatile Thunderbolt/USB-C ports, a hub might prevent each cash and desk area.

The one USB-A port presents quick knowledge switch at 10Gbps however is underpowered for charging a linked system. 4.5W will cost a cellphone however very slowly, and is basically solely highly effective sufficient to cost up your headphones, smartwatch, or wi-fi keyboard/mouse. The Thunderbolt 4 ports can cost at 15W.

The Belkin Core Hub comes with a beneficiant exterior 150W energy provide. The upstream Thunderbolt 4 port that connects to your pc can cost a laptop computer at as much as 96W, which is the best Energy Supply (USB PD) connection on a hub slightly than a full docking station.

It’s a bit mild on connections with its single USB-A port, however all hubs aside from one supply the identical single USB-A port. No hub presents as many ports because the Caldigit Component Hub, which boasts 4 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 that may every cost at 18W and a blow-away-the-competition 4 10Gbps USB-A ports (7.5W). Learn our Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Component Hub assessment.

The numerous ported Caldigit’s solely limitation is that, regardless of its equal 150W energy provide, its laptop computer PD charging energy is proscribed to 60W.

60W energy supply is sufficient for a mid-sized laptop computer however not a bigger 15- to 17-inch moveable. A big laptop computer might stay charged on 60W however its battery would fade if in full use.

Belkin’s Core Hub fixes this limitation with its spectacular 96W laptop-charging port. You probably have a bigger laptop computer and don’t want as many USB-A ports the Belkin Core Hub makes extra sense than the Caldigit Component Hub.

Different choices embrace the Sonnet Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub that may cost a laptop computer at 85W and has a extra highly effective 7.5W USB-A port than the Belkin, however maxes its whole energy output at 100W, in comparison with Belkin and Caldigit’s 150W.

Belkin’s Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub isn’t a docking station by strict definition—and nor does it declare to be—however it will probably supply most of what a dock can while you add adapters.

For instance, if you’d like a quick, secure wired community connection you would add an Ethernet adapter (Gigabit or sooner) corresponding to Ugreen’s USB-C to Ethernet Adapter for beneath $20 / £15.

You possibly can join two exterior shows to your laptop computer utilizing the Core Hub’s Thunderbolt 4 ports. These would join on to displays with USB-C ports, or you would add cheap USB-C to DisplayPort or HDMI adapters.

The 2 displays might every deal with as much as 4K at 60Hz, or you would connect a single 8K at 30Hz.

That mentioned, Apple’s plain non-Professional/Max M1 and M2 chip computer systems help only one exterior monitor. Take a look at our workaround answer for adding two screens to an M1 or M2 MacBook.

Should you want a fuller docking station, check out our spherical up of one of the best Thunderbolt 4 docks, which additionally seems at different Thunderbolt 4 hubs.

For extra on the variations and compatibilities of USB-C and Thunderbolt varieties, learn this detailed explainer on Thunderbolt 4 vs Thunderbolt 3 vs USB-C.

Foundry

Design and construct

Hubs with their very own energy provide can act as mini docking stations, and they’re much extra compact. The Belkin Core Hub measures 135-x-75-x-18mm (5.3-x-3-x-0.7 inches), which is a bit of longer and wider the Caldigit Component Hub however nonetheless fairly titchy.

The Belkin’s energy brick is much less chunky than the Caldigit hub’s however on the similar mighty 150W whole output.

We want the Component Hub for its upstream TB4 port neatly mounted on the facet in contrast to most different Thunderbolt hubs, together with the Belkin Core Hub, that situate it on the entrance. A entrance connection may make it barely sooner to disconnect however its an unpleasant answer when in use with the cable stretched out from the entrance.

The Belkin Core Hub ships with a 0.8m Thunderbolt 4 cable. It will join the hub to your laptop computer, however you’ll must however additional cables if utilizing the hub’s different ports. Take a look at our roundup of one of the best Thunderbolt 4 cables.

Value

The Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub prices US$199.99 or £199.99.

That’s the identical value because the multi-ported Component Hub from Caldigit, however keep in mind the upper laptop computer charging energy of the Belkin hub.

Verdict

The Belkin Join Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub is a compact and well-priced Thunderbolt 4 hub with quick connections that may deal with as a lot as a small docking station. You possibly can add as much as two exterior 4K shows and nonetheless have one quick Thunderbolt 4 port free so as to add a quick storage drive or different USB-C system. Its 96W laptop-charging port is essentially the most highly effective we’ve seen on a Thunderbolt 4 hub.

You will discover three extra USB ports on the equally priced Caldigit Component Hub however the Belkin wins out on its extra highly effective 96W PD laptop computer charging output that makes it a better option for bigger laptops.