Thunderbolt ports are becoming more and more popular in laptops nowadays because of their superior transfer speeds and powerful charging capabilities. In fact, thanks to the Thunderbolt port, laptops are becoming slimmer and lighter as manufacturers are reducing the number of ports and encouraging consumers to use hubs. If you plan to connect several 4K displays to your laptop, transfer very large files, or simply want additional connectivity on your laptop, a thunderbolt allows you just that. They expand a thunderbolt port into several USB-A ports, HDMI ports, and USB-C ports, so you can connect all your devices at the same time. With the capability to charge your phone and laptop, you won’t even have to use a wall charger anymore. Below are five of our favorite thunderbolt hubs, chosen for their excellent build quality, transfer speeds, and compatibility with different devices.

What are Thunderbolt ports used for?

Thunderbolt ports offer higher speeds and higher resolutions than HDMI ports or USB-C ports. If you want to connect your laptop or desktop to multiple high-resolution displays or attach a graphics amplifier, you will need a thunderbolt port. You can also use a thunderbolt port to transfer large files to external drives to transfer RAW videos from your camera to your laptop.

Can I connect a USB device to a Thunderbolt port?

If the thunderbolt port is a thunderbolt 4 or a thunderbolt 3, then yes, you can connect any USB device to the port and use it normally. The only issue is that you will not be making use of the fast transfer speeds of the Thunderbolt port, but you will rather be limited to the USB speed of the device you connect.

All Thunderbolt hubs come packed with a plethora of ports and features that allow you connectivity to all your devices and displays. We recommend you keep the following points in mind when choosing a thunderbolt hub.

Fast and Reliable

This option comes with three different ports that can support connecting two 4K screens at 60 Hz or one 8K screen at 30 Hz. It also delivers transfer speeds of up to 40 Gbps.

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Plug and Play

This one delivers transfer speeds of up to 5 Gbps to transfer movies, files, and songs to any USB-powered device in seconds. You can also use it to add four USB ports to any thunderbolt port on your laptop or desktop.

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All the Ports You Need

This one has 13 different ports, so you can connect to any device you want. Connect two 4K monitors or three VGA monitors at the same time without any lag or drop in performance.

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Honorable Mention

Multi-Monitor Display

This one brings a massive expansion to your MacBook with a plethora of useful ports like HDMI ports, USB-C ports, and SD and microSD card slots. It has a charging power of up to 100 watts.

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Extremely Fast Speeds

This one is completely plug and play and doesn’t require the installation of any software or drivers to work. Use it to connect a wired keyboard, a USB flash drive, or even an external disk to your laptop or tablet.

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