Have all your favorite legacy ports bundles into one adapter.
One of the biggest complaints MacBook Pro users have these days is the lack of professional legacy ports available on the newer laptop computers. In 2016, Apple released a redesigned MacBook Pro that only had USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports on it. With the theory that USB-C is the future of data and power delivery, Apple decided to move their powerful portable computer into the next phase of computing by eliminating all the other ports on the computer. The problem is that users have been struggling ever since to find ways to connect to their favorite accessories to their MacBook Pros. Fortunately, Satechi makes an amazing Type-C Multimedia Adapter.
Details
The Satechi Type-C Multimedia Adapter is made from aluminum and has a built-in USB-C extension cable approximately 6 inches in length. The adapter provides power delivery to devices (up to 49W) and can provide Gigabit Ethernet transfer speeds through its Ethernet port. It has a single HDMI port for 4K video (30Hz) as well as a 4K mini DisplayPort (30HZ). There are three USB 3.0 ports included on the adapter as well as an SD and Micro SD card slots. The Type-C Multimedia Adapter is available in two colors — silver and space gray.
User Experience
The Type-C Multimedia Adapter arrives in a Satechi branded cardboard box. The front of the box has a very clear photo of the product inside and a simple product description can be found on the back. For this sort of product, I really appreciate that amount of detail that can be found on the box because you are certain when you pick up the product from the shelf that this is the one you want. When you open up the box, you will find the adapter nestled inside a black plastic insert. No printed instruction are included.
The nice thing about this adapter is that it’s plug-n-play and no special software is required to use it. One of the first things I tested on this adapter was its power delivery port. The USB-C port on the adapter is specifically made for power delivery. Multi-directional power flow (up to 49W) is provided and I was able to charge my MacBook Pro’s battery with the power passthrough connection.
The next thing I wanted to test was the data transfer speeds. The SD and Micro SD card slots should be able to reach data transfer speed up to 104 Mb/s and the USB 3.0 ports should be able to transfer up to 5 Gb/s. To test these connections out, I transferred a file that was 2.36GB in size to a USB flash drive, an SD Card, and a Micro SD card and noted the times of these tests in the chart below.
| Micro SD Card (Toshiba Exceria 16GB Class 3) | 0:41.90 |
| SD Card (SanDisk Ultra 8GB SDHC Class 6) | 4:18.50 |
| USB Flash Drive (PNY Turbo 128GB 3.0) | 0:27.88 |
I was surprised to find out that the Micro SD card transferred so quickly and the SD card so slow. I thought they would be more in line with each other and instead the Micro SD card was much closer to the USB 3.0 transfer speed. One thing I’ve noticed with most of the USB-C adapters I’ve used is that they heat up the longer you use them. I thought that perhaps this Satechi adapter would not have that problem, but it heated up to 99º F. This isn’t as hot as some adapters, but still warmer than I expected.
Conclusions
As a MacBook Pro user, I find myself having this connectivity battle on a regular basis. There are a lot of adapters out there and it’s hard to discern which one you should use. Satechi is a premium accessory brand and I’ve had really good luck with their products. I would recommend this Type-C Multimedia Adapter to any MacBook Pro users who want to have access to legacy ports. It is a bit higher priced than other adapters out there but I feel it’s worth it based on the premium nature of the device.
For more information, visit Satechi.net.
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