In the jungle of USB-C hubs, it is sometimes difficult to navigate. A historic accessory brand, Kensington is marketing a very promising hub. We tested it.
The emergence of USB-C has been a blessing as well as a curse for the tech market. This unique connector promised to replace all previous ones by integrating data transfer, power supply and video transfer at the same time. Very quickly was born the idea of a USB-C hub allowing to find the classic connectors, for the peripherals which one already has, but usable with a simple USB-C port.
Just go to Amazon to discover dozens of references that all promise exceptional performance. In this jungle of products designed in China from often unknown brands, Kensington wants to find a place with a quality reference that is easier to spot.
The Kensington UH1400P enters the arena
We were able to test the “UH1400P Driverless USB-C® 8-in-1 Mobile Docking Station” for several months. It’s an interesting product, as it ticks most of the boxes you’d expect from a modern USB-C hub.
As its name suggests, it is used without drivers and therefore offers fairly universal compatibility: Windows of course, but also macOS, ChromeOS, iPadOS and Android. For iOS compatibility, it is mentioned on the paper, but without Lightning connection it will not be really useful.
Any product that runs under one of these systems and that offers a USB-C port will therefore be compatible with the Kensington product.
The connection
In a fairly compact format of 105 x 52 x 13 mm for 80 grams, the Kensington USB-C hub offers a fairly comprehensive range of ports. Everything you need to work on a daily basis.
Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid
Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid
Source: Robin Wycke – Frandroid
We therefore find:
- 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A (5V/0.9A)
- 1 x 85W USB-C charging port
- 1 SD or microSD UHS-1 card reader
- 1 x HDMI 2.0 (4K@60Hz)
- 1 Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port
By simply connecting the USB-C hub, it becomes possible to use an external 4K screen, recharge your device up to 85W and use everyday peripherals: USB key, keyboard, mouse, printer.
The 85W recharge covers the needs of most devices, from simple Android smartphones to somewhat beefy ultraportables and tablets.
It works well
Without reinventing hot water, Kensington’s product works well. We did not have the right to heating problems that we could encounter on other products, or untimely disconnection.
We tested it with both a laptop and an iPad Mini 6 and in both cases the product was always easy to use and responsive. Thus, on iPad OS, the external screen, the mouse connected via USB and the RJ45 cable were all three perfectly recognized by the system. The load was done as much on the PC as the iPad, and without warning message warning of a too low power level.
On other USB-C hubs that we have been able to test over the years, this is the kind of problem that we could encounter. The connection was there, but a device could have connection or charging problems. Connecting multiple devices simultaneously could also be a problem.
The finishes are also exemplary with a small anodized aluminum frame with the most beautiful effect.
Kensington USB-C Mobile Hub price and release date
The Kensington UH1400P is sold at 75 euros by Amazon.fr. This is a price that may seem high compared to the competition, but here you buy a certain peace of mind.
It is known that Kensington’s product is fully compatible with the USB-C standard, which allows for hassle-free use, without drivers or compatibility issues.
Kensington offers a two-year warranty with this product.
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