Other than being a very slightly different shade of gray, you would think this product came out of the factory similar. Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
One of the Mac Mini’s greatest strengths is its ability to serve up impressive workstation power while barely taking up the space of a desk. I had actually praised it in my review of Apple’s updated, M2-powered Apple Mini.
However, the choice of ports on the device can be restrictive for some users. If you have a multitude of devices, you may find yourself constantly having to switch sockets.
And if you need to change something, the location of the ports on the back can also be inconvenient. The well-thought-out design of the Satechi Stand and Type-C Hub solves all of these issues without taking up extra desk space or spoiling the sleek lines of the Mac Mini.
The top includes non-slip pads to keep your Mac Mini in place, as well as air vents to ensure cooling isn’t obstructed. Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
One of the few criticisms of the current Mac Mini is its relative lack of expandability. This is because the lack of memory or user-expandable storage forces you to keep whatever configuration you purchased, and you are limited to its ports, with no expansion slots.
Any docking station or hub with external storage can, of course, solve this problem, but they’ll all take up extra space and ruin one of the Mac Mini’s greatest advantages. This is therefore not the case with Satechi’s solution.
All ports. Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
This nifty dock features a snug little receptacle for your Mac Mini to sit in. Once placed inside, it will connect to the hub via a single, permanently attached USB-C cable. This allows you to access the full selection of ports on the front of the device, including:
- 1 MicroSD and 1 SD card reader
- 1 x 3.5mm audio jack
- 3 USB-A ports (5Gbps)
- 1 USB-C port (5Gbps)
This brings the total number of available USB-A ports to five and USB-C ports to three, the same total number of USB ports as the Mac Studio, minus, however, Thunderbolt support on a few of them. them.
Satechi even includes a small screwdriver to install your SSD. Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
The inclusion of expandable storage space right inside the Satechi Stand and Type-C hub closes the gap between the $700 Mac Mini and the $2300 Mac Studio (with M1 Max processor). The enclosure under the device supports a single M.2 SSD in the capacity of your choice. Although it does not fully support NVME [type de disque potentiellement bien plus rapide]it’s an inexpensive way to add stealth and quick storage to your Mini without taking up any extra ports.
The cable is short enough to avoid any slack when plugged in, but long enough to reach either USB-C port. Michael Gariffo/ZDNET
The $110 price tag for this Docking Station and Hub from Satechi makes it an easy recommendation for your Mac Mini. It joins a system that was already amazing and makes it even more versatile and expandable, while adding little clutter and without detracting from its aesthetics. A great little accessory.
Source: “ZDNet.com”