Hyper is a manufacturer that we know from various accessories, such as chargers and power banks. This time, the company is trying to sell us a more expensive Thunderbolt hub through Kickstarter. One that is sold without an external power strip.
Similar hubs often have such a block on their plug. That means you always have to reserve some space behind or on your desk and the hubs aren’t as portable as you’d like, perhaps. The new Hyper hub features a regular figure 8 plug that goes straight from the wall to the cabinet. Not only do you get access to extra USB ports, you can also easily take the hub with you on a trip.
Also read: Everything about USB ports, connectors and hubs
Hyper Thunderbolt Hub
Hyper believes it is important to state that the new Thunderbolt hub shines in its simplicity. Nevertheless, the compact box offers 96 watts of power. With this you can provide many laptops with power. But if you have a gaming laptop, or a device like the MacBook Pro, you may still lose some energy while using it, either very slowly and when such a device is running at full throttle.
You will find the HyperDrive Thunderbolt 4 Power Hub, as the hub is fully called, now on Kickstarter. There you can support the product for a minimum of 175 euros. Unfortunately, the manufacturer only serves the United States for the time being, but you may still be able to get the hub in the Netherlands with a forwarding service.
That might be worth it; because if the product appears on the market, you will probably have lost 300 euros or more. At least that’s the price Hyper mentions.
Hyper’s Thunderbolt hub offers four Thunderbolt ports. You connect your laptop via one of the connections and then plug in a screen, external drive or other accessory. The hub has 32Gbps PCIe speeds, so you can even connect external graphics cards to it.
It is also true that the accessory can provide up to 15 watts of power to an iPad Pro. Finally, it is possible to use two screens with a maximum resolution of 6k at 60 Hertz.
On the pricey side
Admittedly, with a minimum investment of 175 euros (as long as stocks last, after that you pay 195 to 234 euros, excluding VAT and shipping costs) you should dig deep into your pocket for the portable device. For the same amount, you get hubs that offer more ports and support screens up to 8k (such as the OWC Thunderbolt Dock).
But when you go for the dock from Hyper, you’re mainly paying for the convenience of the lack of an external power block and the added portability.
Of course, there is always a risk involved in supporting a Kickstarter project. When such a product achieves its goal, the company behind it often has to start production. Meanwhile, a lot can go wrong that can leave you whistling for your money.
Anyway, Hyper is a well-known company with several successful projects to its name, so that will run smoothly. Nevertheless, that is always something to keep in mind when supporting such a Kickstarter.
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