Are first-party dongles worth it?

[AppleFan.]

Hi everyone,

I’m using a MacBook Air M1, and sometimes I need extra ports to connect some devices. My previous USB-C hub's HDMI port recently failed, and it’s made me a bit skeptical about third-party options. I’ve already had two hubs stop working—one a family member of mine used with his M1 Air, and another I purchased myself. Both hubs were from different brands (Sitecom and Linq) and were not cheap (around 70-80 euro's).

Reliability and longevity are most important for me. The most important ports for me are HDMI, USB-A, and an SD card reader. I’m currently considering the Satechi Type-C Slim Multi-Port Adapter but would love to hear from others about their experiences.

Are first-party dongles worth it for better reliability? Or do you have any recommendations for third-party hubs that are durable?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I haven't heard of either of those brands but I have heard of Satechi. Did you check reviews of the products before you purchased them? I find that if there are MANY reviews that are mostly positive, you're probably buying a product that will work well.

I also presume you took good care of them. Like any tech, how well we take care of tech tends to be a big influence on how long it lasts.

I wouldn't have any fear about buying non-Apple dongles but I would seek out solid reviews when narrowing in on a favorite. I've had much success with many hubs & dongles. In fact, I'm still using one that is basically ancient (maybe 20 years old) with no issues.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I have had great success with Belkin, Anker, Satechi, Ugreen, Orico, and a variety of others

Fear not

I personally would not go first party unless the price is pretty close

 

[macfacts]

why not buy a $10 one from amazon?

 

[tarsins]

I've always used Anker products, they're good quality and reliable. Currently using this on my MacBook Air M3.

 

[benwiggy]

I use hubs from Belkin, Anker and Ugreen, and not had any problems.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I've always used Anker products, they're good quality and reliable.

Only Anker stuff I've now stayed away from are charging bricks ... I think it's the iQ port stuff specifically

In hotel rooms, using those, I've had my iPhone and iPad screens cycling on/off all night long once fully charged

Very annoying and doesn't ever happen with Apple power bricks so I travel with the 35W dual USB-C one

 

[andiwm2003]

I have many anker chargers and cables and i had no problems over the last five years with them. I usually buy them when they have a sale and you often find them for 50% off. I had several cheap adaptors and chargers and cables from weird brands from amazon fail on me. After that I decided to not waste money on these $7.99 adaptors or $12.99 chargers anymore.

Now I'm looking into a USB-C adaptor for the M4 MBA mainly for the HDMI port. Anker has them for around 30-50 dollar. Has anybody had any compatibility issues or quality issues with the Anker HDMI adaptors?

 

[Olde Dave]

I have many anker chargers and cables and i had no problems over the last five years with them. I usually buy them when they have a sale and you often find them for 50% off. I had several cheap adaptors and chargers and cables from weird brands from amazon fail on me. After that I decided to not waste money on these $7.99 adaptors or $12.99 chargers anymore.

Now I'm looking into a USB-C adaptor for the M4 MBA mainly for the HDMI port. Anker has them for around 30-50 dollar. Has anybody had any compatibility issues or quality issues with the Anker HDMI adaptors?

I have the Anker Premium 5-in-1 USB C hub that has 1 HDMI, SD, Micro SD and 2 USB A ports. I bought it in November of 2020 and it has worked without issue for me.

 

[MacGizmo]

The only brand I trust for things like charging, connecting cables, etc. is Anker. They cost a little more than most brands, because they actually license from Apple and use quality parts – and when we're talking about plugging things in to a $1k or more Mac, I'm not interested in saving $10-$20 on a dock or cable.

 

[Nermal]

I would say for something "simple" that does not require installing a driver, then any reputable brand should be fine. Where I'd start to be nervous is if the dongle requires specific software, and that software doesn't get updated for newer OS versions. In this particular case, where it's effectively just a port converter, I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[Mr.Fox]

Hi everyone,

I’m using a MacBook Air M1, and sometimes I need extra ports to connect some devices. My previous USB-C hub's HDMI port recently failed, and it’s made me a bit skeptical about third-party options. I’ve already had two hubs stop working—one a family member of mine used with his M1 Air, and another I purchased myself. Both hubs were from different brands (Sitecom and Linq) and were not cheap (around 70-80 euro's).

Reliability and longevity are most important for me. The most important ports for me are HDMI, USB-A, and an SD card reader. I’m currently considering the Satechi Type-C Slim Multi-Port Adapter but would love to hear from others about their experiences.

Are first-party dongles worth it for better reliability? Or do you have any recommendations for third-party hubs that are durable?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

It all depends on how carefully you use it. A branded hub can break, just like a cheap one. To a lesser extent - expensive and branded hub, because it uses quality components (but not always, sometimes there is outright crap, when they save on components). USB ports are usually calculated on a minimum of 1 500 cycles of connection-disconnection. Assuming that there are 365 days in a year and the user performs one cycle per day, the stated life of 1,500 cycles will be enough for 4.1 years of operation. The HDMI connector is rated for 10,000 insertion/removal cycles
See Belkin, Anker

 

[andiwm2003]

I would say for something "simple" that does not require installing a driver, then any reputable brand should be fine. Where I'd start to be nervous is if the dongle requires specific software, and that software doesn't get updated for newer OS versions. In this particular case, where it's effectively just a port converter, I wouldn't worry too much.

I checked a number of the cheap dongles with HdmI and UsB ports and around 10% of amazon reviews say that the dongle never worked or worked only partially (no sound, didn’t charge) or stopped working after a short while. That’s why I’ll aim for a belkin or Anker brand.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Are first-party dongles worth it for better reliability?

First-party are highly reliable. If you don't want to bother with research and potentially swapping out to find one that works well, and your budget allows for first party ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Vaya con Dios.

I don't personally use first-party myself, and I've seldom run into issues. When I do, I replace it.

 

[andiwm2003]

Ordered a 5 in 1 dongle with HDMI from Anker for 25 bucks. Overall my experience with and feedback from this thread for Anker was good. I just couldn't justify the Apple HDMI adaptor for 69 bucks.