When it comes to design, you’re getting a lot for your money here. The USB-C connection at the rear of the device is made available via a tough flattened cable which is no longer than it needs to be. I’m a big fan of tidy cabling, and Satechi has done a neat job with the hub in that regard. You can get the hub in both silver and Space Grey, too, therefore it’ll match both of Apple’s traditionally dour colour options. The dimensions perfectly match the Mac mini and it simply makes Apple’s definitive desktop computer look like some kind of ‘special edition’ when attached. It’s spookily Apple-like and perfectly matches the fit and finish of the Mac mini, thanks to that aluminium casing and rounded design. Designįor $80, Satechi’s hub is beautifully designed. This leaves you with a slightly taller Mac mini with a sudden abundance of connectivity at the front, from USB-A to – yep, you guessed it – an SD card reader (two, in fact). You simply place your Mac mini on top of the hub and connect the two via the included USB-C cable. It’s exactly what it says it is a stand and USB hub for the Mac mini. What is it?Īt the time of writing, the Type-C Aluminium Stand & Hub is a smidgen under $80 on Amazon and is compatible with Mac minis from 2018 onwards (so yes, it works with Intel machines, too). You either attach numerous dongles to the back of your Mac mini, or you buy something like the Type-C Aluminium Stand & Hub from Satechi. It also lacks an SD card reader, which, as a video creator, is pretty irritating. But, equally, I know that some people need more than four ports. Indeed, after my first two weeks of owning an M1 Mac mini, I barely noticed the missing ports. Watch or read any review of the M1 Mac mini and you’ll be informed that one of its greatest shortcomings is the fact that it only comes with two USB-A ports and two USB 4 (or thunderbolt, to be exact) ports. One thing where it’s lacking, however, is ports.

Super-faster performance, incredible thermals and the ability to outperform far more expensive Intel-based Macs. The M1 Mac mini is blessed with many things.

M1 mac mini thunderbolt hub