If you’re a regular reader, you might know this already, but I took the plunge. I bought a 2018 i9 MacBook Pro (review pending). I’m now taking donations for my food fund. Joking aside, my purchase of this new MacBook Pro triggered many other purchases. While MacBooks have never been so expensive, they’ve also never had so many attached costs. I’ve already purchased basic USB-C to USB-A dongles, new drive enclosures for my two Firewire hard drives, a USB-C to VGA/HDMI dongle, and the HyperDrive 8-in-2 hub. In total, I’ve spent about $225. Yeah, that’s a lot of money for dongles. I could get the new mechanical keyboard I want for that! But the price might be higher if not for the 8-in-2 HyperDrive PRO USB-C hub.
When I initially got the HyperDrive PRO, I almost immediately returned it. I actually wrote an email that night to their customer service department expressing my disappointment and wish to return the hub. However, by the morning, I had changed my mind, and rescinded by request. Instead, I stuck with it. Now I’m glad I did.
In This Article:
The Ports
As the name suggests, the HyperDrive PRO 8-in-2 is a USB-C hub for your MacBook Pro that takes the 2 USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports on the side and turns them into 8 new ports. For your two port sacrifice, you get a 4K HDMI port, 4K Mini Display Port, a 100W USB-C port, a 60W USB-C port, a mini SD card slot, full-sized SD card slot, and two 3.1 USB ports.
I regularly have three items in it at once. There’s an HDMI cable to my main monitor, a USB-C to VGA adapter for my second external monitor, and a 4 port USB hub, which has my keyboard, mouse, a wireless charger for my iPhone, and a laptop cooler.
My charger connects to one of my MacBook’s other USB-C ports, and I use the final USB-C port for a Time Machine backup drive or anything else. It leaves me a spare 60W USB-C port, my SD card slots, and a spare USB port for another USB hub.
Ports to Spare and Power Supply Problems
You might have noticed that I’m still using up all of my USB-C ports, but not one on the HyperDrive. That’s because only one of the HyperDrive’s USB-C ports can carry a video signal. If I use it to drive a third monitor, which I only really use while working, I cannot charge with it, as the other port can only use 60W maximum. I found the low power USB-C port can hold my charge relatively steady with 49W of power, but it can’t charge my MacBook Pro.
What about using the USB-C port for the Time Machine drive? It turns out, using all of these devices at once, along with the drive, causes the MacBook Pro to shut down outgoing power to the offending port. Apparently, this combination draws too much electricity from the two USB-C ports. A powered hub, like one from OWC, wouldn’t have this issue, but since this hub draws all its power from your MacBook Pro, it has its limits.
The Design
This is a beautiful USB-C hub. It’s aluminum, designed to look as though it’s a part of your MacBook Pro. It comes in two colors, Space Gray and Silver, each match the shades of the MacBook Pro. The bottom is a bit thicker than the top, which makes it fit on the left side of your MacBook, but it sticks up on the right side.
It definitely sits at an angle when attached to your MacBook Pro
Interestingly, it’s not as thick as your MacBook Pro. That means, on a flat surface, it’ll dangle down slightly. After I emailed customer service, they offered to send me adhesive pads for the bottom of the HyperDrive, which will make it match the height of the MacBook Pro. I still haven’t received them yet though. Hyper should have included these in the box. Hopefully Hyper will consider putting them on future Hyper Drives from the factory. That, or they can make the HyperDrive thicker, allowing it to drive more power to your devices from a supplied input.
One huge problem you’ll discover upon first getting it. It’s an extremely tight fit. Take some time to plug it in and remove it from your MacBook Pro a few times and it’ll loosen up. Maintain a strong grip though, it’s extremely tight at first. Do not do this somewhere perilous. The force is more than enough to knock your MacBook off a table. have a firm grip and do it someplace safe until it loosens up.
The Company
“Celebrating our 13th year anniversary in 2018, HYPER by Sanho Corporation is a dynamic team based in Silicon Valley, California. We specialize in delivering cutting edge IT & mobile accessories with a focus on Apple, portable power, data storage & connectivity products.”
-Hyper’s webpage
The old saying goes, “you can judge a man by the company he keeps.” I think you can judge a lot about a product by the company that sells it. Everything about Hyper struck me as a “new company.” My order felt like one I’d get from something on Kickstarter. Hyper is a Sanho company, supposedly 13 years old, but they seem as disorganized as a brand new organization.
I placed the order online, long before I ordered my MacBook Pro. I waited for days for it to ship. After a week, I finally sent an email to their customer service department, asking about it. I received two emails the next day, one, a response from customer service saying it was shipped, and another from the company saying it was shipped. I think something may have gotten hung up with the order, and that customer service representative pushed the order through. It then took a few days to leave their warehouse, and a few more to get to me. It took two weeks from delivery to arrival time. In the age of Amazon’s same day delivery and most companies getting their products out in 5 days or less, this was not a pleasant experience.
What I Like
- It looks great!
- Ports are useful.
- It can drive 2 monitors.
- USB Ports work with hubs.
- It’s portable, and comes with a carrying pouch for travel.
- Tighter connect than older hubs, but still has a slightly wobble.
It’s only a slight wiggle.
What I Don’t Like
- Extremely difficult to get in/out the first few times.
- It has a shaky fitment, and doesn’t come with rubber feet (but they are available upon request).
- I still don’t know how well these work. It’s been 9 days as of this writing.
- It took 2 weeks to arrive!
- Can’t handle all the ports being used at once with high-power devices like monitors and hard drives.
- Can’t charge my MacBook Pro while powering two monitors.
Buying Advice
This is a flawed hub, but all USB-C hubs seem to be. I haven’t found one that didn’t have a single issue. If you’re considering using a hub to drive two monitors with other USB hubs and hard drives attached to it, you may want to consider something like the OWC Thunderbolt Dock. OWC is a company that’s been around since 1988. I used parts from them to build my super powered PowerMac G4 tower as well as upgrade my MacBook, my old MacBook Pro, and even my parent’s iMac. I love this company. However, I didn’t go with their hub because it cost more than the HyperDrive, and I wanted something portable. Part of me regrets that decision, however, I can’t deny that it is a great comfort to know that, with the HyperDrive in my bag, I can go anywhere with my MacBook Pro. OWC’s dock is a bit too large for that. Still, I may get one for my home some day.
I recommend the HyperDrive if you need something super portable that looks great and makes you forget you’re using a dongle. Just don’t overload it, and make sure you order it in advance. You can also save yourself shipping time by ordering through Amazon, but you might not get the rubber feet. Let customer service know to include them with your hub so you won’t have to wait a month to have a complete solution.
The HyperDrive is a great USB-C hub for your money. Flaws aside, I think it’s likely the best portable solution on the market. If you need something seamless and portable, I recommend the HyperDrive PRO 8-in-2 for your MacBook Pro. Otherwise, you may want to go with a larger, more traditional Thunderbolt 3 hub.