Following up on an earlier question about USB-C cables, I’m looking for a USB-C hub for the new iPad Pro. I need something with HDMI, USB-C, and possibly USB-A for hooking up the iPad and doing presentations, and a USB-C SD Card reader. The presentation adapter and SD Card reader don’t have to be the same device, but there are a lot of hubs out there that combine the functionality.
There are lots of other options out there, but many of them seem to be kind of dodgy. They’re either from companies I’ve never heard of, have their share of bad reviews, or both. The best I’ve come up with so far is probably either this one from AUKEY or this one from VAVA that The Wirecutter recommends.
Any Mac Power Users who have experience with these on MacBooks or MacBook Pros or have other good options you can recommend?
So I just bought the Vava off Amazon UK, should be here in a few days. Not too much to loose as it was just slightly more expensive than the Apple USB-C SD card reader. I can always use it with my iMac… Seems it is manufactured by the same company that makes the HooToo that @JaxGirl likes.
The new iPad is certainly requiring a couple of secondary purchases, but with a little luck, the USB-C ecosystem will be well supported for years to come.
UPDATE: my Vava hub (link above) arrived today, and so far, so good. It was surprisingly small. I have only done initial testing, but can verify that the following use case scenarios are working for me:
SD card reader works for importing to Camera Roll (probably JPGs only, have not checked RAWs)
MIDI IN through a USB-A port on the hub is no issue with the Korg-synth app I tested. Should be fine for any music app supporting USB MIDI, I guess.
Digital Audio Out via USB-A into my DAC/AMP for wired headphones also work nicely
HDMI out, video and audio worked nice too for iPad mirroring to a TV. Netflix playback was fine and displayed in widescreen correctly. The “whiteboard” scenario using GoodNotes is also working as expected (use the iPad as the drawing surface while displaying on a big screen).
Things left to test is how it handles multiple USB-A devices connected at the same time (thinking MIDI IN and Digital Audio Out at the same time would be sweet.) Also I have no use for the Ethernet jack, but it might come in handy some day.
In summary, this single hub has now replaced the use cases I had for my three previous Apple dongles. I can now also charge at the same time for all uses. The Lightning to HDMI was the only Apple dongle to offer that option. Also, it’s much less expensive than the Apple alternatives, so that’s good.
Now I’m just hoping for an iOS update that will display my external harddrive in Files when I attach it
I purchased a Lenovo branded USB C hub for my laptop. (Has a charging USB C port, HDMI, SD card reader, LAN adapter and two USB A ports.) Weighs next to nothing.
Plugged it into my 2018 iPad pro and was delighted to find that everything worked.
Given Airwhales’s experience, I’m guessing that pretty much any generic USB C hub will work.
