Fortunately, most users should be able find a place to hide the adapter away and leave a clean, uncluttered look on their desks, but this really isn't a docking solution you're going to want to take on the road.Įven with the large power brick, the Element Hub is limited to 60 watts of charging power, so it won't be enough to power a bigger MacBook Pro unless you're using it under a light load. While the Element Hub is certainly a compact docking solution, it does require an external 150-watt power brick that's significantly larger than the dock itself. On the opposite side of the dock are four USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports that support up to 10 Gbps of data transfer.

There are four Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports, which include one upstream port for connecting to the host computer and three independent downstream ports, each of which can support a full 40 Gbps of data transfer, though obviously not all simultaneously. The Element Hub features a total of eight ports plus a DC-in port for powering the dock. The flexibility of Thunderbolt 4 means that with an appropriate adapter, you can take advantage of just about type of external display, including Thunderbolt 2/3/4, USB-C, HDMI, DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, VGA, and DVI. Windows users can even drive an 8K display via the Element Hub, but only at 30Hz. With Thunderbolt 4 support, the Element Hub offers up to 40 Gb/s transfer speeds overall, which means it can drive up to a 6K display at 60Hz, including dual 4K displays when used with an M1 Pro/Max or Intel Mac ( M1 Mac and iPad Pro models are limited to one external display).

The Element Hub doesn't offer as many dedicated features as some of CalDigit's other docking stations such as an SD card slot or Ethernet port, but if you've got multiple Thunderbolt/USB-C devices and maybe a few USB-A peripherals, the new Element Hub could be a great option. I've long been a fan of CalDigit's Thunderbolt hubs, and I've been using the company's TS3 Plus as my main docking station for many years now. Recent advancements in Thunderbolt technology have brought the ability to include multiple downstream Thunderbolt ports on various docks and hubs, and CalDigit's Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub introduced earlier this year does just that in the form of a compact dock supporting Thunderbolt 4 and USB4.

Thunderbolt 4 hub mac m1