Alternatives to the Anker 555 USB-C Hub

The Anker 555 is recorded as an 8 in 1 bus powered USB-C hub providing HDMI, Ethernet, SD and microSD readers, USB-A and USB-C data ports and pass through charging. Its recorded HDMI output is up to 4K at 30 Hz, its recorded Ethernet is 1 GbE, and its recorded power delivery pass through is up to 85 W of input, with the laptop charging wattage depending on hub draw. One product in our catalogue is a recorded alternative, and it differs in every structural way.

The recorded reasons to look elsewhere

Port count. The Anker 555 is recorded as 8 in 1. The recorded alternative has 18 ports.

Ethernet. The recorded Ethernet for the Anker 555 is 1 GbE. The recorded alternative is 2.5 GbE.

Laptop charging. The recorded pass through for the Anker 555 is up to 85 W of input, and the record is explicit that the laptop charging wattage depends on hub draw. The recorded alternative is up to 98 W.

Displays. The Anker 555 records a single HDMI output. The recorded alternative lists multiple display support as a feature.

The CalDigit TS4, a powered Thunderbolt 4 dock

The TS4 is recorded as a Thunderbolt 4 dock with a large port selection, high wattage laptop charging and support for multiple displays. Its recorded port count is 18, its recorded laptop charging is up to 98 W, its recorded Ethernet is 2.5 GbE, and its recorded power source is an external power supply.

The differences follow from one decision. The TS4 is externally powered, which is what allows it to charge a laptop at up to 98 W and to carry a larger port selection, and it is what makes it a desk product. The Anker 555 draws its power from the laptop, which is what makes it portable and what caps the wattage reaching the laptop.

The recorded protocol differs as well. The TS4 is recorded as Thunderbolt 4, while the Anker 555 is recorded as a USB-C hub whose ports share the connection to the computer.

What the records do not settle

The Anker 555 records an HDMI output of up to 4K at 30 Hz. The TS4 records multiple display support but no resolution or refresh rate, so the display side of this comparison can only be stated as one against many rather than one against a specific mode. No price is recorded for either product, and the two products have different physical requirements rather than different points on a shared scale.

Every value here carries the state it was recorded in: read from the manufacturer's own documentation and not yet checked against a specific product page.