Review
An eight-port bus-powered hub with 1 GbE Ethernet, HDMI at up to 4K and 30 Hz and 85 W of pass-through input, reviewed from the recorded.
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 power delivery.
Full product researchThe Anker 555 USB-C Hub is 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. It is the portable option in a category where the alternative is a dock that stays on the desk and draws its own power.
This review is built from the specifications recorded against the product, each with its source and a verification state that is currently partial. We have not handled this hub, so there is no claim here about transfer speeds in practice, heat or how much power it takes from the host. The recorded port count, video output, Ethernet speed and power pass-through are what this page works through.
The recorded port count is 8-in-1, and the recorded description lists HDMI, Ethernet, SD and microSD readers, USB-A ports and USB-C data ports. The recorded feature list adds an SD card reader and wired Ethernet, so the two features most often bought for are backed by a recorded entry.
Bus-powered is the design decision that shapes everything else. The hub takes its power from the laptop, which is why it can be small and pocketable, and why all of those ports share one budget.
Power delivery pass-through is recorded as Up to 85 W input, laptop charging wattage depends on hub draw. Read that as a ceiling on what the hub accepts from the charger, and as a promise that the laptop keeps charging while the hub is plugged in, with the actual wattage falling as the hub draws more.
It is also the limitation. A laptop charging through a hub that is running a display, a network link and two card readers does not see the full 85 W. The CalDigit TS4 records up to 98 W and takes its power from an external supply, which is the structural answer to the same problem.
HDMI output is recorded as up to 4K at 30 Hz. That is a working external display for documents and calls, and it is a refresh rate ceiling rather than a resolution one. No higher refresh rate is recorded for 4K, so a buyer who needs 4K at 60 Hz needs a different class of dock.
Ethernet is recorded as 1 GbE. The CalDigit TS4 records 2.5 GbE, so for large file transfers across the network the difference is on the spec sheet.
The recorded audience is users who need a portable hub for a laptop and accept shared bandwidth across the ports. That is exactly the trade this hub makes: eight ports, no separate power supply, and a single shared budget for data and power.
The CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt Station is the alternative: 18 ports, up to 98 W of laptop charging, 2.5 GbE Ethernet and multiple display support, all from an external power supply. It is the better fit for a permanent desk with a demanding laptop, and a worse fit for a bag.
Methodology
How the products below were evaluated and chosen.
What we checked
The port count, how the hub is powered, what the pass-through figure means for the laptop, the recorded video output and the recorded Ethernet speed. Each value comes from the recorded specification and carries its source and verification state.
Products
Why it is here: A powered Thunderbolt 4 dock with a recorded 18 ports, up to 98 W of laptop charging and 2.5 GbE Ethernet. It wins on bandwidth and charging, and loses on portability because it needs an external power supply.
Protocol: Thunderbolt 4
Why it is here: The subject of this review. Its recorded 8-in-1 port count, 1 GbE Ethernet and 85 W power pass-through make it the hub to consider when a laptop needs ports without a power brick.
Port count: 8-in-1
Trade-offs
Published per product so you can see which side of the comparison each point belongs to.
Advantages
Limitations
Fit
Each product is matched to the reader who should pick it, and to the reader who should not.
Choose it if
Look elsewhere if
FAQ
The recorded port count is 8-in-1, covering HDMI, Ethernet, SD and microSD readers, USB-A data ports and a USB-C data port, with power pass-through alongside them.
Source:Anker official site
HDMI output is recorded as up to 4K at 30 Hz. That covers an external display for documents and calls, and the recorded figure stops there, with no higher refresh rate given for 4K.
Source:Anker official site
Yes. Power delivery pass-through is recorded as up to 85 W input, with the laptop charging wattage depending on how much the hub itself is drawing at the time.
Source:Anker official site
Ethernet is recorded as 1 GbE, and wired Ethernet appears in the recorded feature list as well. It is a gigabit connection rather than the 2.5 GbE recorded for the CalDigit TS4.
Source:Anker official site
An SD card reader appears in the recorded feature list, and the recorded description lists both SD and microSD readers as part of the 8-in-1 port selection.
Source:Anker official site
Keep researching
The recorded alternative to the Anker 555 is the CalDigit TS4, a Thunderbolt 4 dock with 18 ports, 2.5 GbE and up to 98 W of laptop charging, which.
The Anker 555 is a bus-powered 8-in-1 USB-C hub with 1 GbE Ethernet and 85 W pass-through power. The CalDigit TS4 is an externally powered Thunderbolt 4 dock with 18 ports and 98 W of laptop charging. How the recorded specifications differ.
No. The Anker 555 carries display over HDMI only, and the manufacturer states that the USB-C ports do not carry a display signal.
