That’s usually because they include more than just USB ports. Stick with a minimum of USB 3.0, and check individual reviews to get a better sense of what real-world transfer speeds you can expect.Īs you’re shopping for USB hubs, you may notice that certain models are much more expensive. If you need your USB hub to connect devices to your laptop or desktop computer, make sure to buy one that can transfer data at acceptable speeds.If you plan on charging multiple devices, each with different power requirements, get a USB hub with “smart” charging, which dynamically adjusts to charge any connected device as quickly as possible. If you need your USB hub to charge your devices, make sure the product description explicitly states that it can do so. It can get tricky, however, because not all USB hubs provide power to connected devices, and not all USB hubs enable data transfer.
USB hubs are designed to do two things: transfer data between devices and charge devices when connected to a power source. Older cables transfer data at USB 2.0 speeds and newer ones transfer data at USB 3.0 speeds even though they have the same physical interface. For example, most Android phones use micro-USB-to-USB-A cables. USB speed standards are described with numbers, while USB interfaces are named with letters.
