I've been using USB-C dongles to connect to my computer for many years, and I really couldn't figure out why people spent hundreds of dollars on dedicated USB-C hubs until I started moving around large files with the Ethernet cable. It turns out that USB-C dongles do not have any way to manage physical heat that builds up, and you'll throttle the data that moves through the dongle due to overheating. Some of the benefits of a USB-C hub include more intentional thermal monitoring to ensure you're not losing data speeds because the device is getting physically too hot. So after doing lots of looking around, I decided to go with this product from Anker because I've worked with their brand for quite some time and all their products have been phenomenal. I've been using it now for about a year, and I have a couple of sites. From the pro side, it's very durable. I've accidentally dropped it a few times, and it's been fine. Second, it's quite compact, and you can have it either vertically or horizontally, no problem at all. Additionally, the operation is very simple with just a single USB connection, and the SD card slots are great to work with. They allow the SD card to protrude a little bit so you can take it in and out. The mix of USB-A and USB-C adapters is solid, although I wish there were more USB-Cs. From the downside, this is double or triple the cost of a dongle, and that's a significant downside. While it does manage heat better, there's no dedicated fan built in, so on occasion I have still run into thermal throttling issues on the device. It does not have very many connections, so if you have lots of peripherals like webcams, wired mouse, wired keyboard, etc, you may end up needing an additional dongle to manage these low-voltage items, which I have. I know the benefit is it seems to work equally well with Mac or Windows computers. There's been no difference that I've seen there. Overall, it's been a solid addition to my workstation, and my verdict is this is something I use every day, and it helps make me more productive.

I purchased this product with my own funds, and my reviews are brutally honest as an autistic person, that's not really optional for me anyway. Some of the links on this website may be affiliate links, and I may receive a small commission (around 1%) on purchases made through them.

Answer: If you're just charging a phone or moving small files, probably not, a dongle does that fine for a fraction of the price. But once you start moving large files over Ethernet, the difference shows up fast. Dongles have no way to manage the heat that builds up during sustained transfers, so they throttle. The 575 handles that heat better, even without a built-in fan, which is the actual reason to pay two to three times more.

Answer: After about a year of daily use, including a few accidental drops, it's held up without issue. It's still worth noting it has no dedicated cooling fan, so under heavy sustained load you can still run into occasional thermal throttling, it's better than a dongle, not immune to the problem.

Answer: It depends on your setup. The port selection covers the essentials well and the SD/microSD slots are genuinely easy to use, but if you're running a lot of low-voltage peripherals like a webcam, wired mouse, and wired keyboard, you'll likely still want a small additional dongle to cover the overflow. It works identically on Mac and Windows, so that's not a factor either way.