Welcome to my review of the Anker PowerExpand+ 7-in-1 USB-C Hub. That’s a mouthful for a device that nearly has more holes than your standard round of mini-golf, isn’t it?
All jokes aside, Anker is a very reputable company and has made some brilliant devices, this included.
Plug It In Baby!
So will this be a run-of-the-mill USB C hub? Or will it suit my working from home and mobile needs? Continue reading to find out. You can also check out our previous hardware reviews.
The Hardware
The Anker PowerExpand+ 7-in-1 is exactly as it says on the box. It’s a 7-in-1 USB C adapter that has different ports for connectivity to make life a bit more simple for those on the go.
It’s a solid little bit of hardware that definitely does not feel like it will break whilst you’re using it, which I have experienced a lot of at my place of work as we’ve bought some of the cheaper units from other companies. No names mentioned of course.
Since using this, we’re swaying more towards spending that little more for our users in work, to save money in the long run. The reason for this is the Anker PowerExpand+ certainly seems to be more robust and reliable than other units we’ve tested in my work.
The Anker PowerExpand+ 7-in-1 comes very well packaged and also includes a little travel pouch to help keep your shiny new device from scratches in your bag.
Design and Functionality
The design is of a standard design for a USB C hub/display adapter. Although it does feel quite weighty, which is good as you don’t feel like you’re going to break it at any time when traveling around with it in your bag.
The Anker PowerExpand+ 7-in-1 USB-C Hub is made of aluminium so it feels absolutely solid, there is no chance you will break this by accident. Unless of course, you’re quite forceful when plugging cables in, but then that’s no fault of Ankers for those who are heavy-handed.
As mentioned this is a 7-in-1 device, you have 7 ports for connectivity including a 100w power delivery port. The unit can also charge the device this is connected to, this is up to 85w. We also have a single HDMI port which is capable of up to 4K30Hz, 2 USB 3.0 ports, and a USB C port that are capable of up to 5120Mbps. To top it off there are also Micro SD and full-size SD card slots.
Connection and Software
You do not need any software here. Just plug this little beauty into a USB C port on your Windows 10 or newer laptop, and away you go. Apparently, this device actually supports computers from Windows XP and up, but of course, I don’t have a museum close to me that has such an old computer to try it on.
However, the Windows 10 Asus laptop I have kicking around worked very well with this device. It also worked incredibly well with my Razer Blade 14. I also played around and tried this with my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra as well as my Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+, and it was magical. Samsung Dex was truly being shown off to a high standard thanks to the Anker PowerExpand+ 7-in-1.
I have seen people say that they use this with their Apple iPads that have USB C ports to give them that desktop feel. You need iPad OS though, which most should have at this point. If you don’t have iPad OS and are still running on iOS on the iPad, I have a feeling you have more worries in your life than a USB C hub.
Conclusions
This device is yet another brilliant example of how Anker can make such incredible products at wallet-friendly prices. Why can’t other manufacturers do the same? At around £50 this is most definitely one of the best USB C hubs you can buy for your laptop, tablet, or phone.
I give the Anker PowerExpand+ 7-in-1 a score of 8/10. The reason for this is I feel that Anker could have upped the support to support 4K60Hz instead of 4K30Hz.
A sample was kindly provided for us to review this.
