Sonnet Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub With 4xThunderbolt 4 Ports and 1xUSB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A

Sonnet Technologies, Inc. announced the Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub, the latest offering in its Echo family of Thunderbolt expansion products.

The hub features 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) Type A charging port. It delivers up to 85W of charging power and is compatible with all computers with Thunderbolt 4 ports; all M1 Max, M1 Pro, and M1 Mac computers; all Mac computers with Thunderbolt 3 ports; and iPad Pro tablets with a Thunderbolt port.

What it does:
Thunderbolt hubs provide users with a central place to connect their computer peripherals – such as storage devices, input devices, displays, etc. – instead of directly to a computer that often has fewer ports than desired. The Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub enables notebook and laptop computer users – and iPad Pro users – to connect to all their peripheral devices at once through a single Thunderbolt cable. Through the same cable, It can also charge compatible computers with up to 85W of power. Depending on the computer or iPad Pro which it’s connected to, it also supports connecting 1 (always 4K, up to 5K, 6K, or 8K) or up to 2 displays (4K + 4K, 5K + 5K, or up to 6K + 6K).

Why it’s important?
Many current notebook and laptop computers offer fewer peripheral ports than the models of the past, limiting the number of devices that can be plugged in directly. Also, one computer port is often used for charging, further reducing peripheral connectivity. The Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub overcomes these limitations by enabling the connection of up to 9 devices at once (including up to 2 displays) and charging the computer, all through a single cable. With its 3 40G/sb Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) peripheral ports and one 10Gb/s USB Type A charging port, the Echo hub connects an array of devices available from the past, now, and in the future, and supports performance peripherals.

How it’s distincitve?
Featuring four Thunderbolt 4 ports (3 for peripheral device connection, 1 for connecting and charging the computer), the Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub provides users with the capability to connect 3 bus-powered Thunderbolt end devices at once, instead of limiting them to connecting multiple separately powered devices in a daisy chain. In all, the hub’s Thunderbolt ports support up to 5 Thunderbolt peripherals. For users with more USB than Thunderbolt peripherals, the Thunderbolt 4 ports do double duty – they support USB 4 and USB 3 devices (including displays) when connected with the correct cable or adapter, even at the end of a Thunderbolt device chain. The company designed its hub to provide up to 85W of power through its computer connection and charging port – instead of only 60W provided by competing products – enabling it to charge and power a much wider variety of computers at or near full power.

The Echo hub’s 10Gb USB Type A charging port supports most USB peripherals, including fast USB NVMe SSDs, at full speed. Unlike some other hubs, the USB Type A port on the Echo 5 provides up to 7.5W of power to ensure bus-powered devices will operate without fail and can be used to charge a phone or tablet.

When used with an iPad Pro with a Thunderbolt port, the Echo hub provides users the same capability to connect multiple devices to their tablet at the same time, while also charging it at full power. Users may also connect a single (up to 6K) display to mirror the content on the iPad’s built-in display.

The Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub (part number Echo-HB5-T4) is available at the suggested retail price of $199.99.