That's why a lot of people will choose to connect one or more external monitors. They also come with hefty power adapter, so they're much more suited to being used in a fixed location.Īfter using a MacBook for a while, you might get frustrated by the screen size or get sick of hunching over at your desk. The only potential downside to a docking station is that they tend to be larger and heavier than USB-C hubs. The number of ports is generally a lot more than a standard USB-C hub. That can range from 3-screen display, 8K support, and 40 Gbps data transfer speed. In addition to having a range of common ports, docking stations will generally support some higher-end functionality. USB-C hubs are smaller, lighter and more portable than docking stations, and usually come with a mix of common ports like HDMI, USB, USB-C, SD/microSD card slots, and Ethernet. USB-C hubs and docking stations share the same basic functions, but there's a big gap in price. The only thing left to decide is whether you need a USB-C hub or a docking station. Whether you need an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, USB ports, or basically anything else, it couldn't be easier to do. If you have a monitor that uses an HDMI port or a DisplayPort instead of USB-C, then you'll need more than what your MacBook has to offer to connect to it.Īn easy way to solve this problem is to get your hands on a USB-C hub or docking station to turn one of your MacBook's USB-C ports into much more. Nowadays, you only get a couple of USB-C ports plus a 3.5 mm audio jack. In the past, MacBooks came with an Ethernet port, HDMI port, card slot, and more. Since 2016, Apple has made a lot of big changes to the number of ports you get with a MacBook.

Macbook air usb c dock