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Satechi’s USB-C Slim Dock provides your 24-inch iMac a lot of the ports it was lacking — and an choice for added storage.
We love our 24-inch iMac, however there’s one downside — it solely has rear-facing ports, making plugging in your units troublesome.
Moreover, it options both two Thunderbolt ports or two Thunderbolt ports and two USB 3.2 sort C ports, relying on which mannequin you purchase. Sadly, which means legacy and specialty units aren’t suitable and not using a hub or a ton of adapters.
Satechi has come to the rescue with a brand new, smooth hub that provides you eight extra ports for extra choices when utilizing your iMac.
Satechi USB-C Slim Dock – Design
The USB-C Slim Dock is designed so as to add performance to your iMac with out cluttering your desk area. Crafted from aluminum, its slim design appears at house in your desk.
It additionally incorporates a cutout that enables it to put flush towards the foot of your 24-inch Apple Silicon iMac, which prevents it from being bumped or jostled. However, it solely matches flush towards the Apple Silicon iMac.
The USB-C Slim Dock is similar dimension because the Magic Keyboard that ships with the iMac, permitting you to stack the 2 collectively simply, which appears good, too.
Like lots of our favourite Satechi units, it is totally plug-and-play. Simply hook the cable into your iMac’s rear-facing USB-4 ports, and also you’re able to go.
Satechi USB-C Slim Dock – ports
The USB-C Slim Dock options seven totally different ports designed to increase the capabilities of your iMac.
- 1 x Sort-C Upstream Port
- 2 x USB 2.0 Ports
- 1 x Micro SD Slot
- 1 x SD Card Slot
- 1 x USB-A (10 Gbps) (Information solely – no charging help)
- 1 x USB-C (10 Gbps) (Information solely – no charging/video help)
Each the Micro SD slot and SD card slot can be utilized concurrently.
Satechi notes that the USB-A ports don’t help charging of units or CD readers.
As a result of this dock is meant for iMac purchasers who have already got fairly good inner audio system, there isn’t a audio in or out port on the USB-C Slim Dock past adapting USB ports. How a lot of a distinction this makes is left as an train for a possible purchaser.
Add inner storage, simply
Top-of-the-line options of the USB-C slim Dock is the truth that it additionally features a tool-free NVMe SATA Enclosure.
This lets you set up an M.2 NMVe SSDs or M.2 SATA SSD, bumping up the quantity of storage you’ve gotten readily available. Satechi says it helps as much as 10 Gbps Excessive-speed M.2 NVME to USB 3.1 Gen 2 or 6 Gbps velocity M.2 SATA to USB 3.1 Gen 1. Precise velocity varies, relying on the opposite information calls for you’ve got positioned on the dock.
Small profile, comparatively quick storage, what’s to not like?
We just like the USB-C Slim Dock. It appears good, it does what it advertises, and it is available in at a modest worth. So whereas it isn’t essentially the most sturdy dock we have seen, nor the quickest, it does add USB-A ports and SD card slots to a tool that does not have them, and it does it with no footprint enhance to the host pc.
The NVMe SATA NGFF enclosure is a good way so as to add extra storage for many who might have skimped on the iMac’s inner storage.
Moreover, the low-profile design is tough to beat.
Ranking: 4 out of 5
Satechi USB-C Slim Dock – professionals
- Modern design
- NVMe SATA NGFF enclosure
- Crafted from aluminum
- Sits flush towards your iMac’s foot
- Provides USB-A and Micro/SD card performance again to your iMac
Satechi USB-C Slim Dock – cons
- No audio ports
- Doesn’t present charging, which can be a no-go for connecting to one thing else moreover an iMac
The place to purchase the Satechi USB-C Slim Dock
These can order the Satechi USB-C Slim Dock for his or her 24-inch iMac for $149.99 on Satechi’s web site
Assessment