Need more ports on your thin and light laptop? The ADAM Elements CASA Hub A01 to the rescue. This 6-in-1 hub connects to any laptop or smartphone with a Type C port (MacBook users living the dongle life need this).
Key Features and Price
It has two USB 3.1 Type A ports (at 5Gbs/sec transfer speed), a 4K-capable HDMI port, a Type C port with power delivery (charges the laptop or a device connected), an SD Card slot, and Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45 with LED). It’s plug and play (nothing to install) and works with macOS, Windows, Chrome OS, Linux; and on any smartphone/tablet with a Type C port. This stylish and sturdy hub (aluminum housing case) comes with a 3-year warranty and is available in Rose Gold, Gold, Space Gray, and Silver. There’s even a comes-with cute pouch for storing it. Get the CASA Hub A01 at PowerMac Center and Shopee for P4,990.
Here’s our review.
The Good
- Very compact, easy on the eye, curved design for grip comfort, feels premium. The aluminum casing is reassuring and the threaded cord means this baby can take a beating.
- All three data transfer ports (two USB A, SD Card) can be used (when the hub is connected to either a laptop or a smartphone) all at the same time. However, if you’re charging the laptop via the Type C port, only two of the data entry ports work at the same time. Content creators need to keep this limitation in mind since many of them plug in their SD card plus an external drive or two.
- Users of smartphones with a Type C port can enjoy plugging in their external drives and SD cards while charging.
- Gigabit Ethernet port available in case the hotel or office you’re in has no WiFi and you have to go old-school-RJ45-cable-to-get-online. You need your own RJ45 cable of course.
- If your Windows laptop has a Type C port and only two USB A’s, the CASA Hub A01 lets you add two extra USB 3.1 ports. That means you can attach a mouse and three external drives. The same set up even lets you check two SD cards at once (assuming your laptop has one SD card slot).
- It comes in different colors to match your color preferance.
The Maybe Bad:
- Take care so the hub doesn’t get bumped while connected, so none of the connected drives accidentally gets removed. The SD Card is prone to this it’s the least snug fit – the others (Type C, two USB 3.1) are pretty tight.
- Male Type C connector tip not designed to be plugged into smartphones with thick cases, so remove the smartphone’s case for a tight, snug-fit connection.
- This may be nitpicking, and pushing it, but it would have been nice for the hub to include an audio port, so that smartphones without one could benefit from simultaneous Type C port charging and audio connection. The Huawei Mate 10 Pro and 20 Pro, for example, do not have audio jacks, only a Type C port. You can listen while you charge, unless you pair it with a Bluetooth device.
The Verdict:
Buy it. Of course there are other Type C multi-function hubs on the market, but we doubt any of them are as prepared for wear and tear (very long term use and abuse) as the ADAM Elements Casa Hub A01 is. Macbook users living the dongle life should get one, preferably one in the color that matches their notebook’s color scheme.
