Kingston Nucleum USB Type-C Hub Review - Review 2022

I've started using an Asus Chromebook Flip C302CA for some of my text- and web-based work. It'south thin and lite, and a fraction of the cost of other ultraportables, but it has a fairly significant trouble: no USB-A or HDMI ports. Its connectivity is express to two USB-C ports and a microSD carte slot. Apple fans who have recently bought MacBooks have also encountered this trouble. That'southward where the Kingston Nucleum comes in. At $79.99, it's much more expensive than many USB-C adapters and hubs, but it'southward besides much more than functional and reliable. The premium price is justified by its excellent build quality and connectivity options, which makes it an excellent pick for those in need of a more than robust set of ports for their laptop and earns it our Editors' Pick.

Selection Your Port

Measuring 5.0 by 1.8 by 0.6 inches (HWD), the Nucleum is a argent-colored box with a 5-inch black cable extending from the bottom border and terminating in a USB-C connector. An HDMI port sits on the peak edge, opposite the USB-C cable. The left edge holds a USB-C port, a USB-A port, and SD and microSD card slots. The right edge holds a USB-C port with a power icon indicating pass-through for charging, and a USB-A port.

Works With Chromebooks (and MacBooks)

I tested the Nucleum with my chromebook, plugging a power adapter into the right USB-C port, a mouse into the right USB-A port, and a USB drive into the left USB-A port. I also connected the hub to a Television over HDMI and inserted both SD and microSD cards into their slots.

Every part works simultaneously and perfectly. The USB drive and both cards showed up as external storage, the chromebook'southward screen extended to the continued Idiot box, the mouse worked every bit before long equally it was plugged in, and the ability pass-through kept the system fully charged. The extra USB-A ports and storage are invaluable for covering events on-site when I have to pore through photos and switch between multiple screens on a temporary workstation, and the HDMI connectedness is a helpful fashion to brandish what I'm doing on a larger screen (or extend to a 2d screen) without using a Chromecast or dealing with Wi-Fi setup.

The Nucleum doesn't require external power to function, so y'all don't need to keep it plugged into your charger if your connected device has enough ability to run. It still outputs over HDMI and all device ports and slots stay active running just from the USB-C connection to your device. If you do use a charger, yet, be careful to unmount any attached storage or put your device to sleep before plugging it in or unplugging it. Switching from powered to unpowered mode makes the Nucleum switch off for a moment. In my experience, information technology was up and running in only a second, but my notification bar filled with dire warnings well-nigh the dangers of all of a sudden removing storage from my chromebook because of the switching process.

After testing the Nucleum with a chromebook, I performed the same tests with a 13-inch MacBook Pro. It worked merely as reliably, immediately charging the MacBook, extending the screen to the connected Television set, and detecting the mouse and three storage devices I connected to the hub. There were no hiccups when I hooked up everything, and the MacBook responded to the hub quickly. The Nucleum works with Windows laptops also.

An Ideal Ultralight Notebook Companion

The Kingston Nucleum is pocket-sized, sensible, functional, and reliable. At $80 it can seem pricey compared with cheap USB-C hubs bachelor online, but those hubs accept fewer ports to piece of work with, and more importantly aren't nearly as reliable based on the ones I've tried. The Nucleum acts exactly equally information technology should, managing external storage, peripherals, video, and charging from MacBooks and chromebooks with ease. If you pack light enough that your notebook doesn't have enough ports for your taste, the Nucleum tin can stand aslope an external battery pack as your all-time companions for traveling.

Best Laptop Accessory Picks

• More Laptop Accompaniment Reviews
• More from Kingston

Further Reading

• Asus Adds RGB Lighting to a Laptop Backpack
• Panasonic Refreshes Rugged Laptop Toughbook 31
• HP Recalls 101,000 Laptop Batteries
• The Best USB-C Docks for Your New MacBook Pro
• New Standard Makes Certain That USB-C Cable Won't Fry Your Device

Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/product-guides/20883/kingston-nucleum-usb-type-c-hub-review

Posted by: steinerworper67.blogspot.com

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