Satechi USB-C Multiport MX Adapter Review: An Resourceful M1 USB-C Dock That Brings All The Right Ports to Mac, iPads and other USB-C powered devices

Satechi USB-C Multiport MX Adapter Review

M1 Apple devices were designed for powerful computing, with a lower power drain than competitive products. Those powerful M1 chips, while increasingly showing up in port-heavy designs, might still benefit from a mobile USB-C dock that pushes it just a little more over the edge. Satechi knows Apple’s Mac market as well as any company, and their $179.99 Satechi USB-C Multiport MX Adapter emboldens M1 devices with a plethora of ports. As a plus-up, the MX Adapter delivers the goods to almost every other USB-C computing device imaginable.

What we like

The 13 x 6 x 1.5 cm, 180 gm (5.11 x 2.36 x .59 and about .4 pounds) Satechi USB-C Multiport MX Adapter comes loaded with multiple, including:

• Dual 4K HDMI ports, one at 60Hz and one at 30Hz. The dual power configuration required SiliconMotion software to drive both monitors.
• USB-C Power Deliver with Fast Charging, supporting up to 100W.
• USB-C data
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Micro/SD card readers
• Audio port

Those are all the right ports, including the audio port for the audio-port-starved iPads. 

Smaller, less expensive adapters can be had, but Satechi creates beautiful products and work well. Those looking for a solid, one-stop adapter solution need look no further unless they have much higher requirements.

What could be improved

The USB-C cable leading out of the Satechi USB-C Multiport MX Adapter is too short and too stiff, especially when connecting to a standing iPad Pro. Even with a MacBook it doesn’t have enough give to squeeze it into a small space. The USB-C connect wants to be straight, and when you bend it, it wants to return to a straighter configuration. I keep an USB-extender with me, but I should have to.

The Multiport MX can, of course, be jammed or wedged into place, but the more elegant solution would be a long connector. With the depth and breadth of this device I would like to see Satechi barrow a good design from OWC’s USB-C Travel Dock and place a flexible cord in the bottom of the case, wrapped around and tucked in until ready—and then long enough and flexible enough to serve iPadPro and laptop alike.

Satechi makes a good effort to help buyers figure out the SiliconMotion app required to use both HDMI ports. They even put the software on a small SSD in the adapter, but they don’t tell you about that–and they are not necessarily the current versions. I must confess I was confused by the app component–especially since it was “required” for dual HDMI. I discovered that my HP Spectre x360 arrived with drivers already installed. Though the built-in feature works differently than the SiliconMotion downloadable app, the dual HDMI ports worked on the HP with no additional software. 

On my older MacBook, I downloaded the InstantView™ app and it worked as advertised. Exit the app and the third monitor powers down. An i5-based 12-inch MacBook usually experiences sluggish video with an unaided macOS. InstantView™ transformed my three-monitor into a viable configuration, with swift mouse movements between displays. Using InstantView™ and the Satechi USB-C Multiport MX I am driving two ViewSonic displays, a VP2768a and a TD1655 mobile display. The adapter easily supported my VP2768a in flipped orientation for full-page writing.

I explain this and include the InstantView™ sidebar to give potential buyer’s a heads up that this is not just a plug-and-play adapter—to leverage both HDMI ports requires an app, or some other software designed to make it work.

Some might complain about the size, but given the number of ports, the Satechi USB-C Multiport MX Adapter proves svelte enough for travel. The only downside of its many ports?     Unfortunately, the USB-A ports cannot be used to charge devices or power external devices or drives like the Apple SuperDrive.

Satechi USB-C Multiport MX Adapter Review: The Bottom Line

If traveling calls for multiple displays, the Satechi USB-C Multiport MX Adapter makes a compelling case for joining your accessories. The Multiport MX’s multitude of ports will meet most situations head-on, and its dual HDMI ports will create a studio environment almost anywhere.  The $179.99 may put off some buyers, but the functionality and build quality justify this adapter’s premium.

Satechi provided the Satechi USB-C Multiport MX Adapter for review. Images courtesy of Satechi.

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