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Our phones were once limited by their power, but they now pack all the power of a larger PC. What they lack, more than ever, are ports. But that’s a problem a USB-C hub can solve, and it’s one of the simplest ways to upgrade your phone.
USB-C hubs come in various forms. Most are wired dongles that plug into a USB-C port. Some phone-specific models hold your phone upright and are geared towarddesktop modes like Samsung DeX. No matter which variety you select, they’re all good for the tasks on this list.
8Plug in a Higher Quality Mic
Audio recordings are one area where many of us turn to our phones. They’re on us wherever we are, and a voice recorder app is often more accessible than desktop software.
The built-in mic on your phone is better than those on laptops and tablets, but if you want professional audio for a podcast or other types of media, you can plug in a higher-quality USB mic regardless of whether it runs off USB-C or USB-A.
7Import Camera Photos
Smartphone cameras have come a long way, and I have taken many photos for this site directly from myGalaxy Z Fold 6. But there’s still a difference between those and the photos I take with my Panasonic Lumix G7. The shots I’m able to get out of that Micro Four-Thirds sensor and f/1.7 aperture are still difficult to replicate from a phone.
Fortunately, I can pop the full-size SD card out of my camera and slide it into my USB-C hub. I then upload those images just as easily as I would from a PC.
6Connect to Large External Displays
For over a year now,I’ve done all of my computing from my phone. While these days I work directly on my phone’s large internal screen, initially I replicated the desktop experience using Samsung DeX combined with a large external monitor. To make that work, I needed a USB-C hub to connect the monitor’s HDMI cable to my phone.
The fun doesn’t stop with monitors. With a USB-C hub and a phone that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode, you canturn a phone into a streaming box for your TV.
5Manage Multiple External Drives
It still feels a bit novel to plug a USB stick into my phone to back up or transfer files. It feels even more novel toplug in an external SSD. Yet while either one of these can plug directly into my phone, if I want to transfer files from one external drive to another, that’s where a USB-C hub comes in to make up for the fact that, unlike most laptops, my phone only has one USB port to work with.
4Connect to Ethernet
With my phone serving as my only PC, I don’t have a laptop readily on hand when I need to troubleshoot issues with our home router. Admittedly, we now have mesh Wi-Fi where everything is managed through an app, but my previous router required connecting via Ethernet to make configuration changes during those circumstances when I was unable to connect to the Wi-Fi network. That’s where having the ability to plug an Ethernet cable into a USB-C hub is a godsend.
3Plug in a Wired Gamepad
There are absolutely no shortage of ways to connect a controller to your phone for games. It’s a booming enough market that Backbone has releaseda $170 pro version of its popular telescopic controller. But if you rather spend under $30, you can enjoy games just fine with a wired Bluetooth gamepad instead. As much as Ilove my wireless 8BitDo Pro 2 controllers, the wired version is available for almost half the price.
2Type With a Mechanical Keyboard
While most of us don’t think of phones when we think of writers, both the Play Store and the Apple App Store are packed with writing apps. I’m typing these words in one right now—PenCake, a distraction-free app whose interface helps me feel more relaxed while I work.
I personallydo the bulk of my writing using a stylusandfallback to a virtual keyboard, but I occasionally have mechanical keyboard envy. In my line of work, I’ve had numerous colleagues who swear by theirs. The only mechanical keyboard I briefly owned was wired, and while I didn’t allow myself to use the keyboard long enough to grow attached, it was only thanks to a USB-C hub that I was able to use it at all.
1Use USB Devices While Charging
Getting the dreaded low battery pop-up can put an end to any of these tasks. With only a single USB port, I can’t easily charge while transferring files or gaming with a wired controller. Not without a USB-C hub.
Many USB-C hubs can now accept up to 100W of power and pass that through to my phone, eliminating the concern of my phone dying before a massive file transfer is complete.
A USB-C hub is one of those relatively few tech investments that stands the test of time, remaining useful for years because no one has artificially limited its life through a lack of software updates. It just works. Whether it’s with your phone, a laptop, a mini PC, or a Raspberry Pi—you never know when it will be handy to have a USB-C hub lying around.
Baseus Metal Gleam Series II 10-in-1 USB Hub
The Baseus 10-in-1 USB Hub is a compact but powerful laptop dock that’s not only portable but also offers a ton of useful ports.
