You might mistake Satechi’s new Thunderbolt 5 hub for Apple’s Mac Mini
2 min read
The Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock fits an NVMe SSD enclosure and several ports inside a Mac Mini-style package.
The Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock fits an NVMe SSD enclosure and several ports inside a Mac Mini-style package.
Satechi is launching a new dock that supports Intel’s Thunderbolt 5 technology — and it looks a lot like an Apple Mac Mini. The Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock fits an NVMe SSD enclosure and several ports inside a relatively compact form factor, measuring 5 inches wide and 2 inches tall. And at $399.99, the device is nearly as expensive as a base M4 Mac Mini, too.
Along with three Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports that offer up to 120Gbps speeds, the Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock comes with 10Gbps USB-C and USB-A ports, UHS-II SD and microSD card slots, and a 2.5Gb Ethernet port. It can also deliver up to 140W of power to a host device and 30W for smartphones and tablets.
The CubeDock may not have as many ports as CalDigit’s Thunderbolt 5 dock, but it makes up for that with an Apple-like aesthetic and a handy NVMe SSD bay. You can access the enclosure at the bottom of the device, allowing you to plug in up to 8TB of extra storage at 6,000MB/s. Satechi launched a standalone SSD enclosure that also resembles a Mac Mini last year, along with the Mac Mini M4 Stand & Hub.
On Mac systems, the Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock can handle dual 6K monitors at 60Hz on M3 Pro-, M4-, and M5-equipped devices, while supporting a single 6K monitor at 60Hz on base M1 and M2 models. Meanwhile, the CubeDock can support up to three 8K monitors at 60Hz on Windows.
The Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock is available for preorder now, and it’s expected to start shipping in the first quarter of this year.
