Anker has been making accessories for the computer market for over 11 years. They started out by making replacement laptop batteries but now have diversified into chargers, hubs and many other accessories. I already own a number of their gadgets, including a 3-in-1 charger for my iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPod Pros, a multiport charger and an Anker MagSafe Ring, which works as a stand and finger grip for the iPhone. Their products are good quality and, from my experience, represent excellent value for money.
The Anker 551 USB-C 8-in-1 Hub and Stand is an ideal companion for the iPad Pro for which it was designed, and to that end, it matches the iPad Pro space grey colour scheme quite nicely. It’s a relatively portable, flexible stand adding seven ports:
- USB-C
- 2 x USB-A
- HDMI
- Speaker Jack
- SD Card
- Micro SD Card
- (The eighth port indicated by the 8-in-1 tag is the connection to the host device rather than an extra usable port).
My 2022 12.9 iPad Pro sits comfortably in the channel in both vertical and horizontal orientations and rests against the anti-slip back. There are two hinges; the lower one allows the stand to be flat against the base and opens up to a maximum of 70° whilst the top hinge adjusts between 0 and 180°. The hinges are really quite stiff, and I need both hands to make any adjustments. Honestly, it’s easier to adjust without the iPad in situ. That said, I don’t find myself having to make that many running adjustments; I’m very comfortable with the way it currently sits on my desk.
For travelling, the hub folds right down into a flat package about an inch high (3cm), but it’s quite heavy at about 23oz (630g). I’ve not had any reason to take it off my desk yet, but I’m considering packing it when I go to Paris in early February for a long weekend. I’ll report back on that trip as it’ll be the first time I’ll have gone away for more than a day trip without taking my laptop — it’ll just be the iPad Pro.
At the back of the hub there is a USB-C port which allows pass-through charging. Anker recommends a 45W charger as a minimum. I’m using a Unitek USB C Charger 3 Port 66W GaN Charger, which is more than capable. I have a USB C to Lightning cable permanently plugged into the same socket to charge my input devices as and when they need it, and this doesn’t have any noticeable effect on the hub’s charging ability. An HDMI socket also sits at the back, and I have this connected to a three-way HDMI switch which allows me to select the iPad or my MacBook as the input to my Dell 24” monitor that I use in Prague. I can’t wait to see this combo working with the Studio Display that I use back in the UK.
The other permanent attachment is an ethernet link to my router via a USB A to ethernet adaptor. The connection speeds on the iPad Pro aren’t wildly different between the wireless and wired connections — both are close to the maximum that I pay for, but I like having the stability of the wired connection, especially when there’s additional wifi load from Apple TV or other devices.
The SD card reader is a welcome bonus for me as I currently have to rummage around trying to find USB SD card readers or, even worse, trying to access the card reader on my Thunderbolt hub, which means moving other gadgets around even to locate it! What’s to say, though — it works, and imports into the Photos app are quick and painless. One thing I haven’t yet tried is connecting an external SSD, as I have had no reason to. From reading other people’s reviews I understand that connection speeds are good but 99% of what I do on the iPad is cloud-based.
You can expect to pay about £80 — £100 for the hub in the UK. For a good solid hub and stand that allows some great additional capabilities to the iPad Pro (or any other USB-C iPad), I can highly recommend the Anker 551.
I am a semi-retired independent management consultant specialising in organisational change management and better Ways of Working. I’m from the UK but based in Prague in the Czech Republic. I mainly write about developing better ways of working, working in the Apple ecosystem, and my adopted home in Prague. I’m still fairly new to Medium (so please be gentle with me!) but if you’ve enjoyed this, please check out some of my other articles or even follow me if you’d like to be notified when I publish new material