From the moment the M4 Mac mini was released, I knew I wanted Satechi’s stand hub for the Mac mini. I had the original model that worked with the previous form factor Mac mini, and it was great. It added an abundance of ports and storage. And now, after months of waiting, Satechi recreated the hub but with a new M4 Mac mini form factor. Was it worth the wait? Here is the hands-on review.
This hub was designed specifically to work with the M4 Mac mini form factor. Technically, if you want to use it with another device, you can, since the connection point is USB-C, but it would not sit flush with any other device. This was purpose-built to sit under your M4 Mac mini. The design was made to match the color, the material, the curves and even accounts for the power button placement with a small cutout for reachability.
In the box, you get:
- The hub
- Screwdriver for SSD enclosure
- Thermpad
So, it brings everything needed to install and remove NVMe storage.
As much as I love the new design and form factor of the M4 Mac mini, Apple removed a few ports that I miss from the old Mac mini, most importantly USB-A ports. While USB-A is a dying breed, I still use dongles to connect my peripherals. For example, my keyboard uses both Bluetooth and a 2.4 GHz dongle for connection. I prefer the dongle option because it provides fewer latency issues.
These are the added ports:
- Host cable – USB-C 3.2 Gen 2
- SD Card Reader – up to 312 MB/s (4.0 UHS-II)
- 2 USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 – up to 10Gbps
- USB-A 2.0 – up to 480Mbps
- M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure – up to 10Gbps
- 2230/ 2242/ 2260/ 2280 SSDs
These ports, in addition to the HDMI, Ethernet, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, and the two USB-C 3.0 ports, now give me all the port variations I would need. It also supports all major NVMe SSD types, making it easy to plug and play any current SSDs you have.
My thoughts
The best thing about this device is that it is very self-explanatory and just works. All you do is place the hub under your M4 Mac mini, plug in the host cable to one of the Thunderbolt ports, and your Mac will recognize it instantly. Now, I do want to mention that if you use an NVMe SSD, it will appear as a folder in your finder or desktop, just like any other external SSD. Just wanted to make it clear that it does not integrate into your built-in storage, just a seamless physical and visual implementation.
My main use cases for this hub are the NVMe SSD options and the USB-A ports for added peripherals. I don’t use SD cards often, but it is nice that they are available and that they have one of the fastest speed transfer options out there.
Satechi also considered heat dissipation by elevating the Mac mini just enough with the included nubs. That way, the fans can exhaust the heat normally. They even included some additional ventilation for the NVMe SSD heat to be pushed out as well.
The last tidbit I wanted to mention was the cutout for the power button. Apple placed the power button underneath the Mac mini. It was an interesting choice, but it does make for a clean look. So Satechi basically created a cut-out that would still give access to the power button. It honestly makes it more accessible because you don’t need to leave the Mac Mini to power off and on the device anymore.
Pricing & availability
The M4 Mac Mini stand and hub are available today directly from Satechi for $99. Compared to the last model, they could have easily increased the price, but it is amazing that they kept it at the same. If you do want one soon, I would suggest jumping on it now because this is a limited run for now. They plan on having much more stock, but not until March. According to Satechi, once it is sold out, you can place a pre-order with shipments expected in March.
What do you think? Are you a M4 Mac mini user? Do you see a benefit in using a hub like this? Is $99 a fair price? Let’s discuss below!
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