As our laptops become sleeker and more portable, many companies are dropping perhaps the most universal style of USB – the standard USB-A port – and replacing it with smaller USB Type-C ports. While this makes the device future-ready, users often find themselves scrambling for connection hubs or dongles to hook up other devices which still rely on legacy USB ports.
Laptops such as the MacBook Pro, Dell’s XPS series, and many others gunning for the title of the sleekest notebook, have popularized the utility of multi-purpose OTG (on-the-go) docks. And while these solutions cost pretty dear, Indian electronics brand Portronics has launched announced a reliable and pocket-friendly solution.
Portronics Mport 7C can extend a single USB-C port and offers seven different ports with varied utility. The USB-C hub features three standard USB-A ports, an HDMI port which supports up to 4K video, a USB-C port for charging the laptop while using the hub. Then, there are two card-reading ports – one for SD card and another for microSD. Portronics says that all seven ports can be used simultaneously.
As far as the speed of these ports is concerned, the two USB 2.0 ports transfer at a maximum transfer rate of 480Mbps while one USB 3.1 relays data at the maximum speed of almost 5Gbps. Additionally, Portronics Mport 7C also comes with inbuilt protection for excess voltage or high current to keep not only the USB hub but all the connected devices from frying.
The USB-C hub weighs only 100 grams which means you can throw it in your bag without adding too much bulk. The hub, like most other similar solutions, does not require any driver to run and apart from MacBook and Windows ultrabooks. In fact, it also works with Android devices sporting a USB Type-C jack.
The Portronics Mport 7C comes with a year-long warranty and has a retail price of Rs 2,999. However, you can currently get it for Rs. 2,199 from the official Portronics’ website.
