If there were half-star options, I'd rate this UGreen powered hub at 4-1/2. It does just about exactly what I wanted it to, despite a couple of very minor design quibbles.
The hub is solidly built - the case feels like you could drive a truck over it. Setup was a breeze, using the supplied Type-A to Type-C cable. The ports all seem to work as expected. I've got two portable HDs in the higher-power ports, and these are working perfectly. I also have a set of USB headphones in a data port, which I turn off when using speakers rather than the headphones. The hub's on/off buttons make it far easier to disable the headphones, compared to my previous method of plugging and unplugging them directly into my PCs front ports.
The buttons that turn ports on and off on the UGreen box are small - I'll have to see how well they hold up over the long term. But they do work well. However, here's my first quibble: the little blue LEDs that show a port is enabled are only visible when one looks directly down on the box. With the unit sitting flat on my desk, the lights are invisible. However, on the positive side, the buttons are the type that remain depressed when turned on, so it's easy to tell which ports are enabled, even by feel alone.
My second quibble is more substantial: no feet! The UGreen box is smooth and featureless aside from its buttons and ports. I quickly added some small rubber stick-on feet (I keep a stock of them handy), but these should have been included. Better yet would have been some kind of mounting option - a flange with screw holes, or keyhole-type screw holes in the bottom of the case, for vertical mounting. As it is, the box can only add to my desk clutter, with no hope of being immobilized against frequent tugging on the USB cables.
Despite my very minor gripes, I'm quite impressed with the UGreen hub. This is my second UGreen purchase - the first has pride of place as one of the nicer USB cables in my considerable collection. Barring any longevity concerns that may develop in future, I'd recommend the UGreen powered hub highly, and put UGreen high on my list of brands when shopping for any other digital desktop accessories.
| Brand | UGREEN |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Ugreen Group Limited |
| Place of Business | Shenzhen, Guangdong 518109, CN |
| Model | 90305 |
| Part Number | 90305 |
| OS | Unix, Linux, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS |
| Hardware interface | USB 3.0 |
| Compatible Devices | Mouse, Keyboards, Laptops, Desktops |
| Voltage | 12 Volts |
| Wattage | 24 watts |
| Batteries Required | No |
| Data Transfer Rate | 5 Gigabits Per Second |
| Number of Ports | 7 |
| Contains Liquid Contents | No |
| Manufacturer | Ugreen Group Limited |
| Item model number | 90305 |
| Product Dimensions | 7.75 x 4.8 x 3 cm; 310 Grams |
| ASIN | B09DCK46PM |
