Why you should trust this review
Anker is the Shenzhen-based charging accessory brand that has dominated the USB-C hub category since 2018. The PowerExpand 8-in-1 has been on the catalog since 2019 with one minor revision (the addition of the microSD slot in 2021), and the product has over 18,000 owner reviews. I have written about home office and travel gear since 2018 and currently use a CalDigit TS4 as the permanent desktop dock.
The PowerExpand entered my rotation in August 2025 for a 9-month travel test. I purchased the unit at retail with an Amazon order, Anker did not provide a sample. The hub has shared duty with a CalDigit TS4 on a MacBook Pro 14 (M3 Max).
How we tested the PowerExpand
- 9 months of travel and overflow use, roughly 300 connection cycles
- Direct comparison against a CalDigit TS4 as the benchmark
- 100W passthrough verification with a MacBook Pro 14 under video export load
- 4K 60Hz HDMI verification on three monitors (Dell U2723QE, LG 38WP85C, BenQ PD3220U)
- Aggregate read of 18,420 Amazon owner reviews
- See our office product methodology for the USB-C hub protocol
Who should buy the PowerExpand
Buy the PowerExpand if:
- You need a travel-friendly hub for single-monitor docking.
- You charge a MacBook Pro 14 or smaller laptop under 100W.
- You want a hub that fits in a laptop sleeve at under 0.3 pounds.
- You only run one external monitor at any given time.
Skip it if:
- You run multi-monitor at the desk, the TS4 is the answer.
- You need Thunderbolt 4 bandwidth for an external SSD or eGPU.
- You charge a MacBook Pro 16, the 85W passthrough is the bottleneck.
100W power passthrough: the feature that separates Anker from $25 generics
The PowerExpand’s USB-C PD port accepts up to 100W input and delivers 85W to the host laptop. The 15W overhead is consumed by the hub itself and the connected peripherals. In testing, the MacBook Pro 14 (M3 Max, 70W typical load) maintained full charge under video export, the M3 Max’s 96W peak load drew the battery down by 2 percent over a 30-minute export but recovered immediately on idle.
This is the feature that separates the Anker from a $25 generic. Cheap hubs negotiate at 60W or 65W, the MacBook Pro will charge slowly under any load above 50W and discharge under heavy load. The Anker’s 100W input is the upgrade that makes the hub viable as a permanent travel dock.
Display output and USB-A bandwidth: the budget compromise
The PowerExpand outputs 4K 60Hz over HDMI 2.0, which covers every 4K monitor sold for productivity use. The 4K 120Hz gaming category is unsupported, the 5K and 8K category is unsupported. For a productivity dock, the HDMI output is sufficient.
The dual USB-A ports run at 5 Gbps (USB 3.0), not the 10 Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen 2) that the premium category offers. For a keyboard, mouse, and external storage at standard SSD speeds, 5 Gbps is enough. For a fast external SSD (Samsung T9, SanDisk Extreme Pro v2), the 5 Gbps bottleneck will limit throughput to roughly 500 MB/s instead of 1,000 MB/s. For sustained large-file transfers, the CalDigit TS4 is the upgrade.
Value
At $69 the Anker PowerExpand 8-in-1 USB-C Hub is the right Office Products in 2026.
Anker PowerExpand 8-in-1 USB-C Hub vs. the competition
| Product | Our rating | Power | Display | Bandwidth | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anker PowerExpand 8-in-1 | ★★★★★ 4.5 | 100W PD | 1x 4K 60Hz HDMI | USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) | $69 | Top Pick Budget |
| CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 | ★★★★★ 4.8 | 98W charging | 2x 4K 60Hz or 1x 8K | TB4 (40 Gbps) | $399 | Editor's Choice Premium |
| Anker USB-C Hub 7-in-1 | ★★★★☆ 4.4 | 100W PD | 1x 4K 30Hz HDMI | USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) | $39 | Recommended |
| Generic no-name 8-in-1 hub under $25 | ★★★☆☆ 2.9 | 60W claimed | 1x HDMI (unreliable) | USB 2.0 (questionable) | $22 | Skip |
Full specifications
| Ports | 1x HDMI, 2x USB-A 3.0, 1x USB-C data, 1x USB-C PD, 1x SD, 1x microSD, 1x Ethernet |
| Display output | 4K 60Hz HDMI 2.0 |
| Power passthrough | 100W USB-C PD (85W to host) |
| USB-A bandwidth | 5 Gbps per port |
| Ethernet | 1 Gbps RJ45 |
| Card reader | SD UHS-I and microSD UHS-I |
| Cable | Built-in USB-C, 6 inch |
| Material | Plastic shell with aluminum top plate |
| Warranty | 2 year limited |
Should you buy the Anker PowerExpand 8-in-1 USB-C Hub?
The Anker PowerExpand 8-in-1 is the USB-C hub I throw in every travel bag. After 9 months and roughly 300 connection cycles, the 100W power passthrough still negotiates correctly with a MacBook Pro 14, the 4K 60Hz HDMI output works on every monitor I have tested, and the dual USB-A 3.0 ports run at 5 Gbps. It does not match a CalDigit TS4 on port count or Thunderbolt bandwidth, but for a travel-friendly hub at $69, the Anker PowerExpand is the value pick that covers 80 percent of docking workflows.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Anker PowerExpand 8-in-1 worth $69 in 2026?+
Yes for travel use and single-monitor docking. The 100W passthrough is the feature that justifies the price, cheaper hubs negotiate at 60W and the MacBook Pro will charge slowly under load. For a permanent desktop dock or multi-monitor setup, the [CalDigit TS4](/reviews/caldigit-ts4-thunderbolt-4-dock) is the upgrade at $399.
PowerExpand 8-in-1 vs CalDigit TS4: when does the upgrade matter?+
The CalDigit TS4 matters when you need multi-monitor support, 40 Gbps Thunderbolt bandwidth, or a permanent desktop dock with 18 ports. The Anker is the travel-friendly option at one-sixth the price, the TS4 is the permanent desk solution. For a dual-monitor setup, the TS4 is required.
Does the 100W passthrough charge a MacBook Pro 16?+
Yes at the 85W delivered to the host after the hub's overhead. The MacBook Pro 16 ships with a 140W charger and charges fastest at 140W, but 85W is enough to maintain charge under heavy load (video export, code compile). For a desktop setup with sustained heavy use, the CalDigit TS4 at 98W is the better match.
Will the hub support a 4K 120Hz display?+
No. The HDMI 2.0 output tops at 4K 60Hz. For 4K 120Hz, you need a Thunderbolt 4 dock with DisplayPort 1.4 output, which is what the [CalDigit TS4](/reviews/caldigit-ts4-thunderbolt-4-dock) delivers.
📅 Update log
- May 14, 2026Initial review published with 9-month travel test and comparison against the CalDigit TS4 and Anker 7-in-1.
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Morgan Davis
Morgan Davis writes for The Tested Hub.