Sonnet launches its Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub for Windows Macs and iPad Pro Tablets

Sonnet’s Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub is designed for Apple’s new M1 Macs

If there is one thing that can be said about most modern laptops, it’s that they often don’t feature enough ports. This is especially true in the world of Macs, where the use of Thunderbolt hubs and docking stations are commonplace. 

Sonnet’s new ECHO 5 Thunderbolt 4 hub has been revealed, offering support for all PCs with Thunderbolt 4 ports, Apple’s M1, M1 Pro and M1 Max computers, all Mac Thunderbolt 3 PC and Apple’s iPad Pro (with Thunderbolt) tablets. The hub itself features four Thunderbolt 4 ports, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) port and is designed to deliver up to 85 watts of power to compatible computers. 

Thunderbolt 4 offers many benefits over Thunderbolt 3, offering users higher baseline hardware specifications, support for USB4 devices, and full backwards compatibility with Thunderbolt 3. This is a key factor behind the ECHO 5’s widespread device compatibility.

Depending on how this product is used, the Echo 5 can support up to two 5K displays (or a single 8K display), charge your laptop, connect to 10Gb networks, Thunderbolt storage devices, and super fast NVMe storage devices. 

Below is Sonnet’s Press Release for their new Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 hub.   

PR – Sonnet Announces Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub

Sonnet Technologies today announced the Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub, the latest offering in the company’s popular Echo family of Thunderbolt expansion products. The Echo 5 hub features four Thunderbolt 4 ports and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type A charging port. Sonnet’s hub delivers up to 85 watts of charging power and is compatible with all computers with Thunderbolt 4 ports; all M1 Max, M1 Pro, and M1 Mac computers; all Mac computers with Thunderbolt 3 ports; and iPad Pro tablets with a Thunderbolt port.

Featuring four Thunderbolt 4 ports (three for peripheral device connection, one for connecting and charging the computer), the Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub provides users with the capability to connect three bus-powered Thunderbolt end devices at once, instead of limiting them to connecting multiple separately powered devices in a daisy chain. In all, the hub’s Thunderbolt ports support up to five Thunderbolt peripherals. For users with more USB than Thunderbolt peripherals, the Thunderbolt 4 ports do double duty — they support USB4 and USB 3 devices (including displays) when connected with the correct cable or adapter, even at the end of a Thunderbolt device chain. Sonnet designed its hub to provide up to 85 watts of power through its computer connection and charging port — instead of only 60 watts provided by competing products — enabling it to charge and power a much wider variety of computers at or near full power.

The Echo hub’s 10 Gbps USB Type A charging port supports most USB peripherals, including superfast USB NVMe SSDs, at full speed. Unlike some other hubs, the USB Type A port on the Echo 5 provides up to 7.5 watts of power to ensure bus-powered devices will operate without fail and can be used to charge a phone or tablet.

When used with an iPad Pro with a Thunderbolt port, the Echo hub provides users the same capability to connect multiple devices to their tablet at the same time, while also charging it at full power. Users may also connect a single (up to 6K) display to mirror the content on the iPad’s built-in display.

Availability & Pricing

The Echo 5 Thunderbolt 4 Hub is available now at the suggested retail price of 199.99 USD.

You an join the discussion on Sonnet’s Thunderbolt 4 Hub for modern Macs on the OC3D Forums.