OWC's new Thunderbolt 5 Hub aims to provide even more access to the fastest ports, by splitting one off into three more.
OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub - Image credit: OWC
In 2021, OWC introduced the Thunderbolt Hub, a dock that provided three additional Thunderbolt 4 ports when it was plugged into a Mac's Thunderbolt 4 connections. Three years later, it's doing it again, but for the newest Mac models.
The OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub is the same concept as before, with one Thunderbolt 5 cable connecting to the host Mac while providing three more Thunderbolt 5 ports to plug devices into. The hub also adds a single USB-A port to the equation too.
The latest edition is designed to take advantage of the Thunderbolt 5 upgrade that new Macs have gained through the update to M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. The connection can handle up to 80Gb/s of bi-directional data, double that of Thunderbolt 4, and can do up to 120Gb/s asymmetrically.
With OWC's hub, the three ports allow more than just more connection points for Thunderbolt devices. It also allows for users to daisy-chain Thunderbolt hardware together on three different chains, all without affecting other chains.
It can also provide up to 140 watts of power delivery to the connected host Mac and supports up to three 8K displays using DisplayPort. It's even backward-compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 connections.
Shipping in December, the OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub is available for preorder at $189.99.