Amidst all the benefits that come with Apple Silicon, a big drawback is clearly upgradeability. If you want to upgrade your memory or storage after your initial purchase, you're out of luck. Of course, you can always use an external drive, but it can be a clunky experience. For that reason, when people buy the best Macs, I often recommend they upgrade the storage to at least 512GB or 1TB. The base model machines have low storage capacities that will fill up quickly, with no way to add storage at a later date. That is, unless you use the Satechi Stand & Hub.

Yes, there are many ways to add external storage to a Mac. You could use an external SSD, a flash drive, or even an SD card if you want to. But none of those methods are as simple and effective as this docking station from Satechi. Your Mac mini or Mac Studio sits right inside this accessory, which is color-matched and custom-designed to fit your Mac. After that, the Stand & Hub will blend in, and you'll forget you're even using a third-party product. For just $100, this docking station adds an M.2 slot for a SATA SSD, a bunch of front I/O, and takes up only one of your Mac's inbuilt ports. It's a must-buy for anyone who owns a Mac mini or a Mac Studio.

About this review: This review was written after nearly a year of using a Satechi Stand & Hub with a Mac Studio purchased by the writer. Neither Satechi nor Apple had input in this review, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Satechi Stand & Hub: Pricing and availability

Satechi's Stand & Hub has been around for a while, and it was first designed for the Mac mini. However, it fits the Mac Studio perfectly as well, and I tested it with the Mac Studio for this review. It's available in silver or space gray colorways designed to match the color of your Mac. The version we reviewed has three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, SD and microSD slots, and an M.2 SATA SSD slot. This model retails for $100 at Satechi and Amazon, but you can get a version without the SSD enclosure for $20 less.

What I like

Front I/O is a huge perk of this accessory

I tested the Stand & Hub with my Mac Studio, and thoroughly enjoyed my experience. That says a lot, because it's Mac mini users that will really benefit from this kind of accessory. The Mac Studio has three I/O ports on the front of the device: two USB-C (non-Thunderbolt) ports and a full-side SD card reader. However, the Mac mini doesn't have any front I/O at all.

For people who use a Mac mini, having three USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and an SD card reader will be a game-changer. These ports were still useful as a Mac studio user, though, because there's a 3.5mm jack here. Surprisingly, the 3.5mm jack is on the back of the Mac Studio, so it's not great for hot-swapping headphones and audio equipment. This dock completely solves that issue, and having a microSD card reader is handy too.

The SSD enclosure is great

But the calling card of this Stand & Hub is clearly the SSD enclosure. To me, it's the only real way to add storage to your Mac mini or Mac Studio after you buy it. Sure, it's not internal storage, but this is about as close as it gets. After installing an SSD, you can forget it's even there. This is great for not only expandable storage, but with data redundancy, as the drive can be used for Time Machine backups.

The installation process is simple as well, and Satechi includes screws and a screwdriver for your convenience. Just make sure it's a SATA M.2 drive and not an NVMe drive, as that's an important distinction we'll get to in a bit. More likely than not, you'll have to reformat your SSD for Apple's file system when you first install it. Luckily, it's quite easy with Disk Utility, and it's a one-time endeavor.

The look and fit feels too good to be true

If you're into form over function, the best part of this accessory will be how it blends in with your Mac mini or Mac Studio. The top of the Stand & Hub is concave and designed to perfectly fit your Mac. There are also cutouts for ventilation and airflow, so you won't lose performance due to a lower thermal threshold. All told, if you put this setup in front of a casual Mac user, they might not realize the Stand & Hub is a third-party accessory. As a power user with an affinity for industrial design, I think my Mac Studio looks better on the Stand & Hub than without it. The sizing is perfect, and the color of the Stand & Hub will match your Mac's silver or space gray finish very closely.

The clever design is also what makes the SSD enclosure great. Since the Stand & Hub fits so well with your Mac mini or Mac Studio, the SSD enclosure is out of sight and out of mind.

What I don't like

This really should support NVMe SSDs

I think the Stand & Hub is a nearly perfect accessory, but a big downside is that the M.2 slot only works with SATA SSDs. At this stage of the game, NVMe drives are far more common than SATA drives, especially when great ones with M.2 compatibility are considered. When I was looking for drives to test with the Stand & Hub, I actually couldn't find a SATA M.2 drive in stock at my local Best Buy. Comparatively, there were a handful of NVMe M.2 drives available in-store to choose from. You'll have to specifically seek out a SATA drive online, and there's a lot of room for mix-ups here. Satechi recently released external NVMe enclosures, and I'd love to see this tech come to the Stand & Hub at some point.

Power delivery would be a huge plus, but it isn't here

It's worth emphasizing that all the ports on the Stand & Hub support only data transfer. You can't charge devices through the ports, and you can't power anything that requires significant power, like an external CD reader. This is likely because the Stand & Hub needs to power the SSD, and giving the USB ports power would draw too much from your Mac. The limitation makes sense, but that means you'll still have to use your Mac's rear I/O (or front I/O on the Mac Studio) for charging other devices.

Should you buy the Satechi Stand & Hub?

You should buy the Satechi Stand & Hub if:

• You have a Mac mini or Mac Studio
• You want more front I/O ports
• You need expandable SSD storage

You should NOT buy the Satechi Stand & Hub if:

• You need power delivery passthrough
• You need NVMe support

The Satechi Stand & Hub is a must-have accessory for any Mac mini or Mac Studio owner. It's one of the few Mac accessories that really makes your machine still feel stock while adding a ton of functionality. Two of the biggest problems that Mac power users face are not having enough ports and storage. This neat and relatively affordable accessory solves both of those concerns with a single product. Considering how much Apple charges for storage upgrades, Satechi's Stand & Hub is one of the few product's I'd call a "no-brainer" for the right user.