Anker 552 USB-C Hub A8373 review

Choose it for mixed peripherals, not three equally fast USB-A ports

The Anker 552 A8373 combines an HDMI screen, wired Ethernet, cards, USB accessories and pass-through laptop charging. It is a useful kind of hub when your desk needs several different connections rather than a large number of identical ones. Its most important detail is the mixed-speed USB layout: only one of the three USB-A sockets is a 5 Gbps data port.

The other two USB-A sockets are USB 2.0, advertised at up to 480 Mbps. They can be the appropriate places for lower-bandwidth accessories, leaving the faster USB-A and USB-C data connections for equipment that benefits from them. Buying by the headline nine-function count would miss that distinction.

Read the four USB data connections individually

Anker documents one USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port at up to 5 Gbps, alongside the two slower USB-A ports. The advertised line rate identifies a port capability, not a measured copying speed. Data still travels through the hub's shared connection to the computer.

For a keyboard, pointing device and occasional drive, the speed split may be sensible. For three drives whose connections must each support 5 Gbps, it is the wrong layout: one faster Type-A socket plus two USB 2.0 sockets does not satisfy that requirement. Count the actual ports at the required rate before deciding whether the larger hub is an upgrade.

One HDMI screen at up to 4K30

The HDMI output is documented up to 3840 × 2160 at 30 Hz. Check whether that is the mode you want for your main screen or a secondary reference display. A hub advertised for 4K does not automatically provide the 60 Hz mode you may expect from a modern desktop monitor.

Neither USB-C socket adds another video output: the data socket excludes video, and the PD socket is a charging input. Anker's macOS warning about MST should not be read as a special multi-monitor benefit here. The physical arrangement has one HDMI output, so it is not a two-independent-screen dock for either a Mac or a Windows workstation.

Ethernet and two reader formats broaden its usefulness

The RJ45 connection is advertised up to 1 Gbps. That is the Ethernet link capability, not a promise about internet service or real file-transfer throughput. Your cable, network equipment, computer and the rest of the shared hub traffic remain part of the result.

The full-size SD and microSD slots are each listed up to 104 MB/s. This can be useful when you alternate between a camera card and a smaller device card. It does not establish that both slots operate at once. If simultaneous card access is essential to an import routine, verify that behavior rather than assuming two slots are two independent readers.

The charging input and computer output are different figures

Anker specifies up to 100 W into the PD socket and up to 85 W delivered to the connected laptop, with 15 W used by the hub. The documented 85 W arrangement requires a suitable 100 W charger and cable, sold separately. The package is a hub, not a complete powered laptop-charging kit.

Do not count the USB-C data socket as another charging input, or treat the USB-A data sockets as dedicated high-power chargers. The manufacturer separates their roles explicitly. Your computer also needs to support the functions being used over its USB-C connection; shape alone does not establish video or charging.

Check the exact host and placement

The reference identifies the black A8373H11 within the A8373 family and lists an approximately 130 × 60 × 15 mm body weighing 132 g. Allow room around that body for an HDMI plug, network cable, charger cable and your USB equipment. A compact hub can still create a fairly substantial cable junction on a small desk.

Use the manufacturer's exact computer and operating-system guidance for your machine rather than assuming every USB-C host supports every feature. A8373 is a sensible comparison for a mixed-accessory, one-screen setup needing Gigabit Ethernet and cards. Choose a different arrangement for several fast USB-A devices, two independent screens, 4K60 or an included laptop power source. The right match is the complete set of connections you will actually use together.

Manufacturer references: A8373H11 complete port and power specifications; Anker 552 English support reference.