CharJenPro MacBar CJ0414 MacBook USB-C Hub review

CharJenPro MacBar CJ0414: a fitted MacBook adapter with a useful separate data port

The MacBar is a compact way to put familiar connections beside a compatible MacBook: HDMI, two USB-A accessories, camera cards and USB-C. Its most useful distinction is the dedicated USB-C data connection alongside the multifunction charging connection. That can preserve a place for a USB-C accessory while a charger is connected. The first buying check, however, is physical fit. This adapter has two fixed host plugs and is designed to sit against the side of particular MacBook models.

Check the MacBook and the printed model

This review covers MacBar CJ0414. CharJenPro's own page identifies CJ0414 in its product and variant data for both space gray and silver. The original gallery shows two male USB-C plugs entering adjacent MacBook sockets. This is a fitted adapter, so a generic USB-C connection on another computer does not establish compatibility. Confirm that the two sockets line up and that a protective case leaves sufficient clearance for the adapter to seat completely.

The maker lists MacBook Air models from 2018 through the named 2020/2021 M1 scope, and MacBook Pro models from 2016 through its named 2020/2021 M1 scope. This provides Intel and explicitly named base-M1 references. It does not establish M2, M3, M4, M5 or every Pro, Max and Ultra variation. The year ranges should also be checked against the actual chassis rather than read as a promise about any MacBook released in a calendar year.

One documented HDMI desktop

The HDMI connection is advertised up to 4K at 30Hz. It is useful when the task is one external reference screen, a presentation or a television connection within that limit. It is not a 4K60 HDMI arrangement. The manufacturer also advertises video up to 5K at 60Hz through the multifunction USB-C connection. That is a separate output claim, not evidence that HDMI and USB-C can run two independent external desktops together on every listed computer.

Our supported arrangement therefore stays with one HDMI external display. The source does not give a simultaneous HDMI-plus-USB-C desktop table or a required lid position, so neither becomes an extra compatibility promise. Check the monitor connection as well as its resolution: a USB-C display and an HDMI display are different socket requirements. A separately purchased video adapter is not counted as an additional supplied output.

Keep the two USB-C roles distinct

The dedicated USB-C data port is advertised at 5Gbps. It is the clearly specified ordinary USB connection for a compatible USB-C drive or another data accessory. The other USB-C connection is marketed for charging, video and a 40Gbps transfer headline. That larger number does not establish a 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 mode for an ordinary USB drive. We leave the ordinary USB rate of that multifunction connection unspecified instead of converting the headline into a faster drive claim.

Its physical roles also matter. A charging cable occupies the multifunction socket, leaving the separate 5Gbps data socket available. If the multifunction socket is instead used for a data device, that adds a physical connection but removes that same charging-cable position. The two USB-A sockets accept legacy peripherals. The original maker's port diagram explicitly marks the two USB-A ports and the dedicated USB-C data port at 5Gbps. None of these interface claims is a measured file-copy result.

Charging and cards need their own checks

CharJenPro states that the MacBar can charge the laptop up to 100W. This is the maker's advertised charging ceiling, not a measurement with a particular charger or laptop. A suitable separate PD supply and cable are still needed; the reviewed page does not establish a wall charger included with the hub. A computer may negotiate less power than the advertised maximum. Do not read that ceiling as a guarantee of the same charging behavior under every workload.

Separate SD and microSD slots provide convenient access for different card sizes, but the original wording does not expressly establish simultaneous transfers. A strict requirement to read both at once therefore remains unresolved. The complete MacBar port list contains no Ethernet connection; the similarly named MacBar E is a different layout. Choose CJ0414 when its exact side fit, one 4K30 HDMI screen and separate USB-C data position solve the job. Seek a model with a documented multi-screen arrangement or another mounting style when those needs take priority.