Inateck 7-port portable USB 3.0 Hub with BC1.2 charging ( Model HB7003 )

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

I recently received an Inateck 7-port portable USB 3.0 Hub with BC1.2 charging ( Model HB7003 ) for a product review. The package came with the hub, the power adapter and a USB cable.

Left to Right : Power adapter, Hub and USB cable

The hub itself is actually not that big, and feels very light.  In addition to acting as just a hub, it supports BC1.2 charging.  Basically normal USB 3.0 can support 0.9A output but the BC1.2 standard can support more ( I believe 1.5A ).  With the BC1.2 charging capability, this essentially makes it a 7 port hub and 7 port USB charger.

To test the hub functionality, I wanted to see what impact (if any) it had on the performance of an external hard drive.  I used Ubuntu ( booted from CD ) to do hard drive benchmarks.  I first tested with the drive connected directly and then tested again with the hub between the computer and the drive.  The hub had no real impact on the measured average read/write and seek times.

Size Comparison : Hub next to a 2-port USB charger and a 5-port USB charger

To test the power output it was a bit more tricky.  Using my DROK load tester, I was getting around 0.8A on my Nexus 7 which is right around the USB 3 spec.  However, when I removed the DROK tester and directly connected the Nexus 7 to the hub there was an increase of about 0.2A (measured using an app called Ampere.  That would put it at around 1.1A, which is over the USB 3 spec and likely the BC1.2 standard kicking in.

Using my USB 1A/2A adjustable load, I was actually able to max the port out at 2A.  I think the BC1.2 standard just tells the attached device that it can safely pull more than the 0.9A rating for USB 3.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Compact: This hub is pretty small, smaller than another 7-port USB 3.0 hub I tested.  For travel, you should be able to use this hub to also charge devices letting you reduce the amount of devices you need to drag along.

Performance: The hub did not demonstrate any real impact to the benchmark tests performed on an external USB hard drive.

Bottom line: If you are looking for a solid USB 3.0 hub, this ones seems to do the job without impacting performance as an added bonus can also act as a charger for your devices including BC1.2 compliant devices that can charger at a higher rate than normal USB devices.

Inateck Product Page: http://www.inateck.com/inateck-hb7003-7-port-usb-3-0-hub/
Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00QHULZH4