Get the Most Out of Your iPad With These Accessories

Using your iPad Air or Pro for work or school? You probably need to add more ports, like an HDMI port to hook up the tablet to a bigger 4K screen, or a headphone jack in case you need to use corded headphones. This one from Satechi kills two birds with one stone. It’s a hub, so you get an HDMI port, USB-A, 3.5-mm audio port, SD and MicroSD card reader, and a 60-watt USB-C charging port. But it also works as a stand, so you don’t need a folio case or separate stand to prop your iPad up. 

The hub connects to the iPad Pro or iPad Air via USB-C (the cable hides away underneath). You can’t change the viewing angle, but the stand folds up, making for a surprisingly compact hub. It won’t take up too much space in your backpack, and it’s lightweight despite its aluminum build. The only downside? If you plan on propping your tablet up vertically for video calls, you’ll have to lean forward so your face is in the center of the frame.  

★ A More Traditional Hub: If you prefer a standard dongle-style hub, I really like the HyperDrive from Hyper ($90). It has six ports: 60-watt USB-C, USB-A, MicroSD, SD, 3.5-mm audio, and 4K 60-Hz HDMI. You can either stick it into your iPad Air or Pro’s USB-C port and have it slit flush and firm with the edge, or you can swap to a flappy, short cable. You need the cable if you have a case on your iPad, and Hyper provides the screws and screwdriver to swap the part out (it took me two minutes). Just remember to unplug it when you’re not using it, as it will slowly drain your tablet’s battery.