Anker 563 USB-C Hub Review
Discover the Anker 563 USB-C Hub: a sleek, 10-in-1 gadget that elegantly orchestrates your tech life with dual 4K HDMI and 85W charging. Harmony at its finest!
The Anker 563 gives you two HDMI ports, dual 4K display support, SD and microSD card readers, Ethernet, USB-C and USB-A data ports, and 85W pass-through laptop charging through a single USB-C connection to your laptop. Ten ports total. No power adapter needed for the hub itself. No driver installation. You plug the USB-C cable into your laptop and ten ports become available immediately. For anyone who has ever run out of ports on a modern laptop that has only USB-C, this is the product that gives them all back.
Anker builds this hub around the use case that matters most: connecting two external monitors and keeping the laptop charged while doing it. The dual HDMI ports each support 4K output. The 85W pass-through charging requires a 100W charger (not included) connected to the PD-IN port. Compatible with MacBook (macOS 12 and newer), Windows 10/11, ChromeOS, and any laptop with USB-C DP Alt Mode and Power Delivery. Not compatible with Linux. 18-month warranty.
Key Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total Ports | 10 |
| HDMI Ports | 2 (each supports 4K) |
| USB-C Upstream | 1 (connects to laptop) |
| USB-C Data | 1 (5 Gbps, data only, no charging) |
| USB-A Data | 2 (5 Gbps) |
| SD Card Slot | 1 |
| MicroSD Card Slot | 1 |
| Ethernet | 1 |
| PD-IN Charging Port | 1 (100W max input, 85W pass-through to laptop) |
| Data Transfer Speed | 5 Gbps (USB-C and USB-A) |
| Pass-Through Charging | 85W (requires 100W charger, not included) |
| Connection Types Supported | USB-C, USB4, Thunderbolt |
| Compatible OS | macOS 12+, Windows 10/11, ChromeOS |
| NOT Compatible | Linux |
| Requires | DP Alt Mode and Power Delivery on laptop’s USB-C port |
| Power Adapter | Not included (100W charger needed for pass-through) |
| Warranty | 18 months |
Anker 563 USB-C Hub (10-in-1, Dual 4K HDMI), Docking Station Dual Monitor, with Max 100W Pd-in, 5Gbps USB Data Ports for Windows Laptops, Dell XPS, Thinkpad, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and More
Dual 4K Monitors from a Single USB-C Port
This is the headline feature that most hub buyers are looking for. Your laptop has one USB-C port. You need two external monitors. The Anker 563 solves that with two HDMI ports that each output up to 4K. Connect two monitors, and you have a triple-screen setup with your laptop display as the third screen. Extended mode gives you three independent desktops. Mirror mode duplicates your laptop screen across both monitors for presentations or shared viewing.
The dual 4K output works on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS. On macOS, dual external display support depends on your Mac’s chip. MacBooks with M1 Pro, M1 Max, M2 Pro, M2 Max, M3 Pro, or M3 Max support multiple external displays natively. Base M1, M2, and M3 chips officially support only one external display through standard USB-C hubs. The Anker listing says compatible with MacBook (macOS 12 and newer) without specifying chip restrictions, so contact Anker to confirm dual-display function on base M-series MacBooks before purchasing.
85W Pass-Through Charging: What It Means and What It Requires
Pass-through charging means the hub routes power from an external charger through to your laptop while you use the hub’s other ports. The Anker 563 passes up to 85W to your laptop. Most ultrabooks charge at 45-65W, so 85W covers the majority of consumer laptops comfortably.
The catch is specific and important: you need a 100W USB-C charger, and it is not included in the box. The hub consumes approximately 15W for its own operation, which is why a 100W input produces 85W of pass-through. You connect the 100W charger to the PD-IN port on the hub, and the hub distributes power to itself and to the laptop through the upstream USB-C connection.
The bullets are clear about a detail that trips people up: the 5 Gbps USB-C data port does NOT support charging. Only the PD-IN port charges. If you plug your charger into the wrong USB-C port, nothing charges. The ports look similar physically. Read the labels on the hub carefully during setup. For more on USB-C port types and their capabilities, see our USB-C portable monitor guide.
5 Gbps Data Transfer Across Three USB Ports
The USB-C data port and both USB-A data ports run at 5 Gbps. For context, a 1 GB file transfers in approximately 1.6 seconds at 5 Gbps. This handles external SSDs, flash drives, and most peripheral connections without bottleneck. It is not as fast as the 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 or 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 found on premium docks, but for a USB-C hub at this tier, 5 Gbps is the standard and is sufficient for everyday file transfers and device connections.
The two USB-A ports handle keyboards, mice, flash drives, and other USB-A peripherals that have not yet moved to USB-C. In a world where many accessories still use USB-A connectors, having two of these ports available through a hub is practical.
SD and MicroSD Card Readers
Photographers and content creators who transfer files from cameras and drones will use these constantly. Modern laptops increasingly drop built-in SD card slots to save space. The Anker 563 adds both SD and microSD slots, eliminating the need for a separate card reader. Plug in your camera’s SD card, transfer photos to the laptop, and the hub handles it alongside everything else. No extra dongle. No extra cable. Just another port on the hub that does its job.
Ethernet for Wired Network
WiFi is convenient until it is not. Video calls drop. Large file downloads stall. Cloud sync stutters. The Ethernet port provides a wired network connection that is faster and more stable than WiFi in every measurable way. For professionals who work with cloud-based tools, video conferencing, or large file transfers, the wired connection removes the variable that wireless introduces. Plug in an Ethernet cable from your router to the hub, and the laptop gets a wired connection through the same USB-C cable that carries everything else.
What the Hub Does Not Include
No power adapter. The 85W pass-through charging requires a 100W USB-C PD charger that you supply. If you already own a 100W charger (many modern laptop chargers meet this), you are set. If you do not, add the charger cost to your total purchase price.
No HDMI cables. You supply the cables to connect the hub’s HDMI ports to your monitors. This is standard for hubs and docks.
No Linux support. The listing explicitly excludes Linux. If you run Linux as your primary OS, this hub is not for you.
What’s in the Box
| Item | Included |
|---|---|
| Anker 563 USB-C Hub (10-in-1) | 1 |
| Welcome Guide | 1 |
That is it. The hub and a guide. Everything else (charger, monitor cables, Ethernet cable) is your responsibility. The hub itself connects to the laptop via a built-in USB-C cable.
Drawbacks
| Consideration | Detail |
|---|---|
| 100W Charger Not Included | Required for 85W pass-through. Additional purchase if you do not own one. |
| USB-C Data Port Does Not Charge | Only PD-IN port charges. Easy to confuse the two ports. |
| Linux Not Supported | Explicitly excluded. |
| 5 Gbps Data Speed | Standard but slower than 10 Gbps or Thunderbolt 4 alternatives. |
| Mac M-Series Dual Display Uncertain | Listing says MacBook compatible but does not address base M-series single-display limitation. |
| 18-Month Warranty | Standard for Anker. Some competitors offer 2 years. |
| No Monitor Cables Included | HDMI cables sold separately. |
Who This Hub Is For
Laptop users who need dual monitors, card readers, Ethernet, and charging from one USB-C connection: The Anker 563 covers the ten most common port needs in a single hub. Dual 4K HDMI handles the monitor expansion. SD and microSD handle camera transfers. Ethernet handles reliable network. USB-A and USB-C handle peripherals and drives. 85W pass-through handles laptop charging. If your laptop has USB-C with DP Alt Mode and Power Delivery, the 563 turns that one port into ten. For another Anker hub with fewer ports, see the Anker 555 USB-C Hub review.
Linux users or users without a 100W charger: Linux is excluded. Without a 100W charger, pass-through charging does not function and needs to be purchased separately. For more docking options, see our docking stations hub page.
Final Verdict
The Anker 563 is a USB-C hub that does what most laptop users actually need: add two monitors, card readers, Ethernet, USB ports, and laptop charging through one connection. It does not chase extreme bandwidth or premium features. It provides the ten ports that cover 90% of daily desk needs. The dual 4K HDMI output gives you a proper multi-monitor setup. The 85W pass-through keeps the laptop charged while everything is connected. The SD and microSD slots save photographers and creators from carrying a separate card reader. The Ethernet port provides the wired stability that WiFi cannot guarantee.
The 100W charger is not included, which is the one purchase you need to plan for if you do not already own one. The USB-C data port does not charge, so read the port labels carefully. Linux is excluded. The Mac M-series dual-display question remains unaddressed in the listing. For everyone else running macOS 12+, Windows 10/11, or ChromeOS on a laptop with USB-C DP Alt Mode, the Anker 563 provides a reliable, well-built hub from a brand that has earned its reputation in this space. Ten ports. One cable. The desk stays clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy a charger separately?
Yes, if you want the 85W pass-through charging. The hub requires a 100W USB-C PD charger connected to the PD-IN port. The charger is not included in the box. If you already own a 100W USB-C charger, it works. If not, add that cost to your purchase.
Can I plug my charger into any USB-C port on the hub?
No. Only the PD-IN port supports charging. The 5 Gbps USB-C data port transfers data only. The two ports look similar physically. Check the labels on the hub to identify the correct port. Plugging your charger into the data port will not charge your laptop.
Will both HDMI ports output 4K on my MacBook Air M2?
Uncertain. The listing says compatible with MacBook (macOS 12+) but does not address the base M-series single-external-display limitation. Base M1/M2/M3 chips officially support only one external display through standard USB-C hubs. Contact Anker to confirm dual 4K output on your specific Mac model.
Why is Linux not supported?
The listing explicitly excludes Linux without providing a reason. This may relate to driver or display output handling on Linux distributions. If Linux is your primary OS, this hub is not confirmed to work and Anker does not provide support for it.
Is 5 Gbps fast enough?
For everyday use (flash drives, external SSDs, keyboards, mice, card readers), 5 Gbps is more than sufficient. A 1 GB file transfers in about 1.6 seconds. For professional video editing with very large files or high-speed NVMe drives that can exceed 5 Gbps, a Thunderbolt 4 dock with 40 Gbps bandwidth is the better choice. For a higher-bandwidth Anker option, see the Anker 577 Docking Station review.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Docking Station Intelligence
The standards are confusing by design. These three panels decode what manufacturers won’t explain clearly. Applicable to every docking station.
The USB-C Confusion Matrix
The USB-C connector is the single greatest source of buyer confusion in docking stations. The physical plug looks identical whether it carries USB 2.0 at 480 Mbps or Thunderbolt 5 at 120 Gbps — a 250x difference in capability hidden behind the same shape. Manufacturers exploit this by labeling everything "USB-C compatible" without specifying which protocol runs through it. Two docks can look identical on the outside and behave completely differently once you plug them in.
The hierarchy matters because it determines everything: how many monitors your dock can drive, how fast files transfer, whether your laptop charges while docked, and whether you need third-party drivers. Here is the real capability ladder, from slowest to fastest:
The practical takeaway: if your laptop has Thunderbolt 4, buy a Thunderbolt dock. If it only has generic USB-C, verify whether it supports DisplayPort Alt Mode before buying anything with multi-monitor claims. Our buying guide walks through verification steps for every major laptop brand.
Power Delivery: What the Watts Mean
Power Delivery (PD) determines whether your docking station can charge your laptop while you work, or whether you need a separate charger cluttering your desk. The math is simple but rarely explained: your laptop draws a specific wattage under load, and the dock must match or exceed it. If the dock delivers less than your laptop needs, the battery slowly drains even while plugged in — defeating the purpose of a docking station entirely.
Most ultrabooks need 45–65W. Standard business laptops need 65–100W. Gaming and workstation laptops can demand 100–140W or more. The dock’s advertised PD wattage is the maximum it can deliver to your laptop — but this drops if you charge other devices (phones, tablets) through the dock simultaneously. Always leave a 15–20W margin above your laptop’s requirement.
Check your laptop’s original charger wattage — that’s your baseline. Our FAQ covers how to find this for every major brand.
Native Display vs DisplayLink: The Hidden Factor
This is the decision most buyers don’t know they’re making. When a docking station outputs video to your monitors, it uses one of two fundamentally different methods: native (the dock passes your laptop’s GPU signal directly to the monitor) or DisplayLink (the dock compresses video over USB and a software driver renders it). The difference is invisible in marketing materials but profoundly affects your daily experience.
Native output through DisplayPort Alt Mode or Thunderbolt uses your laptop’s actual graphics hardware. There is zero added latency, full DRM support for streaming services, no CPU overhead, and no driver to install. DisplayLink, by contrast, adds 5–15ms of latency (noticeable in video calls and cursor movement), blocks DRM content on connected monitors (Netflix, Disney+ show black screens), consumes 3–8% of your CPU constantly, and requires a driver that Apple’s macOS security updates occasionally break.
DisplayLink exists for one reason: Apple Silicon base chips (M1, M2, M3) can only drive one external display natively. If you need two or more monitors on a base MacBook Air or 13” MacBook Pro, DisplayLink is your only option. For everyone else — Windows users, Mac Pro/Max chip users, Intel/AMD laptops — native is always the better choice.
Native (Alt Mode / Thunderbolt)
DisplayLink (USB compression)
The bottom line: if your laptop supports native multi-display output, always choose a native dock. DisplayLink is a workaround, not an upgrade. See our glossary for detailed definitions.
COMMAND CENTERCOMMAND CENTER
Six tools that decode the confusion manufacturers create. Port protocols, power budgets, display configurations, compatibility, desk planning, and future-proofing. Full buying guide →
Port Protocol DecoderWhat does your connection type actually support? Glossary
Power Delivery CalculatorCan this dock keep your laptop charged?
Display Configuration PlannerCan your dock push enough pixels?
Laptop-to-Dock CompatibilityWill this dock work with YOUR laptop?
Desk Setup ArchitectWhat ports do you actually need?
Select everything you need to connect: