Twelve South recently launched StayGo, a portable USB-C hub designed to add extra ports to USB-C MacBooks and MacBook Pros. There are plenty of hubs on the market, but Twelve South is known for its high-quality Apple accessories, so I thought I’d take a closer look at StayGo.
Design-wise, the StayGo offers a simple yet attractive design that’s slim, portable and easy to carry so it can go wherever you need it, but it’s not as slim as other USB-C hubs on the market.
The StayGo is made from a black aluminum material with a dot design on the front and measures approximately five inches by 2.5 inches and is half an inch thick. The bottom has four small rubber feet to keep it stable and won’t move when on a flat surface, and overall it’s as attractive as you’d expect a USB hub to be.
StayGo’s rectangular shape features multiple ports and a short built-in USB-C to USB-C cable so you’ll never be without a cord to use StayGo with a Mac notebook. A longer USB-C to USB-C cord is included for when you need to position it further away from your Mac.
The longer USB-C to USB-C cable is meant to provide users with a way to tidy up cables on their desks as well as provide additional ports, which it does successfully. The idea is to set it up from where the Mac is, hiding most of the mess of cords for a tidy workspace.
The built-in cable is a unique feature that other USB-C hubs don’t include, and I always appreciate having a USB-C to USB-C cable on hand. The cable comes out of the StayGo using a small button that you can push to release it.
Next to the built-in cable is a single USB-C port at the top of the StayGo, which can plug into a power source and supports passthrough charging up to 85W, enough to charge a 15-inch MacBook Pro using a power adapter. Comes with your Mac if needed (a power adapter not included). From an external power source, the hub supports up to 100W of power.
A second USB-C port on the side connects the StayGo to the MacBook Pro, followed by a Gigabit Ethernet port, a 4K HDMI port that can support 4K displays at 30Hz, three USB-A ports that provide power and Supports transfer speed Up to 5Gb/s. Two of the three ports offer 900mA power, while the third is a BC 1.2 port that supports up to 7.5W.
At the bottom, there’s an SD card slot and a micro SD card slot that works with cards used in cameras, drones, and other devices. In testing, all of the StayGo’s ports worked as expected, and file transfer speeds were as promised, though I didn’t test the HDMI port because I don’t have a 4K monitor.
It’s worth noting that the StayGo doesn’t support 4K at 60Hz if you’re using a 4K display, it also doesn’t work with the faster UHS-II SD card specification, and it doesn’t support faster USB 3.1 Gen 2 transfer speeds, so it’s not the best choice. Maybe if you are looking for maximum performance. However, it’s a good hub for everyday use when top speed isn’t a priority or if you’re not dealing with huge file sizes or a ton of file transfers.
bottom line
Twelve South’s StayGo is more expensive than other hubs on the market, but it has a higher number of available ports (most don’t offer three USB-A ports), more port diversity (Ethernet port rare), and it is flexible when it comes to use due to the two cord lengths.
If you’re looking for a USB-C hub that’s going to be reliable and takes up minimal space, the StayGo is worth checking out. The Stego won’t offer the speed and versatility you’re going to get with a Thunderbolt 3 hub, of course, but if you don’t need a TB3 connection, it’s much more affordable than a Thunderbolt 3 dock.
How to buy
Twelve South’s Stego can be purchased from the Twelve South website for $99.99.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Twelve South. When you click on a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps keep our site running. Twelve South provided MacRumors with a StayGo for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
