5 USB-C Gadgets Every MacBook User Should Know About

Apple's decision to transition to its in-house silicon for its Mac lineup paid off, with the MacBook Air M1 quickly becoming an iconic benchmark for all other laptops that followed its release. We've since seen the M-series of chips getting more powerful and efficient with each passing year — enough to earn the MacBook Pro M4 Max a 10/10 score in our review.

MacBooks are now known for their stability, high performance, and excellent battery life. As someone who's made the switch to a Mac after a lifetime of using Windows-based machines, the efficiency of my MacBook Air has left me thoroughly impressed.

Newer MacBooks come with up to three USB-C ports, a dedicated MagSafe charging port, a headphone jack, in addition to an SD card slot and HDMI port if you've paid the premium for a Pro model. While Apple received flak for being one of the first brands to drop all ports in favor of USB-C, the masses have finally caught up.

USB-C is convenient, fast, and universal. In 2025, it's usually a terrible decision to purchase a product if it doesn't primarily use a USB Type-C interface for charging or connectivity. Heck, even Apple finally switched to USB-C on the iPhone after years of stubbornness. 

If you have a USB-C port that's not in use on your MacBook, it's a good time to go window shopping and explore the variety of gadgets available. We've listed five examples here, and you can read more about our methodology at the end of this read.

First-time users of a MacBook will notice the severe lack of I/O options. On the MacBook Air models, you only get two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. Even if you make sure to carry around the proprietary MagSafe cable for charging, that still only leaves you with two connectivity options. As someone who prefers docking their laptop and working on a bigger screen with a mechanical keyboard and mouse, one of the first purchases I had to make was a USB-C hub. 

These are portable extensions that occupy one of the USB-C slots on your MacBook and in turn expand connectivity with multiple USB-A, HDMI, and SD card slots. At $25.99 on Amazon, the UGreen Revodok 1071 is an inexpensive solution that gives you a 4K HDMI output, two USB-A ports, an SD card reader, and two USB-C ports — one of which features PD charging of up to 100W. Once setup, you would only need to plug in one cable to connect to an external monitor and various accessories, in addition to supplying your MacBook with power.

Beefier docking stations like the BenQ beCreatus DP1310 are suitable if you're working with multiple input sources and need more connectivity options. There is a good selection of other docking stations you can buy for your laptop that may fulfil your specific requirements better — like the Anker 675 Docking Station that doubles as a monitor stand and features a wireless charging pad on the side.

MacBooks have built up a reputation when it comes to battery endurance. For mundane tasks like replying to emails or typing out long essays, you can expect to get several hours of high brightness use before you see the low battery notification. When you do need to plug in, the MagSafe or USB-C ports can deliver around 50% of battery in 30 minutes, with the right adapter. If you despise scouting for wall outlets and finding the least uncomfortable spot to work on your MacBook while being plugged into power, investing in a power bank is a great idea. Though most power bank brands should supply a MacBook with power, picking ones specifically designed to handle PD charging will ensure you get higher speeds. 

At $149.99 and a 4.5-star rating on Amazon, the Anker 737 Power Bank features a capacity of 24,000 mAh and is crafted to top up devices of all kinds, including smartphones, earphones, and laptops. It uses Power Delivery 3.1 technology, which can push up to 140W of power into compatible devices. The power bank has two USB-C ports and a USB-A port to accommodate different products, and can be used to charge three devices at once. It has a display that lets you glance over the remaining capacity and charging stats for connected devices. At $25.99, the Anker Zolo Portable Charger is smaller in capacity and size, but is well suited as a backup for your MacBook or phone.

MacBooks are sleek, lightweight, and built to last. They are also absolutely not upgradable in any way. The only time you can choose to get more memory or a higher storage capacity is at the time of purchase — and this is one of the most crucial things to keep in mind before buying a MacBook. What makes this worse is the fact that these upgrades don't come cheap. Each new tier of RAM or SSD costs a whopping $200. Though Apple has finally refreshed all base model Macs with 16GB of RAM, you still only get 256GB of storage space — a few gigabytes of which are reserved for system files.

Fortunately, expanding your Mac's storage space is an option. Some of the fastest portable SSDs you can buy are compact, connect via USB-C, and don't cost absurdly as much as Apple charges for a storage bump. The USB-C ports on newer MacBooks are also fast enough to handle external storage solutions gracefully. You can edit 4K videos off an external SSD, transfer huge files back and forth in seconds, or simply use it as archival storage for your Mac.

The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is one of the most popular options, with over 70,000 reviews and a 4.6-star rating on Amazon. It comes in various capacities, with the 1TB offering priced at $129.99. Another widely known option is the 1TB Samsung T7 Portable SSD, which has a 4.7-star rating and costs $159.99.

I love how portable my MacBook Air is, but sometimes things get too congested on its 13.6-inch display. The bigger 15 and 16-inch MacBooks are ideal if you primarily work on the go, but for any serious multitasking, investing in an external display is the right move. There are several portable monitor brands to choose from, but scouting for options that can be powered by a single USB-C connection will work best for the MacBook. 

The Arzopa Portable Monitor is a popular pick with over 11,000 reviews and a 4.4-star rating on Amazon. It retails at $109.99, which is considerably more affordable when you contrast it against regular monitors. We went hands-on with this portable monitor and found it to be an excellent addition, especially for on the go setups. It features a 15.6-inch 1080p panel that connects via HDMI or USB-C.

As bright and crisp as the Mini-LED panel of the MacBook Pro is, it lacks support for touch input. The Espresso 17 Pro is a 4K external monitor that connects over USB-C and brings touch screen functionality to macOS. Unlike the Arzopa Portable Monitor, this one doesn't come cheap — priced at $799 which gets you the monitor and a stand. At 17-inches, it has decent screen real estate, while being portable enough to carry around in a backpack. The portable monitor earned a score of 4-stars in a comprehensive review carried out by TechRadar. 

Though it might seem obvious, a good keyboard and mouse will help you accomplish tasks on your Mac faster — especially when connected to an external display. The Keychron K2 V2 is a mechanical keyboard that comes with macOS-specific function and modifier keys. There are a handful of great mouse options, like the Logitech MX Anywhere 3S that is designed to work best with macOS and is shaped like an adorable pebble. Both these peripherals can connect to your Mac over Bluetooth and charge via USB-C. 

Beyond just typing and controlling your cursor with better precision, there's a decent selection of other gadgets you can connect to your MacBook. The built-in webcams on newer MacBook models are actually pretty decent, but if you primarily work from home, you may find it beneficial to get a little boost in video quality. The $59 Anker PowerConf C200 is a crowd favorite on Amazon, with close to 7,000 reviews and a 4.4-star rating. It bumps your video resolution to 2K and comes with noise-canceling microphones and an adjustable field of view. It can be the perfect addition to an external monitor that's connected to your Mac.

For a similar price tag of $59.99, you can pick up the HyperX SoloCast, which is a USB-C condenser microphone compatible with Mac or PC. If you work with podcasts or videos, this can bring invaluable gains in audio quality.

Beyond a high-speed data cable and a few dongles, there is a world of other practical add-ons that can elevate your Mac experience. For this list, we've mentioned a few essential gadgets that can expand the usefulness of your MacBook and have based our recommendations on the products' overall ratings on Amazon.

We have also stuck with products from brands like Anker, Samsung, and Logitech that have built a reputation over the years for building high-quality products. This list is by no means definitive, and you are likely to find products that are a better fit for your specific needs — like a power bank with a higher capacity, or a Thunderbolt monitor that has a higher refresh rate.