Satechi Stand Hub with SSD Enclosure is a great Mac mini accessory

The Satechi Stand Hub for Mac Mini with SSD Enclosure is an US$99 expansion doc for the Mac mini. It’s designed for a 2020 M1 Mac mini or 2019 Mac mini with a USB-C Port. It won’t work on earlier models.

Installation is extremely easy. You just simply place your Mac mini on the hub and then plug the built-in USB-C cable to a vacant USB-C port on the back of your Mac mini. Immediately a LED on the right front of the hub illuminates.

The hub fits the bottom of the Mac mini perfectly–in size, form, and color. There is an indention in the middle of the hub for the computer to sit in, thus “locking” it into place. There are slots on both sides of this indention to permit the Mac mini to pull air up through the dock.

On the front of the dock there are two SD card readers–one micro and one standard, a 3.5” audio jack, three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, and an LED power indicator.

On the bottom there is a tray to store the built-in USB-C cable,  a slot with a door over it. This was truly a surprise to me, and the best feature of the expansion doc. Under the slot there is a space for an M.2 SATA SSD. Note that the Satechi doc does not support the faster NVMe M.2 drive. It only supports the slower SATA SSD. The included screwdriver and screw is for securing the M.2 drive.

The USB ports are low power and will not support CD drives or charge devices. The USB-C port can transfer data up to 5 Gbps but will not charge devices or transfer video.

The Satechi doc is a solid addition to your Mac mini to conveniently access ports without always reaching around back. If you regularly need to insert SD cards and USB drives, it’s much easier to use the doc then to always fumble around back. 

To me the best feature of the Satechi doc is the included SSD slot on the bottom. It doesn’t support the fastest SSD speeds, but it makes for perfect Time Machine backups.