Microsoft has just released a new desk speaker that is also a USB Type-C hub. The new speaker, the Surface Hub, is designed to connect to your computer and allow you to use it as a speaker and also as a USB hub. It has an A/B testing feature so that you can test different configurations of the speaker and hub. The hub also has an Ethernet port so that you can connect to your network and use it as a wired connection. The surface Hub is available now for $299.
Microsoft announced its Audio Dock during the company’s hardware event, where it also unveiled the Surface Pro 9, the Surface Laptop 5, and the Surface Studio 2+. Microsoft says the dock supports “premium audio” with a 15-watt woofer and 5-watt tweeters — but it also doubles as a USB hub for plugging in many more devices.
The speaker itself features two USB-C ports (one of them for data only), as well as a USB-A port and an HDMI 2.0 port that allows for a 4K@60fps video output. It’s far from the most feature-rich dock out there, but given that it has a whole speaker on top of it, it’s still a cool product. The dock also supports DisplayPort alt mode, USB-C PD charging up to 60W, and MST in the USB-C and HDMI ports.
The Audio Dock also happens to be a great work companion, given it’s certified for Microsoft Teams. Best of all, it’s officially compatible with Windows 11, Windows 10, and even macOS. The dock will set you back $250, and it will be available in one single Black colorway.
Source: Microsoft