Analysis of the Satechi USB-C Base for iMac: design and functionality go hand in hand

The iMac is one of Apple's most iconic products, recognizable from a distance and with performance and reliability that make it one of the brand's most recommended computers. But there are two aspects that many of us would improve: screen slightly lowered for most users and ports located on the rear hardly accessible.

Satechi solves these two small problems of the iMac with a single device and also does so with a design that combines perfectly with that of our iMac, raising the screen just enough and leaving the ports that we use the most at our fingertips, on the front. Its USB-C Dock for iMac is an accessory that greatly improves the use of our iMac and we have tested it. We will tell you everything below.

Design and Specifications

The Satechi USB-C Base has the appearance of a conventional base, yes, made of anodized aluminum and with a color that perfectly matches our iMac. In this case it is the silver gray base, but there's also a space gray model that looks great for iMac Pro owners. The size is very tight to the base of the iMac, with no lateral space to place any other accessories. This means that it takes up very little desktop space, good news for many, but you can't tuck the keyboard underneath, something others will see as a drawback. Its exact dimensions are 21.4 × 21.59 × 4.06cm. The height of the base allows you to place a not very thick hard drive or the trackpad, for example, under it.

On the front we find, inside a piece of black plastic that helps to hide them, the following ports:

SD and microSD slots UHS-I (104 Mbps)
Headphone jack
3xUSB 3.0 (5Gbps)
USB-C 3.0 (5Gbps) (No Power Delivery)

There is also a small front LED that barely lights up, but that serves to confirm that the computer is on and the base is connected. Connection is via a single USB-C cable that is fixed to the base and that connects to any Thunderbolt 3 port on your iMac. In the event that you do not want to do without one of these ports, or that your iMac does not have them, you can use the USB-C to USB-A adapter that is included in the box. The installation could not be easier, and the excess cable can be stored thanks to the curious system that is hidden under the base.

It is a very practical and compact design, to which you can only put a small "but", and the silicone feet under the base to protect the surface and prevent it from slipping are fixed to the base with a little system. "Refined" that lets a small part stand out. Otherwise the construction is very solid, the cable looks very strong with an aluminum clad connection, and the front connections give a good feeling when connecting accessories.

Seven ports in the front

With a single USB-C cable, the Satechi base offers us seven ports on the front, easily accessible. In return, we lose speed and some other benefits compared to the equivalent of the back of the iMac, but what we gain in accessibility for the day to day, it more than compensates. Personally I have left in the back the permanent connections, those that are always there and that I do not touch at all, and I will use the front ports for that USB memory that you connect from time to time, that cable to recharge the keyboard, the headphones or download the photos from the camera's SD.

Even if your iMac has Thunderbolt 3, it might be a good idea to use the USB-A adapter in the base and connect it to a conventional USB, since the speeds will be the same and you will free up that precious ultra-fast connector. Or maybe you prefer to use a Thunderbolt 3 that you hardly use since conventional USBs are all busy with other accessories. Thanks to the fact that the base offers you the two connection possibilities you can choose, which is always good news.

Editor's opinion

Since I released my first iMac I have always used a base that raised it and a dock or hub that offered me several ports on the front. Satechi has had the fantastic idea of combining these two characteristics in a single accessory, and it also does so with a good design, which combines perfectly with the iMac, and offering the most useful ports for the front. Although you lose some performance of the rear ports, for the day to day these front ports are a delight that compensates for this small loss, which also has no relevance because you always have the rear ports available if you need it. The price of this base is 99€ on Amazon (link) in both silver gray and space gray.