Skip to Content

CalDigit Launches Element 5 Hub With Thunderbolt 5

by

If you own one of Apple's latest Mac mini or MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max processors, you may be interested to learn that CalDigit today announced its first Thunderbolt 5 product, the Element 5 Hub.

caldigit tb 5 hub
The Element 5 Hub boasts nine ports, including four Thunderbolt 5 ports capable of up to 120Gb/s bandwidth, two USB-C ports at 10Gb/s, and three USB-A ports also running at 10Gb/s. The hub delivers consistent 90W charging to host devices, regardless of connected peripherals, thanks to its compact 180W power supply.

Display support includes dual 8K monitors at 60Hz or dual 4K at 240Hz refresh rates, leveraging Thunderbolt 5's new Bandwidth Boost feature. CalDigit notes that Windows machines can handle up to three displays through a single Thunderbolt 5 connection, but unfortunately Mac users are limited to dual displays due to macOS limitations, even when using Apple's latest M4 chips.

The hub doubles PCIe bandwidth to 64Gb/s compared to its predecessor, allowing it to accommodate faster storage devices. Meanwhile, power delivery remains stable at 90W for host charging, with 15W available from each downstream Thunderbolt 5 port and 7.5W from USB ports.

caldigit tb 5 hub 1
The Element 5 Hub is available now direct from CalDigit in the United States for $249.95, with UK and EU availability expected in mid to late February 2025. Pricing is set at £249.99 in the UK and €249.99 (minus VAT) in the EU.

Tag: CalDigit

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Be Like Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Sunday March 15, 2026 9:42 am PDT by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that iOS 27 will be similar to 2009's Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that one of Apple's biggest priorities is bug fixes for improved performance and stability. During WWDC 2008's State of the Union, Apple showed a slide that said Mac OS X Snow Leopard had "0 new features," as it opted to focus on performance and...
Read Full Article • 252 comments
AirPods Max 2 Feature

Apple Announces AirPods Max 2 With H2 Chip and More

Monday March 16, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple today unveiled AirPods Max 2, with key upgrades including the H2 chip, increased active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation. The new AirPods Max have the same overall design as the previous generation, with most of the new features coming from the upgrade to the H2 chip:- Adaptive ...
Read Full Article • 305 comments
iOS 27 Mock Quick

10+ New Features Coming in iOS 27

Friday March 13, 2026 2:13 pm PDT by
We're only three months away from Apple's WWDC 2026 event, which will see the company unveil iOS 27. With the fully revamped version of Siri possibly delayed until September, iOS 27 is shaping up to be the update we wanted iOS 26 to be. There will be new Apple Intelligence features, updates for the iPhone Fold, and more, with the latest rumors summarized below. Foldable iPhone Features...
Read Full Article • 107 comments

Top Rated Comments

CalDigitDalton Avatar
CalDigitDalton
15 months ago

Why there are MacOS limitations?
Hey, I'm the CalDigit Community Manager.
The macOS limitations (I assume in regards to the lack of triple monitor support), is a hardware limitation of current M4 computers to my understanding.
No Thunderbolt 5 dock will be able to drive triple monitors on macOS until there's an update to allow it.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jaymc Avatar
jaymc
15 months ago

And why USB-A ports when all the shiny things now are made with USB-C.
For backwards compatibility of older equipment (CF readers, DVD drives, etc...)
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
T
twintin
15 months ago

And why USB-A ports when all the shiny things now are made with USB-C.
Maybe because a substantial number of potential clients do not only have new shiny things with USB-C. :)
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
spillled typos
15 months ago
Why are we not talking about this snippet from the product page?

Many docks and hubs are not compatible with the Apple SuperDrive since it requires extra power from the connected USB port. In fact Apple recommends to connect it directly to a computer. CalDigit has solved this problem by creating a driver that will allow the SuperDrive to work through the Element 5 Hub.
This is huge! (for the dozens of people that care 😂)
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
HobeSoundDarryl
15 months ago

And why USB-A ports when all the shiny things now are made with USB-C.
Because there are abundant, less shiny things ALREADY in people's homes & offices that still function and probably will for the next 5 or 10 years that are USB-A. And there is still abundant brand new stuff shipping in 2025 for USB-A connections.

And yes, one could buy cheap adapters but dongles for dongles is not exactly a joyous proposition.

Note that CalDigit won't be selling this to only us Apple people. The Wintel crowd will be customers too. USB-A and all kinds of older accessories are in greater abundance there than all of the shiny new Macs sold worldwide in the last few years.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
MGrayson3
15 months ago
I'll also second CalDigit. Every other hub I've owned has died in a year. Theirs is still going after 3 years. I'll get this one.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments