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In April, I reviewed the Sharge Disk Pro, which Sharge described as the industry’s first actively cooled usb hub with a built-in SSD. I liked the hub. The fan, though, ruined the best feature. Its pitch was just irritating enough to notice every time it ran.
Months later, Sharge released the Disk Pro 2. It addresses nearly every complaint I raised about the original, and it may be the clearest example I have seen of a company acting on user feedback.
The Disk Pro 2 changes four things that bothered me most on the first model. The cable is now removable, the SSD is user-replaceable, the USB-C port is less cramped, and the fan can be fully switched off.
Design and build quality
I have always liked the Disk Pro’s look. I am partial to transparent plastics that show the electronics inside. The Disk Pro 2, an actively cooled usb hub, keeps that style and looks sleek and high-tech.
The biggest structural change is the cable. The original had an integrated cable. The Disk Pro 2 uses a removable USB-C cable instead. I rarely expect to remove a cable, but if one gets damaged, I can replace it without losing the whole device.
The included cable is hot yellow, not the white of the original. It sits flush against the hub at the USB-C connection point. Even so, the integrated design was neater.
If the bright yellow cable clashes with your setup, Matty Benedetto’s bold orange USB-C cable design offers a playful alternative worth a look.
The main drawback is the cable’s resting position. The original clipped into one of its own USB-C ports, so nothing dangled. On the Disk Pro 2, a small notch holds the cable, but the cable still hangs loose unless you detach it. You can store it separately, but the flush, single-unit look is gone.
Sharge describes the cable as a lanyard for hanging the hub from a bag. I would not trust a data cable to carry an SSD around, so I do not recommend that use.
Beyond the cable, the design changes are improvements. The port count rises from five to six. The hub includes SD and microSD card slots, two USB-C ports, a full-size HDMI port, and a USB-A 3.0 port.
One USB-C port supports 80W power delivery. The other supports 10 Gbps and 100W power delivery. The hub fits in a body about the size of a credit card and as thick as a Ridge wallet.
The magnetic back returns, so the drive snaps onto the back of an iPhone. Phones without a magnet can use a thin magnet that Sharge includes. It can stick to nearly any surface, including a laptop or a handheld gaming console.
Magnetic attachment suits phones well, and Ninja Labs expandable MagSafe pouch for phones shows another way to carry accessories alongside your device.
The fan change matters most. The original offered only Auto and Turbo, and both modes produced a high-pitched whine. I sometimes accepted thermal throttling just to avoid the noise. The new fan is quieter, and it can be turned off completely.
The new fan is also stronger. Its top speed rises from 10,000 RPM to 12,000 RPM. Sharge enlarged the air intake and tied the fan’s response to the SSD’s real-time temperature.
Sharge also dropped the built-in SSD. Buyers choose their own M.2 NVMe drive, up to 8TB. That change gives people more choice and lowers the price. The base model fell from $269 to $110, and it is often discounted to $90.
The lower price comes with a trade-off. You must buy your own SSD, and high-capacity drives are not cheap in 2026.
Performance of this actively cooled usb hub
Your SSD will almost certainly differ from mine, so full speed benchmarks would not tell you much. Drive choice changes results.
For my testing, I used a 2TB Lexar 710 M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe SSD. The drive can reach 5,000 MB/s. The hub’s USB-C connection limits it to far less.
In my tests, the Disk Pro 2 delivered about 1,000 MB/s. That speed handles photos and most HD and 4K video. It falls short for multiple streams of 6K, 8K, or 12K footage, or for many RAW video codecs. It is not poor, but it does not match what I expect from USB4 or Thunderbolt 5 hubs.
The fan ran rarely in Auto mode. I saw no thermal throttling. A heavy load, such as a game console or an iPhone under strain, or a hub with many devices attached, made the fan run occasionally. Turbo mode was occasionally necessary. At about 42 dB, the fan is quiet. That is roughly the level of my office’s ambient noise.
The SD and microSD slots work as expected. They support UHS-II cards, and they run at the speed of the card. SD cards sustain lower speeds, so do not expect SSD-level throughput from them. Still, running an SD card, a microSD card, and another SSD through one cable is useful.
Every device on the hub shares the Disk Pro 2’s USB bandwidth. That limit is the main drawback of using it as a travel hub.
The USB standard is my biggest disappointment. The Disk Pro 2 uses USB 3.2 Gen 2, which tops out at 10 Gbps. USB4 reaches 40 Gbps, and the newer Gen 2 version reaches 80 Gbps. Faster parts cost more, but the hub is much cheaper than the first model. I would have paid a little more for speed.
From feedback to a second version
I cannot recall another company that revised a product this quickly after listening to customers. I had only just reviewed the original Disk Pro when Sharge introduced a second version built on that feedback. After a couple of months of daily use, including travel, I found the Disk Pro 2 far better than the first model.
Alternatives
Many compact usb hub designs and docks are available. Few combine a hub with an SSD slot. Anker makes hubs, but none offer SSD support. CableTime sells a seven-in-one magnetic hub that closely copies the Disk Pro’s design, including its USB components. I would still choose the Sharge.
Verdict
Sharge fixed the major problems of the original. The Disk Pro 2 adds a removable cable, a user-replaceable SSD, a quieter and controllable fan, and more ports. As an actively cooled usb hub, it keeps the design that made the first model appealing. Its speed limit is real, but the price and features make it a strong choice for travelers, photographers, and gamers who need one compact device.
H/T petapixel.com
Frequently asked questions
Can the Sharge Disk Pro 2’s cable be removed and replaced?
Yes, the Sharge Disk Pro 2 uses a removable USB-C cable instead of the integrated cable on the original model. If the cable gets damaged, it can be replaced without losing the whole device.
Can the fan on the Sharge Disk Pro 2 be turned off?
Yes, the Disk Pro 2’s fan can be fully switched off, unlike the original, which offered only Auto and Turbo modes. The new fan is also quieter, with a top speed of 12,000 RPM, up from 10,000 RPM.
Does the Sharge Disk Pro 2 include an SSD?
No, the Disk Pro 2 does not include a built-in SSD, so buyers choose their own M.2 NVMe drive of up to 8TB. This change lowered the base model’s price from $269 to $110.
How fast is the Sharge Disk Pro 2 in real-world testing?
In the author’s tests using a 2TB Lexar 710 SSD, the Disk Pro 2 delivered about 1,000 MB/s. The hub’s USB-C connection limits speed well below the drive’s 5,000 MB/s capability.
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