Reddit mentions of USB C Hub, UtechSmart 6 In 1 USB C to HDMI Adapter with 1000M Ethernet, Power Delivery Pd Type C Charging Port, 3 USB 3.0 Ports Adapter Compatible for MacBook Pro, Chromebook, XPS, and USB C devices

I bought one of these and have been fairly impressed with it. The first one I got would just power itself down every 15 min or so, so I exchanged it. The second one has been good (one stuck pixel but I don't mind).

The all-metal case is good without much flex. The IO is pretty solid, with two USB-C ports, one USB A 2.0 port, MicroSD, and of course its own small barrel port for the power brick, but you can also optionally charge it over USB-C including with one of those breakout USB-C hubs with Power Delivery and that simultaneously gives you HDMI out, Ethernet, and such (I do this currently using this USB-C PD charger and this hub. There are cheaper USB-C hubs but I wanted one with HDMI and Ethernet output as well as Power Delivery input so I could plug everything in with the one cable).

The keyboard is decent and the layout is right to me, although it's not backlit. The touchpad is basically garbage but I don't mind since I use an external trackball. The screen is IPS and glossy glass with sharp text, but coming from a MacBook or my PowerSpec 1510 laptop, it's rather dim with low contrast. The speed of the machine is fantastic for the price, and the SSD can be easily changed out but I don't know about the RAM. There's no compartment to open just for that and I don't know how to get to it otherwise. (I may never actually need to, but I did look into it when I got it.)

The touchscreen works, but I disabled it because I wanted it to still work with the lid closed and plugged in over HDMI, and when I would close the lid it started clicking spots all over the screen. After disabling the touch screen input driver in Device Manager, no more issues with that. I don't really know what the battery life is like because I mostly will plan on keeping this plugged in. No bloatware at all. You get prompted to buy/install ESET antivirus when you boot, and if you choose no, it will uninstall even that, leaving you with a 100% clean OS with just drivers and a Winbook wallpaper.

You can probably run some form of Linux on this fine, although I've got no idea whether things like the touchscreen, sleep or the battery meter work. The wireless chipset is Intel and the sound is Realtek so I imagine those are fine but don't know for sure.

I bought this one for my MacBook but it also works fine on my Pocket 2. USB C Hub, UtechSmart 6 In 1 USB... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H2ZS1B5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Here are the links for the products I used. I tried a few cooling pads and chose the one below because it was quiet, comfortable to use on the couch and at least could hide the cable. The USB-C hub was a random choice and probably on sale but it worked without any issues.

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ASUS XG-Station-Pro eGPU - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CP36KHH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Targus Cooling pad - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NU5O9C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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USB-C Hub - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H2ZS1B5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Hope this helps you make your decision!

Funny, I just got all the same things from the same company but the screen protector. I DJ often so protecting the keyboard from liquid is a must. I also like the palm protector in case someone with sharp accessories on their wrist scratch the surface of my brandnew Mac by mistake. I also like protecting the touchpad and the bar itself for the same reasons. Screen protection is really not needed unless someone sits on the mac by mistake or it falls screen first on the floor.

To add, i got this usb-c hub and it's been EXCELLENT so far: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H2ZS1B5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Look for one with USB C passthrough charging. This one has everything you need. https://www.amazon.com/UtechSmart-Ethernet-Delivery-Compatible-Chromebook/dp/B07H2ZS1B5/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2A359GWPHRO6R&keywords=usb+c+hub+ethernet+power+delivery&qid=1570104084&s=gateway&sprefix=usb+c+hub+ether%2Celectronics%2C523&sr=8-3

You should be fine with just a simple USB-C dongle like one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/UtechSmart-Ethernet-Delivery-Compatible-Chromebook/dp/B07H2ZS1B5/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=usb+c+dongle&qid=1568757531&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzQlY5UkZUVElGWlVXJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzEzNTM3VVJMSlNXWTdRVlRFJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAwMDk2NDAzUks1U0E2TEpLUTgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

The advantage of Thunderbolt vs USB-C is that thunderbolt has even more bandwidth. As long as you're only driving one 1080p screen it should not be an issue, and I think USB-C is even enough for a single 4k screen. Thunderbolt is really only needed when doing multiple monitors or external GPU's.

The advantage of the more expensive docking stations is that generally speaking, they also charge your laptop directly. When working with a USB-C dongle like that you will still need to plug your laptop into your regular wall charger. However it is of course quite a big chunk of extra money for a fairly small benefit. If you want the luxury of only plugging in a single cable the expensive docking stations are still your only option however.

Lots of USB-C adapters with power passthrough have LAN ports. Like this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H2ZS1B5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 so you could in theory use any cell phone that would recognize the port.