Lots of people today use their laptops outside the office but prefer to switch to an external monitor during the day. Space: Henge Docks vertical docking station
It features a 85-watt electric output (enough to charge your MacBook Pro at full speed), a DisplayPort, five USB-As, two USB-Cs, Gigabit Ethernet, an SD card slot, in and out audio, as well as two super fast Thunderbolt 3s that can transfer up to 40 GB a second and support a 5K monitor.ĭesign-wise, CalDigit TS3 Plus doesn’t look like anything special, but its vertical orientation certainly helps you save some desk space and its aluminum coating fits MacBooks quite well. When all you want is pure power, you can’t miss the Thunderbolt dock station by CalDigit. Power: CalDigit TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 dock Yet another important factor that makes Linedock one of the best docking stations is its inherent portability, with a sleek profile that comes at just 2 lb and could be carried around without adding too much size or weight to your everyday bag. You can also easily add an optional amount of SSD storage, up to 1 TB - a great way to save, since additional gigabytes with Linedock are much cheaper than the ones inside your Mac. What’s truly unique about Linedock, however, is that it also houses a 20,000 mAh battery, which can give your laptop a whole new charge (11 or so hours of productivity). There are three USB-C ports with full power delivery, three fast-charging USB-As, an SD card slot, an HDMI, and a DisplayPort. Inside though, this Thunderbolt docking station really packs a punch. This device might be the perfect MacBook Air docking station as it’s literally a sleek (0.35-inch tall) base of the same size as the laptop. That’s why looking at the Linedock for the first time, you might not even understand what it does. It’s not often that you see a truly progressive idea in the world of MacBook accessories. At around $250 retail MSRP, it’s not exactly the cheapest option, but one might argue that it’s definitely worth the cost.
And it still manages to pack all the essentials: three USB-As (with fast charging too), two Thunderbolt 3 USB-Cs, a DisplayPort, Ethernet, and separate audio ports for microphone and headphones. It’s compact, measuring just 3 x 8 x 1 inches. It’s beautiful enough to look organically next to your Mac. When it comes to having a little bit of everything, you simply can’t go wrong with Elgato Thunderbolt Dock. Versatility: Elgato Thunderbolt 3 docking station And here are the best ones across a few categories. So, overall, if you have an office and keep yourself busy with external monitors and other devices, a USB C docking station is what you’re after. USB-C adapters are the most compact and affordable of the pack, but also generally single-purpose, in that they would convert one USB-C port into one USB-A or HDMI, for example. smaller) and don’t require a power source (which means most can’t handle multiple displays at once).
They also have a one-to-many USB-port conversion, but are generally more mobile (i.e. MacBook hubs are similar to lots of Apple docking stations, which might cause confusion. They are mostly not meant to be portable, as a sort of station that you connect to once you get to your workspace. The best MacBook Pro docks not only add the port capacity to your laptop but are also able to power your Mac, a few high-resolution displays, and other devices. Since we’ll be comparing top dock stations below, it makes sense to explain them first.
A combo like that is incredible, and while the dock is very pricey, you get what you pay for and then some.Try free The Best Docking Station For MacBook Pro Though it is incredibly expensive, it also offers a crazy amount of ports, including two Thunderbolt 3 ones, and it also has fantastic charging capabilities and support for two 4K displays. However, when it comes to the best overall dock, we think that the CalDigit TS3 Plus takes the cake. There are a ton of different laptop docks out there, and each one (including the ones on this list) offers something different that will appeal to different people, depending on what they want or need. They often cost a lot, but they also bring immense value to the table, making them more than worth it in many cases. Laptop docks are an extremely useful accessory for devices like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga, as you can use them to expand your device’s port selection, transfer the laptop’s screen to a larger display, and even charge your device, provided the dock in question supports it.