Instead of a laptop, this innovative docking station transforms your smartphone - within seconds - into a full-fledged, keyboard-toting, monitor-equipped desktop PC. Pair your dock with a stand for your screen, read our review of the best monitor standsĪlthough this is a buying guide for the best laptop docking stations, we believe that the Beelink Expand X merits a special mention due to its usefulness and unique characteristics. Having said all that, compared to some of the best laptop docking stations on this list, this dock doesn’t come particularly cheap. The sleek, minimalist, black design will look sharp in most home offices, and if you own a Surface laptop, it's easy to see why you would want to stick to the theme. Connectivity-wise, there are two Mini DisplayPorts, one Gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 3.0 ports, and an audio-out jack. It’s compatible with the Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, and Surface Book. The Surface Dock will let you turn your Surface convertible into a fully-fledged desktop PC. If you own one, you’ll be happy to learn that you can reap the rewards a docking station offers. The Surface line-up of tablet hybrids demonstrates this perfectly. Microsoft is a company known primarily for its software prowess, but it has been increasingly working on the hardware front in recent years. Read the full review: StarTech Thunderbolt 4 Dock

The only catch to this flexible approach is that additional cables or adapters are needed to connect displays over Thunderbolt technology, adding extra expense to what is already a very pricey option.Ī stylish and well-considered design, the StarTech Thunderbolt 4 dock is excessively priced, and other makers, like OWC, deliver much the same connectivity for a fraction of the price. The designer aimed to make it sufficient for the needs of every user, irrespective of if they need to connect displays, storage, or any other peripherals. With 96W of power available for the host system and 15W each for the three Thunderbolt downstream connections, and more for triple USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, this dock is hardly underprovisioned. StarTech already makes some handy equipment for those that use Thunderbolt and USB technology to its limits.īeing slightly late to the Thunderbolt 4 party, StarTech has created a dock that delivers maximum user flexibility and enough charging power to handle the most demanding laptops.

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