The word has got around: The new notebooks are slim and beautiful as never before, and the indispensable starvation diet is also accompanied by a reduction in the number of connections for peripherals, memory cards and other things.
The view, undisturbed by design breaks and sockets, therefore requires some concessions.
A MacBook from Apple may only have two USB-C sockets and nothing else, no memory card reader and no HDMI output for the additional monitor.
Michael Spehr
Editor in the “Technology and Engine” section.
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If you only want to connect small items to your computer occasionally, you can get a USB-C adapter for just 30 euros. Typically, USB devices in a classic design can be connected here, an Ethernet cable for Internet access also finds contact, and maybe even a memory card reader is included. What usually does not work with the cheap adapters are fast data transfers and the control of high-resolution monitors. In such cases, the time comes for the professional docking station, which supplies all those interfaces that are missing on the notebook and also takes over the power supply of the computer as a part-time job.
We tried out the “Power Expand Elite 13-in-1” from Anker, which comes into the house in a high-quality aluminum housing and thus leaves a nice impression on the desk. The dock with dimensions of 12.6 × 8.9 × 4.2 centimeters and a weight of 490 grams is not too big. But there is also a 180-watt power supply, which is of course not visible in the press photos, which is best stowed under the desk for reasons of aesthetics. Unfortunately it has a proprietary connector.
Everything else happens almost automatically with the dock, printed labels help the forgetful. The box offers a micro SD and an SD card reader, an audio output with a 3.5-millimeter jack socket, four USB A with five volts and a data rate of up to five gigabits per second, two USB-C ports ten gigabits per second and up to five volts and nine amps. One of them supports the Power Delivery (USB-PD) charging technology. HDMI is only supported with version 2.0, the current version would be 2.1. If you connect an external monitor via Thunderbolt 3, you can enjoy 5K resolution with up to 60 Hertz. HDMI offers 4K with up to 60 Hertz. There is also a Gigabit Ethernet socket, for example to connect the dock directly to the router with a cable.
The most exciting detail are the two Thunderbolt 3 ports, one with 85 watts of charging power, sufficient for many notebooks, and one with 15 watts. Thunderbolt 3 reaches up to 40 gigabits per second. In practical use, the docking station delivers the specified speed. The more peripherals you connect, the warmer the unit, which incidentally has a physical on / off switch. With a price of 300 euros, this dock is not a bargain, but is aimed at the professional user who saves having to constantly switch cables when working with several devices and perhaps also want to connect a tablet.
If you are toying with the newer Thunderbolt 4 standard (which is not faster), you might want to take a look at the dock called Apex. It also comes from Anker, is one of the first of its kind, also costs 300 euros, but only has a 120 watt power supply. And here again HDMI 2.1 is missing.