Finding the Best Laptop Docking Station
List Of Best Laptop Docking Station
Things are moving much faster in the modern era as we witness many inventions in the tech world. People are pushed to set up home offices, especially after the COVID19 pandemic. Freelancing is also playing a significant role in why home offices have become a necessity in today’s fast-paced world. With the increasing importance of home offices, there is also a demand for proper gadgets and equipment to set up a home office. A laptop docking station is one of the essential gadgets for every office or home office.
What Is a Laptop Docking Station?
Things are changing dramatically for the last few decades, and professionals now require a perfect desktop-style set up to perform multiple tasks. Now, you need support for multiple USB ports, monitors, and even Ethernet jack for your laptops. Managing all these things may require several adapters and dongles, which can be a big hassle. You can buy a laptop docking station to eliminate this hassle of buying and managing many cables and adapters.
Some laptop brands also official docking stations for their laptops. However, you can also purchase third-party docking stations from the market with unique features and designs. Therefore, if you have a laptop and you need additional ports for multiple monitors, etc., you can buy a docking station as a perfect solution. Here are the top docking stations that you can buy for your laptops.
1. HRY-230 Docking Station
Are you looking for a stylish and durable laptop docking station? This 12-in-1 docking station is a perfect choice with a high-quality aluminum alloy body. It allows you to transfer data and deliver power and video using a single Type C cable. It has PD (100W) and 4K HDMI, RJ45 Ethernet, VGA, 3.5mm audio, and three 3.0 high-speed USB ports. There are also two 2.0 USB ports.
HRY-230 is a compact and thin docking station. Therefore, you can carry it easily in your laptop bag while traveling. This docking station is compatible with every laptop, including MacBook Pro, Samsung, and iPad Pro, etc., and supports a 4K ultra HD output.
2. Belkin Thunderbolt 3Dock Core
Sometimes, people need a small docking station that they can easily carry with them wherever they go. This $149 laptop docking station is a small dock that is compatible with Windows laptops and Mac operating system machines. You can buy this dock to convert a USB C or Thunderbolt 3 port into a single HDMI port and display port, two USB A ports, one USB C PD, an Ethernet jack, and one audio jack.
The only possible concern with this dock may be its small design, as you may not replace the 6.8” integrated Thunderbolt 3 dongle. Therefore, you should think about this possible downside before you buy this docking station. It is an affordable and compact dock that you can move conveniently while traveling without any hassle.
3. Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro
If you are looking for a dock with additional features than the docking station mentioned above, consider Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro. Due to the extra features of this dock, its price is also higher that is $299.99. You can use this dock with both Mac operating systems and windows laptops. It converts one Thunderbolt-3 bolt port into an Ethernet jack, 1 3.1 Type C USB port, 5 3.0 Type-A USB ports, one 1.4 display port with 4K dual panels or 5K display, and a Thunderbolt-3 port.
This laptop docking station comes with a 170W power adapter, allowing the dock to offer fast charging for laptops. Additionally, there is an SD card slot with UHS-II transfer speed, which allows you to upload videos and high-resolution images faster. It has a sleek design and works with almost all laptops.
4. HRY-231 Docking station
It is another reliable 12-in-one USB-C hub with triple display support. It is a perfect option for those who need an excellent docking station with stylish design and durability. Its main features include aluminum housing, three 3.0 USB ports at 5GBps, one 2.0 USB, two HDMI 30Hz/4K output, one SD card slot, one FHD VGA output, 3.5mm audio jack, 100W PD, one micro-SD card slot, and RJ45 Ethernet (1Gb).
This docking station is an enhanced version of the HRY-230 dock. It can work with almost any laptop and offer outstanding performance. You can consider this dock for laptops with a Type-C USB port. It is a perfect choice for a home, office, and mobile environment where you need to expand the connectivity capabilities of your laptop.
5. Corsair TBT-100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock
Do you want to turn your Thunderbolt-3 port into up to 9 ports? If yes, then this laptop docking station can help. It provides two USB C (data only) ports, two USB A (data only) ports, two 4k/60Hz Display Ports, one Ethernet port, one SD-card slot, and one audio jack slot. Moreover, there is a security cable lockdown notch for keeping the dock tethered to the desk.
It is not a compact dock as its dimensions are 0.9x8.9x3.3 inch, which makes it a little bigger than many counterparts. However, the 100W power supply of this dock helps you in charging your laptops faster. You can use this dock with your windows laptops and Mac systems. It has a bar-style design that looks beautiful.
6. Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock
It is another remarkable docking station that can fulfill your need for more slots and ports. The Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock is available for $349.99. You will have the options, like one micro-SD card, one full-size SD, four 3.1 USB ports (two Type-C and two Type-A), separate headphone-only and headset-audio jacks, one Display Port, one Ethernet jack, and one Thunderbolt-3 pass-through.
The Display Port of this laptop docking station supports a resolution of 4096x2160 pixels at 60Hz. Moreover, its Thunderbolt-3 port supports up to 5120x2880 pixels resolution at 60Hz. However, using two external displays simultaneously will limit the resolution to 4096x2160.
Final Verdict
The docking stations we discussed above are all the most reliable docks currently available on the market. Usually, the dock looks the same at first glance. However, they are different in many ways. Before you pick any of the above-listed docking stations, ask yourself a few questions.
Buy the dock according to your laptop model and your specific need. Ask yourself which connector you require and for what purpose you are buying it. Make sure that the docking station you buy offers everything you need.
