We originally thought our best pick would be the Kensington SD5760T, a dock that featured an ideal mix of ports on paper but also some performance issues. We’ll explain the differences in the FAQ that follows our recommendations, clarifying the terminology to help you understand what to buy and how to save some money, too. Our best USB-C hubs and dongles are covered in a separate story. We’ll close by recommending our favorite DisplayLink USB-C docks-simpler, cheaper solutions that have recently emerged. This roundup begins with the very best Thunderbolt docks, including budget options. Good Thunderbolt docks, whether Thunderbolt 4 or 5, can also charge your smartphone. Thunderbolt 5 won’t be available until 2024, but will support three 4K displays, at 144Hz each. Thunderbolt 4, with its 40Gbps, allows for two 4K displays at 60Hz apiece. A 10Gbps USB-C hub can only power a single 4K display at 30Hz. (Look for the “lightning bolt” logo to distinguish them.) But displays, especially 4K displays, consume gobs of bandwidth. Thunderbolt docks use the same USB-C connector. The best USB-C hubs and dongles provide legacy ports (USB-A, microSD, and others) for connecting PC peripherals like mice, printers, external hard drives, and more. Why buy a Thunderbolt dock? Because of the bandwidth it provides.
