As laptops have gotten lighter and thinner, one notable tradeoff has been a reduction in the number of ports. It’s not unusual for me to see machines that have just two (or maybe even just one) USB-C port, with maybe an audio jack. But when I’m working with a laptop on a desk—something I’ve done much more often in these days of working from home—I often want more devices attached.
As a result, I’ve turned to various solutions, from simple cables to connect HDMI monitors to USB-C, to slightly more complex docks that add traditional USB (Type-A) and perhaps additional storage options to full-scale notebook docks. Each has its pros and cons. Here are some of the tools I’ve tried lately.
(USB-C is a great standard, promising a uniform port that can be used for everything from expansion storage to external displays to power delivery. It gets even better when combined with Thunderbolt 3 or 4, which use the same connector, and thus offers faster file transfers.)
Simple dongles, such as those that connect a USB Type-A connector to USB-C, are widely available with prices in the $5 to $20 range, and each I’ve tried has worked just fine. I have used these for both external storage and for connecting an external mouse and keyboard.
Similarly, cables that connect an HDMI monitor to USB-C are widely available with prices in the $12 to $20 range, and these have worked for me as well. The one downside is that each takes a port, and of course, you probably want to keep one port reserved for power, so you have to choose a single function. If you’re travelling, you may need to carry multiple dongles.
The next step up is a simple dock that offers USB power in, as well as an HDMI port and a USB-A port. I’ve used a Samsung multiport adapter (with a list price of about $70), and this has worked well with most laptops, as well as for use with plugging a monitor and keyboard into a Galaxy phone to use the DeX feature. Off-brand versions are available for as little as $20.
The next step up is probably a tiny adapter that offers a few more ports. One of these I’ve tried has been Kingston’s Nucleum hub, which seems particularly handy for transferring photos and videos from a camera to your device. This a lightweight adapter that has a USB-C (used for power-in) and USB-3.1 Type-A on the left side; USB-C, USB-A, SDXC, and microSD ports on the right; an HDMI port on the back, and at the front a USB-C cable that connects to your PC. This worked just fine with a variety of laptops, including a MacBook Air (M1) and ThinkPad X1 Nano, but it didn’t supply enough power for a Dell Latitude 9510. (The Nucleum says it passes through up to 60 watts of power; the 9510 uses a 65-watt power supply.) This has a list price of about $50.
Any of these solutions are pretty small, easy enough to take with you when you travel.
However, if you’re working from home, you may want a lot of connections. For that you would move up to a much more powerful dock. In the old days, most PC vendors would sell docks that specifically worked with their own laptops, but one of the good things about USB-C is the promise that we can mix and match such peripherals. I tried docks from both Dell and Lenovo.
In both cases, these docks support Thunderbolt 3 alongside USB-C, which allows for notably faster transfers if you use a Thunderbolt external drive, such as OWC’s Envoy Pro EX. (An even newer standard called Thunderbolt 4 supports dual 4K displays and a few other features. See this explainer to understand the differences between Thunderbolt 3 and 4, and USB 4.) The good news is that we’re getting to similar cables with supersets of technology.
I tried both docks with a wireless keyboard and mouse and both a 4K UHD HDMI monitor and a FHD DisplayPort monitor—a set up I’ve found quite useful at home. (Note that this was with a variety of current Windows laptops. The MacBook Air only supports a single external display.)
Dell’s WD19TB Thunderbolt 3 dock has connectors to support four monitor connections: 1 through HDMI, 2 through full-size DisplayPort, and another through DisplayPort over USB-C.
In addition to a connector on the side that connects to your laptop, it has two USB 3.1 (full size, Type-A) ports and an Ethernet connector on the back; and a USB-C, two USB-A ports with power, and an audio jack on the front; and supports up to 150 watts of power out. (A newer version, the WD19TBS, which has a list price of about $300, removed the audio jack, and supposedly delivers up to 210 watts to Dell systems and 90 watts to non-Dell system).
This worked great with a Dell Latitude 9510, Microsoft Surface Pro 7, and a ThinkPad X12 Detachable but with the X1 Nano, I got a lot of flickering on the DisplayPort monitor.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad Thunderbolt 3 Dock Gen 2 is similar. On the back, you’ll find two sets of HDMI and full-size DisplayPort ports, which you can use for two external monitors. (In each set, you can only use one of the ports), as well as a special USB-C port you use to connect to your computer. There is also an Ethernet jack, and four USB 3.1 (Type-A), one with power on the back, as well as a USB-C, USB-A, and an audio jack on the front. It supports 65 watts out, enough for most business laptops (though not mobile workstations). It has a list price of $320.
This worked with both ThinkPads I tried, the Dell 9510, and the Surface Pro 7, though to get the Nano to work properly on both displays, I had to download new drivers. (Originally, it supported the 4K HDMI monitor properly, but the DisplayPort monitor flickered significantly, just as it did on the Dell dock. The drivers fixed this issue.)
In the long run, the goal would be a single physical standard that would work with any device (laptop, desktop, or even phone), any monitor, and any power supply. We’re not quite there yet, although it’s good to see USB 4 adding Thunderbolt support. Also good to see the USB Implementers Forum come up with new specifications and logos so it will be more clear which capabilities each device has. In the meantime, though, there are a lot of options, so you can find the dock or hub that suits the way you work.
