Thunderbolt 5 Review

It's great to see a desktop dock of this type really focusing on design aesthetics as well as functionality. In the creative workflow, the port positioning makes sense, and with a good mix of Thunderbolt 5 and USB-A, there are plenty of options; however, there’s no HDMI or DP, and unfortunately, no complementary software. £369.99 at Amazon

The CalDigit TS5 Plus is a no-compromise dock that outclasses a lot of the competition with its 140W charging and a massive 20-port array. Connectivity options abound so much that I can almost forgive it for the lack of a native HDMI port. The dock is a powerhouse for professionals who crave speed and efficiency, but for the average user, it'll be total overkill. If you aren't pushing 8K displays or high-speed RAID arrays, you're likely paying for performance you’ll never actually see. $499.99 at Amazon

As a dual-display dock with a handy bunch of top-rated ports the Wavlink Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station is great value for money for 80Gbps speed and power.

Wavlink's new Thunderbolt 5 Thunderlight Dock delivers strong display support, plenty of charging, and a varied port selection that caters to creators. It costs far less than its main competition, making it my new favorite option for budget shoppers. Check Amazon

Dell's Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock is best paired with a Dell workstation, and its robust list of IT management features clearly aims it at enterprise and pro users. For those without enterprise ambitions and a Dell PC, however, there are more affordable options on the market. £327.17 at Dell Technologies UK £411.97 at Laptops Direct £424.44 at Amazon

Actively cooled, the 23-port iVanky FusionDock Max 2 is built for long editing sessions and heavy workflows, has an unmatched number of connections, stands alone in its native support for three external displays.

Kensington's SD7100T5 EQ Pro docking station combines features from two of my favorite high-performance docks — a built-in M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD slot and a wide selection of ports — resulting in one of the best options for power users and professionals with a Thunderbolt 5 PC. Check Amazon

Kensington’s EQ Pro Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station (SD7100TS) aggressively chases the premium dock category, with unusual features that cater to a creative professional. The price tag will be a big roadblock, but those with a generous IT budget will be rewarded.

Razer’s Thunderbolt 5 Dock Chroma provides serviceable functionality with Razer’s trademark RGB bling. But this dock commands a sizeable premium, and several problems encourage you to look elsewhere.

Razer has managed to create a truly tempting Thunderbolt 5 dock while keeping the price in check. It offers a great range of ports, solid display support (especially for gamers), and super-fast internal SSD speeds. The attractive, well-built design is the icing on the cake.

The CalDigit TS5 Thunderbolt 5 dock brings a high-power, top-notch set of ports in a form you can trust to keep up with the latest devices you might want to connect to your MacBook.

This Thunderbolt 5-compatible dock has 14 ports, fast charging for connected accessories, and a compact cube design. It also works with Thunderbolt 4 and USB4, though your speeds and data bandwidth will be more limited.

The Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock is a high-performance docking station that can support triple 4K displays at 120Hz. It also offers ultra-fast data transfer speeds up to 120Gb/s, and expands storage with up to 8TB SSD capacity.

With its high-speed Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, support for demanding displays, integrated M.2 SSD expansion, and streamlined design, the Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock Chroma is a powerful, polished dock that brings real value to modern workstations. Its forward-thinking features, thoughtful port layout, and performance consistency make it a standout option for creators, gamers, and multitaskers alike. Despite a few minor trade-offs, it sets a high bar for what a next-gen docking station should be.

More of a mini dock than a hub, the CalDigit Element 5 packs nine fast ports including four of the latest 80/120Gbps Thunderbolt 5.

Thunderbolt 5 is the future for pro Macs, and this premium docking station boasts four TB5 ports plus a built-in SSD of up to 4TB.

This powerful and stylish dock is built for the new class of Thunderbolt 5 Macs is a recommended upgrade ready for the latest Macs or your next one.

This dock could be the sweet spot for business or home users who want to take advantage of the Mac’s new super-fast Thunderbolt 5 ports.

This is the best-value Thunderbolt 5 dock that we have tested, with enough ports for most people and offering excellent value for money for the latest performance-boosting tech updates.

If you don’t need all the extra ports offered by full docking stations, this pro hub gives you three super-speedy downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports at the lowest available price.

Caldigit's latest Thunderbolt dock, the TS5 Plus, has a lot of ports and provides a tidy single-cable connection to your laptop. It's pricy, but if you can make use of it, it could be indespensible.

Plugable's TBT-UDT3 dock manages to undercut the competition on price, and is a handy, speedy Thunderbolt 5 dock as long as you don't mind that it doesn't have a dedicated HDMI or DisplayPort.

Razer's Thunderbolt 5 Dock Chroma combines an external M.2 SSD enclosure with a powerful dock and RGB underglow lighting. It's a great option for PC gamers or anyone who can benefit from high-performance external storage with any connected Thunderbolt PC. £366.95 at Amazon

Plugable?s 11-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 (TBT-UDT3) docking station is a solid all-around TB5 dock with a great mix of features and ports. Pair it with a TB5 SSD and you?ve got impressive storage performance.