The other three are Downstream, for connecting other devices.Ĭaldigit’s Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub is not a docking station by strict definition but it has so many USB ports (both Type A and Type C) that it can certainly be used as a dock if you have the right external device ports or adapters for adding external displays. One of the TB4 ports is Upstream, for connection to your computer. That’s more than any other Thunderbolt 4 hub we have seen or tested. It boasts four Thunderbolt 4 (all at 40Gbps bandwidth and 15W charging) and four USB-A 3.2 Gen.2 (10Gbps and 7.5W) ports. You won’t find any more modern USB ports on a hub or docking station than you get with Caldigit’s compact and well-priced Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 Element Hub, and they are all rated at top speeds.

Three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps, 15W).

One upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40Gbps, 60W).

The Caldigit TS4 has the most ports at the fastest speeds and the greatest power, making it our number one choice if you want the very best.ĬalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 (TS4) review The 230W power supply is the most powerful of any dock we’ve tested, and the dock can charge a laptop at 98W. Wired Internet is 2.5 times faster than you’ll find on any other dock or hub tested here, if you have 2.5GbE (or above) compatible devices.

Boasting version 1.4 of DisplayPort, this dock can support very high refresh rates on a single monitor: 144Hz on 4K, and 240Hz at 2560×1440-pixel resolution. Older Intel Macs and newer M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBooks can connect two 4K displays at 60Hz, although plain M1 MacBooks are sadly limited to just the one external display. Windows users with a TB4 or USB4 computer can connect a single 8K display at 60Hz Mac users, a single 6K display at 60Hz. Its Thunderbolt 4 successor, the Thunderbolt Station 4 (TS4) is physically and stylistically similar but boasts even more ports at even faster speeds.Īll the USB (5x USB-A, 3x USB-C) and Thunderbolt ports (3x TB4) are super fast and offer impressive device charging-at the front, there’s a USB-C port with 20W power.Ĭaldigit has sacrificed one of the TB4 ports for a dedicated DisplayPort, which is fine if you need that video port but not as flexible as leaving three downstream TB4 ports with which you can add adapters for external displays.

3.5mm Audio In and Audio Out ports (back)įor years, Caldigit ruled the Thunderbolt 3 roost with its compact but powerful Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus (TS3 Plus).UHS-II SD and microSD card readers (320MBps).Two downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps, 15W).One upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40Gbps, 98W).

Thunderbolt3 hub