Apple's MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are remarkable laptops, but they don't make for the best desktop alternatives right out of the box. Like Henry Ford's Model T, which gave you a choice of colors (so long as you chose black), modern MacBooks give you your choice of ports, so long as they are Thunderbolt ports. Show Apple uses oval-shaped Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 ports on its various laptops. Check out our primers on Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 to learn what makes Thunderbolt different from USB-C. Thunderbolt and wireless connectivity are perfectly serviceable for most mobile professionals while they're out and about. But many offices around the globe still rely on legacy ports such as HDMI and USB 3.0, not to mention SD card readers and Ethernet for wired connections. And today, with most business travel reduced to wearing a path in the carpet between your home office and the kitchen, flexibility matters more than ever. At certain times, you want to work on a single laptop screen in the living room, and at others, you buckle down at a desk with a more elaborate multi-screen setup and desktop peripherals. Recommended by Our Editors
If you don't want to rely on a whole host of USB-C adapters or dongles back at your desk, a docking station can be your best solution short of buying a desktop Mac. This guide to the top MacBook docking stations for your Apple laptop will help you find the desktop peripheral setup that's right for you. (For a higher-level overview of docking-station options, check out our deep-dive guide to how to pick a laptop docking station.) Apple laptops with a Thunderbolt 4 port and macOS 11 Big Sur or later can triple that connector and add a bonus USB 3.1 Type-A port with Anker's PowerExpand 5-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock ($199.99). The upstream port that connects to your laptop provides 85 watts of power for fast charging (an hour and three-quarters for a 15-inch MacBook Pro), while each of the three downstream ports offers 15 watts to charge handheld devices and 40Gbps data transfer, copying a 20GB file in just over 10 seconds. The dock measures 0.9 by 4.9 by 2.8 inches and can drive two 4K monitors at 60Hz or one 8K display at 30Hz, though Anker notes that M1 MacBooks only support one external monitor. It requires Thunderbolt 4 rather than Thunderbolt 3. Belkin's Thunderbolt 3 Dock Mini HD ($139.99) is a compact (0.8 by 5.1 by 3.1 inches) docking station with 6.8-inch cable that provides a USB 3.0 Type-A port, a USB 2.0 port, a gigabit Ethernet port, and two HDMI ports supporting 4K resolution at 60Hz. (M1-based MacBooks only support a single external monitor, not dual extended displays, through the Thunderbolt 3 port.) Protected by a sturdy aluminum enclosure, the dock carries a two-year warranty. And at just 6.3 ounces, it won't weigh down your day bag much more than a wireless mouse will. The Corsair TBT100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock ($259.99) turns a Thunderbolt 3 port into nine ports and slots: two data-only USB-C and two data-only USB-A ports, two DisplayPort outputs supporting a 4K signal at 60Hz, a gigabit Ethernet port, a headset audio jack, and an SD card reader, plus a Kensington security-cable notch to keep your docking station tethered to your desk. The dock stands 0.9 inch tall and has an 8.9-by-3.3-inch footprint. The included 100-watt power supply supports 85-watt fast charging. If you'd like to make the most of a USB Type-C port, check out the Dockcase Smart Hub. This $99.99 gadget turns one USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 or higher port into three 5Gbps USB-A 3.0 ports, one USB-C charging port, an HDMI 2.0 port that can drive a 4K monitor at 60Hz, and SD and microSD card slots that can work simultaneously. It also sports a 1.3-inch color LCD that can be rotated 90 degrees and shows port status, device types, and real-time chip temperature. Made of zinc alloy and tempered glass, the Dockcase is also available in a $20 cheaper integrated version whose 100-watt USB-C cable is not detachable for use with AC adapters. Its 10Gbps USB-C interface isn't as fast as a laptop's internal PCI Express connection, but J5Create's model JCD552 M.2 NVMe USB-C Gen 2 Docking Station ($149.99) is a unique way to expand your MacBook's storage: The 1-by-12.5-by-3.1-inch gray and black aluminum dock has a compartment for an NVMe or SATA M.2 solid-state drive (up to size 2280; not included). It connects to your laptop using two USB-C cables and offers 100 watts of Power Delivery pass-through. The docking station has 4K DisplayPort and HDMI video outputs, a gigabit Ethernet port, SD and microSD card slots, and three USB Type-A ports (one 5Gbps and two 10Gbps) in addition to the M.2 SSD slot. A security cable lock slot keeps it from walking away from your desk. Kensington has stepped into the modern age with a compact Thunderbolt 3 dock in the form of the SD2500T Thunderbolt 3 Dual 4K Hybrid Nano Dock ($199.99). This dock supports MacBooks and Windows laptops and provides you with one USB-C port, two DisplayPorts, three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, a gigabit Ethernet jack, a 3.5mm audio jack, an SD card reader, and even a microSD card reader. The included power adapter supports 60-watt power delivery. The OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock is a portable docking station that turns a single Thunderbolt 3 port into a desktop-worthy array of one USB 3.1 Type-A port, one USB 2.0 Type-A port, two HDMI ports (both supporting 4K displays), and a gigabit Ethernet port. The compact (0.7 by 4.9 by 2.6 inches, HWD) aluminum dock also includes OWC's Dock Ejector software, which safely disconnects external drives connected to the dock and ensures all data is written before disconnection. Your M1 or M2 MacBook will be better connected with Satechi's $299.99 Thunderbolt 4 Dock. This 1.2-by-7.7-by-3.1-inch desk accessory provides three 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 ports with 15-watt charging—its host cable delivers 96 watts of charging to your notebook—along with three 10Gbps USB 3.2 Type-A ports. The Satechi dock also features a gigabit Ethernet port, an SD card reader, and a legacy USB 2.0 port as well as a 3.5mm audio jack. It weighs just under a pound and supports dual 4K monitors with a refresh rate of 60Hz. Lust for more than one monitor? The Plugable USB-C Quad HDMI Docking Station ($299) lives up to its name with no fewer than four HDMI ports, using DisplayLink technology to drive multiple screens with resolutions up to 1,920 by 1,080 pixels at 60Hz. MacBooks don't support DisplayPort Alt Mode Multi-Stream Transport, so the fourth display can only be mirrored. The HDMI quartet is joined at the device's rear by four 5Gbps USB 3.0 ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, and the USB-C 3.2 connection to your laptop with 96-watt charging. Up front, the Plugable offers audio-in and -out jacks and an SD card reader, as well as a 5Gbps USB-C port with 20-watt charging for phones or other handhelds. VisionTek's dock does so much we assumed it was a Thunderbolt 4 device, but no, it plugs into a USB-C port (delivering 100 watts of power to charge your laptop). It drives up to three monitors via one DisplayPort, one HDMI (DisplayLink) port, and one HDMI (DisplayPort Alt Mode) port; the first two support 4K resolution at 60Hz and the third at 30Hz. The $369 device also provides four 5Gbps USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a front USB-C 3.1 port, an audio jack, a gigabit Ethernet jack, and a USB 2.0 quick-charge port. The silver aluminum docking station stands 8.7 inches high and has a footprint of 6.3 by 3.7 inches. For More Key Laptop Accessories and How-To Advice...
How to Adjust Windows Settings for Best Laptop Battery Life Can you use a docking station with a MacBook Air?Plug your MacBook in and out of a multi-port docking station to swiftly add devices and external displays to your laptop. We tested a bunch to find the best Thunderbolt 3 and 4 and USB-C docks available to owners of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
What docks work with MacBook M1?The Belkin Thunderbolt 3 docks are compatible with newer and older models of MacBook computers including the M1-based models. The Thunderbolt 3 docks support charging, extensions to different peripherals including keyboards and mice, hard drives, and up to two extended displays.
Can MacBook Air M1 run two monitors?While the M1 and M2 MacBooks natively support just one monitor, the M1 Mac Mini does natively support up to two external monitors—one via the HDMI port and a second via USB-C. But the M1 models of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro support only one external display.
Is MacBook Air M1 Base good?M1: This is the base-level chip of the lineup. It has an eight-core CPU and up to an eight-core GPU with support for up to 16 GB of unified memory (RAM) at an extra cost. It's much faster than any previous Intel-powered MacBook Pro, and it is the practical choice for most people.
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