Kensington unveils three docking stations - plus a Thunderbolt 5 dock due later this year
SD4880P USB-C 10Gbps Quad Video 17-in-1 Driverless Dock (K34113)
With the tide moving more and more toward desktops and laptops that only have USB-C ports, docking stations are more important than ever. Kensington is unveiling three new products to its line of high-performance docking stations at Pepcom's Digital Experience! media event at CES 2024.
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On top of that, the company also offering a sneak peek at its upcoming docking technology that will become available in the second half of 2024.
The first dock, the SD4880P USB-C 10Gbps Quad Video 17-in-1 driverless dock, dock supports Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4, and USB-C laptops, and offers an array of ports.
The plug-and-play 17-in-1 design features four high-power USB-C and six USB-A ports, along with two HDMI ports and two DisplayPorts, a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, an SD card reader, and a combo audio jack, and delivers data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps.
This dock can supply up to 100W dynamic power allowing users to charge connected accessories without requiring a host laptop connection.
SD4782P/SD4781P USB-C and USB-A dual 4K docking station (K33603NA/EU K33650)
Next up are the SD4781P USB-C and USB-A dual 4K docking station and the SD4782P USB-C and USB-A dual 4K docking station. With support for both the latest USB-C and legacy USB-A laptops with video, data, and power, powered by DisplayLink, these docks offer dual-monitor support for MacBook M1/M2/M3 laptops.
Both docks feature one USB-C port and five USB-A ports, and support speeds up to 10Gbps. Both can handle up to two external Ultra HD monitors (4K @ 60Hz) via two HDMI 2.0 and two DP++ 1.2 ports, and both can deliver up to 100W to power USB-C laptops, with the SD4782P coming with a 100W power splitter to power USB-A laptops. They also feature a Gigabit Ethernet port and audio combo jack.
Also, Kensington announced the SD5000T5 Thunderbolt 5 dock, a next-generation dock that supports throughput speeds up to 120Gbps, which is three times what is supported currently by Thunderbolt 4. The SD5000T5 can deliver up to 140W of power to devices, compared to the 100W power delivery capability that is commonly available in current docking stations.
To round everything off, the dock will also support up to two external monitors at 8K @ 60Hz to provide a future-proofing for those users who run high-resolution multiple monitor setups.
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The Kensington SD4880P, SD4781P, and SD4782P docking stations will be available in Q1 2024 in North America through Amazon, and all will be covered by a three-year limited warranty.
The SD5000T5 Thunderbolt 5 dock is scheduled for availability in 2H 2024.