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Image: Mark Hachman/ IDG
At a look
Specialist’s Rating Pros
- Rugged, well-engineered
- Can sit vertically on its stand to conserve area
- Yes, it works: Four 4K screens are possible
- A surplus of ports
Cons
- MSRP is actually too pricey
- Mislabeled USB-A charging port does not provide
- Typical storage efficiency
Our Verdict
The Kensington Thunderbolt 4 and USB Quad Docking Station (SD5800T) provides ports aplenty, however might be too costly at some sellers. Otherwise, it’s exceptional.
The Kensington Thunderbolt 4 and USB Quad Docking Station (SD5800T) feels a bit like another verse in a familiar tune: A brand-new dock shows up, packed to the gills with ports; nevertheless, all of that versatility shows up with a high cost premium, too.
Kensington and Plugable appear at the top of our existing list of the very best Thunderbolt docks. This is our very first chance to evaluate Kensington’s ultra-premium 16-in-1 SD5800T Thunderbolt 4 dock, which looks practically similar to the Plugable TBT4-UDZ– which we’ve discussed however have not yet officially evaluated.
Offered the capacity for an ultimate head-to-head shootout, it’s worth keeping in mind that the SD5800T’s MSRP is technically $379, however that Amazon notes it as $299, the like Plugable’s dock. (And at press time, Amazon has the rate of the SD5800T cut to simply $229.) It’s likewise extremely comparable to the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Pro Dock, a dock we enjoyed however that likewise commands a $299 cost.
In any occasion, this is Kensington’s dock to purchase if you desire whatever: 4 4K display screens (2 DisplayPort 1.4, 2 HDMI 2.1), plus a considerable amount of USB-A and USB-C ports. Obviously, you’re not obliged to link 4 display screens; you can select 2 screens rather, material in the understanding that you can prefer whatever cable television (HDMI or DisplayPort) you want.
A few of the fundamentals require describing. Practically all Thunderbolt 4 docks will link to USB4 ports without a drawback. Kensington’s prolonged, official item name spells this out. Since Intel declines to license non-Intel (read: AMD Ryzen) laptop computers for Thunderbolt, Ryzen note pads utilize USB4 ports rather. They’re basically similar.
The front of the Kensington Thunderbolt 4 and USB Quad Docking Station (SD5800T) consists of a charging port that isn’t a charging port.
The front of the Kensington Thunderbolt 4 and USB Quad Docking Station (SD5800T) consists of a charging port that isn’t a charging port.
Mark Hachman/ IDG
The front of the Kensington Thunderbolt 4 and USB Quad Docking Station (SD5800T) consists of a charging port that isn’t a charging port.
Mark Hachman/ IDG
Mark Hachman/ IDG
Kensington achieves a quad-display orientation through a mix of the 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 port plus an innovation called Display Stream Compression (DSC), which utilizes an industry-standard compression innovation to eke out more bandwidth.
