, a USB 3.0 hub, a USB 3.0 SSD, and a cable for one of those USB-A ports on your laptop. The dock is made from a durable metal alloy, and its smooth plastic surface is resistant to scratches and crevices. It’s lightweight, and the best thing is that you don’t need to worry about your laptop being scratched and that you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged because it’s USB-C.
One of the most important features is that it’s not a plug-and-play adapter. You’re still going to need a 3.1 or 3.5mm audio jacks, but it’s not like you’re going to be able to plug in the hub into your computer.
The Thunderbolt cable comes with two 3.1 inputs and one 3.5mm input. If you’re using the Thunderbolt dock with a USB-A cable, you’re going to need to hook it up to some kind of hub or adapter.
What we liked
What we didn’t like
4. Asus PBJ510 Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station
Sometimes, you just want a decent Thunderbolt 3 dock that doesn’t break the bank. This Asus PBJ510 Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station does just that. It’s the smallest of the bunch, so it’s not going to take up much room in your PC or laptop. It’s also the lightest of the bunch, so it’s easy to throw in your bag, and easy to store in your PC.
This dock uses Thunderbolt 3, which means it supports USB 3.1 and USB 2.0. It also supports USB 3.1, so you can connect your USB 3.1 devices just fine if you have a USB 2.0 USB 3.1 hub. The Thunderbolt 3 cable is included with this dock, but you’ll need to get an external cable for the Thunderbolt 3 port.
What this dock does is that it provides a lot more flexibility than just plug and play. You can connect up to five 2.4-inch HDDs, or two 2.3-inch SSDs, and you can even connect your USB 2.0 devices, such as your hard drive. In our tests, we were able to successfully plug in our Chromebook using this Thunderbolt 3 dock, and that makes it a pretty great choice if you want to use this as a standalone USB hub.
What we liked
What we didn’t like
5. LG USB-C Docking Station – V1.0
Another Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station, but this one is much more powerful than the previous one. It supports USB 3.1 and USB 3.0, but it also supports USB 3.1, USB 3.0, and Thunderbolt 3. There are five USB 3.1 ports included on this dongle. The Thunderbolt 3 cable is compatible with all the major external hard drives, and it also supports USB 2.0.
What makes this Thunderbolt 3 dongle so powerful is that it supports up to 256GB of storage. If you’re not using a USB 2.0 external drive, then you would still need to buy an external SSD. This isn’t a big deal, but it’s a nice feature to have if you want to use this as a standalone USB hub.
The only downside of this dongle is that it’s not the cheapest one. At around $50, it’s not one of the most affordable Thunderbolt 3