You'll notice the difference if you try to connect a Thunderbolt dock to a non-Thunderbolt PC, though, or vice versa. There's no obvious difference between a USB-C port on a laptop that supports Thunderbolt (like Dell's high-end XPS and Latitude PCs and Apple's MacBooks) and one that doesn't (like the aforementioned Surface).
Even recent Microsoft Surface devices, which still rely on the proprietary Surface connector for charging, now offer a single USB Type-C port.īut not all USB-C connections are created equal. Most modern laptops include support for USB Type-C connections. Want to increase your chances of buying a docking station you'll be happy with? Ask yourself five questions before you click the Buy button. But if you make your choice just on price and specs, you're in danger of making the wrong choice. There's a huge selection of devices from which to choose, at prices that start well under a hundred bucks and go up to well over $300. The magic happens when you connect that little box to your laptop with a single cable that effectively turns your laptop into a comfortable working environment. They are, for the most part, small boxes that you can connect to one or more large displays, an Ethernet network, a full-size wired keyboard and mouse, an external power supply, and just about anything that plugs into a USB port. Superficially, at least, many of these devices look so similar as to be practically identical. All our suggestions are meant for a more functional, more productive work experience. We're not holding back on price in this list, but we're not going crazy either.
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