Popular third-party accessory company CalDigit has announced its new Thunderbolt 4 Station. This beefy Thunderbolt dock has 18 ports and can deliver up to 98 watts of passthrough power.
According to the company, that makes it the largest Thunderbolt 4 dock to date, and it seems like a compelling purchase for Mac power users.
The Thunderbolt Station 4 isn’t only compatible with Mac, but Mac users certainly have the most to gain from it. Aside from the latest MacBook Pros, most Apple users are limited to a handful of Thunderbolt ports. CalDigit’s dock is compatible with Intel and M1 Thunderbolt 3 Macs, as well as the M1 Pro and M1 Pro Max Thunderbolt 4 Macs. The device is also compatible with Thunderbolt 4 PCs, as well as Thunderbolt or USB-C iPads and Chromebooks. Just note that USB-C devices may have limited functionality compared to full-fledged Thunderbolt devices.
The front of the device has an SD and microSD card reader, an audio in/out jack, a USB-A port, and two USB-C ports. One of those USB-C ports supports 20 watts of power passthrough.
The real story is on the back of the device. There are four USB-A ports, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, dedicated audio in and audio out jacks, another USB-C port, a Display Port 1.4, and a 2.5GbE Ethernet jack. As if all of that wasn’t enough, the Thunderbolt 4 Station has a lock mechanism so it can be securely attached to your desk.
There are a few other perks for Apple users on this device, too. It’s been optimized for the Apple SuperDrive (if you’re one of the people still using those), so it doesn’t have to be plugged directly into your device. CalDigit has also developed a Mac utility that lets users manage their connected devices right from the menu bar.
The CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 isn’t cheap, but that’s to be expected. You can order it today if you’re in the United States for $360.
