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Microsoft’s new audio dock is part speaker, part USB hub

Aaron Leong
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Amidst the buzz of the Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Pro 9 created at today’s Surface launch event, Microsoft launched a few Microsoft Teams-centric accessories as well.

One of the newly released devices is a USB-C-powered hub called the Microsoft Audio Dock, featuring a built-in speaker for meetings and music.

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A Microsoft Audio Dock with four peripherals plugged in.

Among the highlights of this hub are the built-in Omnisonic speakers (15W woofer, 5W tweeter, and side-firing radiators) that, according to Microsoft, deliver premium room-filling deep bass and sound. This setup is similar to the HP Thunderbolt Dock G2 which had a Bang & Olufsen conferencing module.

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An interior look at the speakers of the Microsoft Audio Dock.

There is an integrated Teams button specifically for joining and participating in Teams meetings (such as raising or lowering your hand). Two forward-facing, noise-canceling mics complement the conferencing functions, as well as a mute/un-mute control button with a status light.

The Audio Dock has four connection ports at the rear of the unit, including two USB-C 3.1, one USB-A, and an HDMI input, not to mention a power pass-through to keep your PC or devices charged. Up to two monitors can be connected through the multi-stream transport (MST) enabled USB-C and HDMI.

Microsoft has also released its Presenter+ presenter tool. It is designed to work with popular meeting apps, but ultimately is the first such tool certified for use with Microsoft Teams. Like the Audio Dock, there is a dedicated Teams button that helps you join meetings, or with a long press, allows you to raise or lower your hand. This Bluetooth-connected device has controls for advancing slides, mute/unmute, and a screen pointer, among other things.

The Microsoft Presenter+ on a desk setup.

These accessories and the new Surface products will be available soon at Microsoft and Best Buy.

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