Microsoft’s new Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock ditches tradition

Today Microsoft launched the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock, noteworthy for one key absence: the Surface Connector, which has now been changed with a typical Thunderbolt 4 interface.

Why is that this necessary? For years, Microsoft Surface gadgets had been pushed and charged by way of the Surface Connector, a singular and proprietary charging port that transferred information and energy to Surface gadgets. For Surface followers, this wasn’t an issue: like early IBM ThinkPads, the charger and its proprietary charging port served as a handy spare by way of successive generations. As laptops tried out completely different iterations of barrel chargers, the consistency was a bonus.

However, because the USB-C {hardware} port and the associated Thunderbolt port protocol grew to become extra frequent, the necessity for a proprietary Surface connector diminished. Virtually all Thunderbolt docks now provide energy in addition to the usual 40Gbps of information, which satisfies each necessities. Microsoft’s Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock makes use of a 165W energy brick, passing as much as 96W to any related laptops. And sure, we might see the writing on the wall—it rendered the older Surface Docks irrelevant.

One shock, actually, was that Microsoft waited on the extra stringent Thunderbolt 4 spec, versus debuting a Thunderbolt 3 dock, as an alternative. Some even puzzled whether or not Microsoft would simply look ahead to what’s informally referred to as the 80Gbps Thunderbolt spec, which Intel has already proven off. We now know the solutions to each questions.

Microsoft’s Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock actually qualifies as a dock, although Microsoft selected the route that’s typically related to Thunderbolt hubs: There aren’t any devoted show ports. Instead, there’s a front-facing Thunderbolt 4 port to hook up with the PC (plus a 31-inch Thunderbolt 4 cable) and two rear-facing Thunderbolt 4 ports as effectively. That implies that you simply’ll both want a USB-C (Thunderbolt) to DisplayPort cable, or else wager on Thunderbolt shows changing into a factor. So far, Thunderbolt inputs are often solely related to high-end shows. Otherwise, you’ll want a second Thunderbolt dock or USB-C dongle to route the sign.

Microsoft

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The Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock makes use of Microsoft’s dock aesthetic: a black brick. It additionally features a front-facing 10Mbps USB-A port (supplying 7.5W to cost your smartphone) and two similar USB-A ports on the rear. There can be a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a screw nut for a desk mount. (If the USB-A ports don’t provide sufficient energy to your telephone, you need to use a free Thunderbolt 4 port and its 15W of energy.)

Otherwise, the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock is optimized for the Surface Laptop 5, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Pro 8, and the Surface Pro 9—although solely the Intel model, and never the Surface Pro 9’s Arm variant. It’s suitable with gadgets that embrace a USB-C port, however not Thunderbolt: the Surface Pro 9 with 5G, the Surface Pro 7+, and earlier gadgets. The distinction between the 2 is basically the variety of supported shows: USB-C ports with out Thunderbolt can help a 1080p or single 4K show, whereas a Thunderbolt port has sufficient bandwidth to help a pair of 4K shows at 60Hz for optimum productiveness.

What does this imply for future Surface gadgets? The implication is that the Surface Connector is on its approach out in future gadgets, although Microsoft hasn’t confirmed this.

“We designed Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock as the optimal dock for Surface devices with USB4/Thunderbolt 4 support,” a Microsoft consultant stated in a press release. “Surface Dock 2 will continue to be available to support non-USB-C devices.”

Microsoft will promote the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock by way of Microsoft.com, for a reasonably customary worth of $299.99. We count on to ultimately check it as a part of our roundup of the very best Thunderbolt docks.