CalDigit USB-C HDMI Dock Overview | Perfect dock for the 16" MacBook Pro? | Full power!
This is the CalDigit USB-C HDMI Dock, recently announced. I had a pre-release look at it, and this is an overview, not a review. This video was not sponsored or paid for by CalDigit.
Displays
It’s called the USB-C HDMI dock because the back has two HDMI ports that can output dual displays at 60 Hz in extended mode (your laptop plus two additional displays), with limits depending on the computer. I tested it with the 16-inch MacBook Pro, an M1 MacBook Pro and three different USB-C Windows laptops:
- A Windows laptop with USB-C but not Thunderbolt: two displays at 30 Hz.
- An Apple silicon Mac (the new MacBook Pro or Air): a single external display at 60 Hz.
- An Intel Mac or PC with Thunderbolt 3 (like the 16-inch MacBook Pro): two 4K displays at 60 Hz.
60 Hz matters for fluid motion, even for something as simple as dragging a window.
Power
It provides more power than almost any other dock. The 16-inch MacBook Pro ships with a huge power brick, and with a lesser adapter you can lose battery charge while plugged in when the laptop is working. This dock outputs 94 W, enough to fully power the computer and keep the battery charged: I exported a 10-minute video and didn’t lose a single percent.
Ports
- Back: one Thunderbolt connection to your computer, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports and a 1 Gbps Ethernet port (I love having Ethernet on a dock; I sorely needed it after switching back to a Mac laptop this past year, and it’s important for work-from-home video calls), plus the two HDMI ports.
- Front: another 5 Gbps USB-A port, a 10 Gbps USB-C port, a UHS-II SD card reader and a dual audio in/out jack.
I tested the ports with different Macs, PCs and even USB-C iPads. With a CalDigit Tuff Nano and a Samsung T7, I got full speed on both, and the SD card reader gave over 250 MB/s, compared with 60 to 90 MB/s on my previous iMac.
Build
It’s solid, with a weight that feels premium, and a muted look with a mostly aluminum exterior that fits on almost any desk (gray and black like almost everything else). It doesn’t have a ton of ports, which is fine for me: beyond my USB Kanto speakers, a mouse dongle and sometimes an external drive, I don’t plug much into my laptop.
Who it’s for
The biggest benefit is for people with an Intel laptop with Thunderbolt who want two external displays and enough power to keep their laptop charged. If Ethernet matters for work-from-home calls, this may be your dock. If you want a Thunderbolt dock with more USB ports or something easier to travel with, see my video on the CalDigit TS3 Plus and SOHO.
Links
- UNLIMITED Cloud Backup for your Mac with Backblaze
- CalDigit USB-C HDMI Dock
- Need DisplayPort instead?
- CalDigit SOHO
- CalDigit TS3
- Kanto Yu2 Speakers Matte Gray
- Apple Magic keyboard
- Apple Magic Trackpad
- MX Master 3 Mouse
- Desk Mat Moko PU Leather
- Sony A6400
- Primary Lens Sigma f1.4 16mm
- Secondary Lens Sony f2.8 16-55MM G
- Rode VideoMic NTG
- iPad Pro 12.9
- Used DJI OSMO 3 Gimbal for some shots
- Tascam DR-10L Audio Recorder with Lav
Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.
