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CalDigit Introduces USB-C Dock With 10 Ports and Up to 94W Charging for Macs [Updated]

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CalDigit today unveiled a new Thunderbolt 4 dock with a wide selection of connectivity options, including three USB-A ports, one USB-C port, two HDMI 2.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, an SD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

caldigit-thunderbolt-4-dock-featured.jpg

The dock also has a Thunderbolt 4 port that allows it to be connected to a Mac with a single cable, with up to 94W of pass-through charging for the latest MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models. The dock can be used with up to two 4K displays at 60Hz, but keep in mind that the new M1 Macs officially only support one external display.

Given that Thunderbolt 4 shares the USB-C port design, the dock is also compatible with the latest iPad Pro models and other USB-C devices.

caldigit-thunderbolt-4-dock-ports.jpg

The dock is priced at $219.99 in the United States and listed as in stock on CalDigit's website, where UK customers can also buy it. For customers in the rest of Europe, CalDigit says the dock will be available to purchase on Amazon starting later this month.

CalDigit has also introduced a new Thunderbolt 4 cable that works with any USB-C device, including Macs, providing up to 40Gb/s data speeds and up to 100W of power delivery. A 0.8-meter version of the cable is available now for $29.99 on CalDigit's website, and a two-meter version is slated to begin shipping in February.

OWC also introduced a Thunderbolt 4 dock last week that may be worth checking out for customers who are considering purchasing one.

Update: CalDigit has clarified that this is officially a Thunderbolt 3 dock with Thunderbolt 4 compatibility, although the specifications are virtually identical for Macs.

Article Link: CalDigit Introduces USB-C Dock With 10 Ports and Up to 94W Charging for Macs [Updated]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/13/caldigit-thunderbolt-4-dock/
Last edited:
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Populus

Populus

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A quick question : the new M1 macs have Thunderbolt 4 or 3? Because reading Apples website isn’t very clear, as they say Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, but then, they say Thunderbolt 3 video on the specifications...

If Apple’s latest macs are Thunderbolt 3, I don’t see the advantage of a Thunderbolt 4 hub.
 
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Populus

Populus

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dwaltwhit said:
If I am dropping this much money, I plan on having it a long time. I think I'd rather see more USB-c than a. Not all, but maybe 3 C's and an A?
Click to expand...
It's a trend that is lasting years, the USB-C hubs usually have few USB type C inputs, they usually have 3 or 4 USB-A and then 1 or 2 Type C if you're lucky. I could understand that in 2016. I don't understand it in 2021. Woah, time flies.
 
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BeatCrazy

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Populus said:
A quick question : the new M1 macs have Thunderbolt 4 or 3? Because reading Apples website isn’t very clear, as they say Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, but then, they say Thunderbolt 3 video on the specifications...

If Apple’s latest macs are Thunderbolt 3, I don’t see the advantage of a Thunderbolt 4 hub.
Click to expand...
The M1 can't technically market its ports as TB4 because they don't support the number of video outputs required for TB4 certification. But they do use updated controllers, so they're more akin to TB4, vs. older TB3 tech.
 
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gaximus

gaximus

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Populus said:
A quick question : the new M1 macs have Thunderbolt 4 or 3? Because reading Apples website isn’t very clear, as they say Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, but then, they say Thunderbolt 3 video on the specifications...

If Apple’s latest macs are Thunderbolt 3, I don’t see the advantage of a Thunderbolt 4 hub.
Click to expand...
My M1 Mac shows the USB as 3.1 and the thunderbolt at 40Gb/s, which is Thunderbolt 4 spec.
 
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maxsquared

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Populus said:
A quick question : the new M1 macs have Thunderbolt 4 or 3? Because reading Apples website isn’t very clear, as they say Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, but then, they say Thunderbolt 3 video on the specifications...

If Apple’s latest macs are Thunderbolt 3, I don’t see the advantage of a Thunderbolt 4 hub.
Click to expand...
Thunderbolt 3

Thunderbolt 3 = USB 4
 
B

bier-meister

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Nov 25, 2008
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I was looking to upgrade my thunderbolt 3 hub in the middle of last year as I wanted to get a new monitor, but all the hubs were limited to 60Hz, and it looks like this is the case again with the thunderbolt 4 hubs. What's the reason for this?
 
ruka.snow

ruka.snow

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These must be cheep to produce since we always see them with the same legacy ports. No CF Express, no additional USB-C/TB 3 ports, no 2.5/5/10 Gbps ethernet, no S/DIF in/out.
 
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reubs

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I’ve got a TS3+ being delivered today. Can’t quite tell whether I should return that; save some money; and get this one instead or not.

Or another one entirely.
 
T

TechRemarker

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Jun 17, 2009
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Was briefly excited as I have the TS3 Plus which I love, but it can't charge a MBP 16 at full speed and this new one can, however, rather than adding more usb-c ports, this has even less usb-c ports than the ts3 plus, and 2 hdmi ports, so I assume this new dock, isn't meant to replace their flagship ts3 plus and rather hopefully a replacement for that is coming soon.
 
TheDailyApple

TheDailyApple

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Populus said:
A quick question : the new M1 macs have Thunderbolt 4 or 3? Because reading Apples website isn’t very clear, as they say Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, but then, they say Thunderbolt 3 video on the specifications...

If Apple’s latest macs are Thunderbolt 3, I don’t see the advantage of a Thunderbolt 4 hub.
Click to expand...
Macrumors’ post is a bit misleading. The dock is a Thunderbolt 3 dock, and Caldigit is just advertising that it is compatible with Thunderbolt 4 hosts. It’s identical to their (latest model) USB-C Pro dock except with HDMI instead of DisplayPort. Both docks support Thunderbolt 3, but can also run off a no Thunderbolt host like an iPad (just with lower bandwidth).
 
C

carestudio

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Aug 6, 2008
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Populus said:
A quick question : the new M1 macs have Thunderbolt 4 or 3? Because reading Apples website isn’t very clear, as they say Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, but then, they say Thunderbolt 3 video on the specifications...

If Apple’s latest macs are Thunderbolt 3, I don’t see the advantage of a Thunderbolt 4 hub.
Click to expand...

AFAIK, thunderbolt 3 is thunderbolt 4 and thunderbolt 4 is thunderbolt 3. no difference. It's just intel upgraded it's naming. Just like USB 3.0 is USB 3.1 and USB 3.1 is USB 3.2.
 
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socialwill

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Jul 14, 2014
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So it looks like this TB4 dock will not work with the XDR display since it is HDMI only and no TB connection outside of the Mac? The TB3 dock does work with XDR.

The new M1 Macs are TB3 & USB4. They are not TB4 ports as it might be a licensing issue with Intel and/or it could be something with the M1 chips and would be coming in a later chip, say M2 or something else.
 
C

carestudio

macrumors 6502a
Aug 6, 2008
653
164
reubs said:
I’ve got a TS3+ being delivered today. Can’t quite tell whether I should return that; save some money; and get this one instead or not.

Or another one entirely.
Click to expand...
I have been using TS3+ for years, very solid. From the product spec, I think this new USB-C HDMI dock is meant for a regular users who do not need that many USB-A ports but like HDMI connection instead of DP. Pro users should still use TS3+ as it provides more ports.
 
B

BeatCrazy

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Jul 20, 2011
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carestudio said:
AFAIK, thunderbolt 3 is thunderbolt 4 and thunderbolt 4 is thunderbolt 3. no difference. It's just intel upgraded it's naming. Just like USB 3.0 is USB 3.1 and USB 3.1 is USB 3.2.
Click to expand...
No because all TB4 docks have backwards compatibility with USB-C only hosts. Not all TB3 docks (only one, I think), have backwards compatibility with USB-C hosts.
 
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