Chicago
Track Your Order
0
3 clever uses for a USB-C dock that aren't obvious
Laptop docking stations are certainly a niche product, seemingly best suited for corporations where employees use laptops, but also need access to large screens, a proper keyboard, and a mouse when working at a table. I still remember them as the clunky plastic brick you’d snap a fat ThinkPad into, instantly connecting it to an array of beige peripherals. Today, a simple USB-C cable and sleek aluminum slabs have replaced these docks, while the fundamental purpose remains unchanged. For that, it works beautifully, but you should stop to think about how much potential is just left on the table now—literally—because we've switched to USB-C.
To be clear, all Thunderbolt docks use the familiar USB-C connector, but they aren't created equal. USB-C is a hardware connector standard, while Thunderbolt is a data protocol spanning multiple generations, each offering more and faster data throughput than the one before it. Typically, USB-C docks offer the versatility of simultaneous display output, data transfer, and power delivery. A Thunderbolt dock, however, is on another level, guaranteeing a massive 40Gbps of bandwidth. This allows it to handle more demanding tasks simultaneously, like driving multiple 4K displays at high refresh rates while transferring files rapidly and simultaneously. You're better off with Thunderbolt tech, but a standard USB-C dock is useful far beyond the advertised cases, too.
Dock more than just your laptop
A step-up for handheld gaming consoles
A handheld gaming console like a Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally has become the default way to take your AAA titles with you wherever you go, playable just like they would on a full-fledged gaming PC. The magic starts to fade, though, when I want to play a competitive shooter or a complex strategy game where a mouse and keyboard are non-negotiable. Sure, I could try to prop the tiny screen up on a stack of books and connect Bluetooth peripherals, but that’s a clunky solution that screams compromise. This is where the USB-C dock transforms from a laptop accessory into a full-blown gaming peripheral center, complete with a multi-monitor setup that your PC also uses.
By plugging a device like the ROG Ally into the dock, you can instantly connect it to a large, high-refresh-rate gaming monitor, a mechanical keyboard, a low-latency gaming mouse, and even a wired Ethernet connection for lag-free online matches. At that point, you've reverted a surprisingly capable gaming handheld back to its PC origins. Moreover, you can connect all the required peripherals to the dock without a second thought, as most of them have sufficient ports. You can also slash load times and carry a bigger game library around with you on an external SSD. The dock effectively bridges the gap between portable convenience and desktop performance, giving you the best of both worlds from a single gaming device.
You might wonder how docking a console beats using a proper PC. Sadly, it doesn't beat dedicated hardware. But the beauty of this setup is its resourcefulness. You're leveraging the powerful hardware you already own to get closer to a PC experience without sacrificing the portability you love. By extension, you can also use a tablet as a portable computing workstation, the same way. It's for the person who values minimalism and versatility without constantly switching between devices when the task at hand hasn't changed.
Emergency multi-device charger
A power strip that's never marketed as one
Content creators, photographers, and even busy office managers know the anxiety of charging as they walk away from their multi-port power stations at home, with puny little power banks as backup. They still come back with bags full of gear, gasping for power at the end of a workday, all fighting for charging spots on the limited power strips at the wall outlets. A USB-C dock, especially one with a high-wattage power adapter (think 100W or more), can become your salvation. It's a centralized, organized charging hub that can juice up multiple gadgets at once.
Instead of hunting for five different chargers, you can simply plug the dock into a single outlet and connect all your devices to its array of USB-A and USB-C ports. The dock’s internal circuitry is smart enough to distribute the power efficiently, sending a bigger slice of the pie to a power-hungry laptop while simultaneously topping off your phone, headphones, and camera batteries. This has been a lifesaver for me when I need a quick turnaround on my gear. Everything gets plugged into one spot, and I can see at a glance what’s charging.
This singular feature compels me to carry my laptop dock rather than a high-wattage GaN power station on outstation trips, especially if the laptop is coming along anyway. The power station won't manage data throughput, but the dock can. That same device that’s charging your camera batteries can also be used to offload the photos from your SD card. The port topping off your phone can also be used for data transfer.
Expanded storage
With models that support the feature
This is one of my favorite—and perhaps most niche—tricks. My drawer is full of old M.2 NVMe drives—relics from previous laptop upgrades. They’re too low-capacity to be a primary drive in a new build, but too fast to just throw away. An external enclosure is one option, but that’s just another gadget with another cable. That's when I discovered some USB-C docks with an integrated M.2 SSD slot. With a drive populated here, I can add external high-speed storage to offload backups or move important files between devices with the dock acting as an intermediary.
There aren't many docks that support this functionality, but I just need a single USB-C cable to connect my device, offering more I/O and a terabyte of lightning-fast storage. I use it for video editing projects, so I keep massive 4K files off my laptop's internal drive without sacrificing speed for smooth workflows. It’s also fantastic for backups or as a shared physical drive in situations where a mapped network drive is unfeasible. Yes, you can also use the SSD in an external enclosure and make it more portable, too, but in an integrated and clutter-resistant workstation, it is merely another peripheral with its own little cable. Combining your dock and your fast external storage into a single unit is far more elegant than having two separate devices.
Docks are the unsung hero I didn't know I needed
USB-C docks are useful even if you don't have a laptop to connect to them. These versatile hubs can connect entire accessory ecosystems to your host device with a single USB-C connector, extending the capabilities of a handheld game console, offering high-speed storage to all connected devices, or just charging every connected accessory, so your power brick doesn't come on holidays. By looking at its features—high-speed data transfer, robust power delivery, and a variety of ports—you can find clever ways to solve a multitude of problems. In a world cluttered with single-purpose gadgets and a rat's nest of cables, the USB-C dock stands out, and there's plenty of untapped potential.