The best dock stations for your laptop
April 21, 2019
Did you buy a laptop but found that most of the time you work from home, and you don’t get to take it out or somewhere else as much as you thought you would? We understand you. Laptops are meant to be mobile, but not necessarily -constantly- on the move. There is a time and a place for movement, and like most of laptop owners, you find yourself working or using it in the comfort of your own home, with your desk and accessories. We want to show you how much your life and productivity would improve with a dock station for your laptop. Read on.
Why should you buy a laptop docking station
In the quest for a better desktop it is customary to obtain all the adequate parts that make the whole (read: battlestation) look better, feel better and most importantly, improve productivity and remove clutter.
Laptop dock stations are the best way to improve your desktop, on many different ways.
Better cable management
Keep everything tidy and organized. With a laptop docking station you can make sure that everything that used to be connected to the sides and back of the laptop (imagine the mess) now is going into the back of the docking station, so that each cord and cable can be easily organized later on now that everything is going into the same place/direction.
ThinkPad on a non-Lenovo docking station.
Port extension
Docking stations for laptops have more than two (2) HDMI ports and also DisplayPort, hence allowing you to connect many more monitors that you usually could that if you were to use your laptop without dock. Docking stations also allow for additional ports such as USB, thunderbolt, audio, microphone, ethernet, etc.
Plug-out and play
Want to take the laptop away? Just plug it out and forget. The days of having to unplug every single component or peripheral are long gone. Are you running late to your meeting? Just un-dock your laptop by pressing one button (in many cases) or unplug the single USB cable with to which the laptop attaches to the docking station, and you are good to go.
We are particularly fond of the ThinkPad docking station, as it is the one we own and are absolutely IN LOVE with it. See below in the recommendations.
The best 10 docking stations for your laptop
And without further ado, let us dive right into the list of recommended docking stations for your laptop:
Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station
External pluggable docking station. Just plug it to your laptop and everything will be connected instantly.
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Microsoft Surface Dock
External pluggable docking station by Microsoft, with 100% compatibility with Microsoft Surface devices.
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Dell USB 3.0 Ultra HD/4K Triple Display Docking Station
External docking station manufactured by Dell. Boasts of two HDMI ports, ethernet, DisplayPort, 3.5mm jack and two USB 3.0 ports.
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For those of you who love ports, Lenovo puts out an USB-C external dock.
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Lenovo ThinkPad Ultra Dock With 90W
The best dock for any Lenovo Thinkpad user. Just plug it and play. Plenty of ports plus security lock and satisfying 'click' sound upon push. What's not to like?
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HP UltraSlim Docking Station
The go-to docking station for HP Elitebook owners. In the same fashion as Lenovo's dock, just attach your laptop to it and start working.
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Cable Matters Aluminum Thunderbolt 3 Dock
External docking station made of aluminium with three USB-C ports, Thunderbolt 3 and display connectivity.
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AmazonBasics USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station
The AmazonBasics choice for universal docking stations. A great choice at a competitive price.
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Wavlink USB C,Type-A Dual 4K Laptop Docking Station
This external docking station boasts of 2x HDMI ports plus 2x DisplayPort plus 6x USB 3.0 ports, Thunderbolt, Ethernet, USB-C, Audio, Microphone and Power-In. A total juggernaut to keep your cables in check.
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And now the docking stations for Apple Macbook users
The essential docking station for any owner of an Apple Macbook. Horizontal base with plenty of ports and solid look.
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Vertical Dock for MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) by Henge Docks
In contrast to the horizontal dock, the guys at HengeDocks have created the ultimate aesthetic addition for any Apple Macbook owner. This vertical dock allow you to save desk space and remove clutter while giving a great appearance to the overall picture. 100% recommended.
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We sincerely hope you enjoyed this buying guide, and if you did, share this article to whomever you think might be useful for!