MacBook Docking Station Dual Monitor(Not M1)

I needed a docking station set up for my 2018 MacBook Pro, and a lot of the options out there were well over $100 just for the station itself. This one seemed like it would be decent quality, and the price was quite good too, so I went for it. It's completely made of aluminum, so it does get quite warm when in use, but that's to be expected for something that puts 100W through itself. When it's standing up, it almost looks like a mini Mac Pro, which is quite neat. The heat has to go somewhere. I have it connected to two HDMI high refresh rate monitors @ 144Hz, and it performs flawlessly in that respect. No issues whatsoever when connected up. The double USB-C cable it comes with is quite short, about 2.5-3 feet long, which would be sufficient for most people's desk setups. I wanted to place my MacBook underneath my desk to free up space on the desk, so I decided to get two Thunderbolt 3 cables and connect them up just like the cable that came in the box, and it works just as well. The only downside to doing this is that I have to plug two cables in now instead of 1, but it's well worth it for the freed desk space. One thing of note is that while on the product page it specifies that it takes 100W max input, you need to make sure that the power adapter and cable you use also can keep up with this. Under heavy loads, like rendering video, I noticed that my battery percentage was dropping by a significant amount, and that the battery wasn't being charged. I checked the output from the USB-C power adapter I was using (rated 100W) and found that it was only drawing about 65W at peak load using a USB-C power tester, which would explain why the battery percentage was dropping under load. I was using an original Apple USB-C cable, so I swapped it for another cable that specifically was rated for 100W, and now it draws about 90W under load, which is more in line with what I expected. If you buy this dock and notice your battery level dropping while under load, check the power adapter and the cable to make sure that it's pulling close to 100W, otherwise your laptop will lose charge with this. All of the ports work flawlessly, though be aware that the MicroSD card slot does stick out a significant amount when plugged in, so try not to force it in, lest you break your SD card. My setup consists of two high-refresh rate monitors, a USB DAC/Amp combo going to external speakers, keyboard, mouse, and an external hard drive all plugged in at once, and it takes it all with ports to spare. This is a very excellent dock for my needs, and if you have a 2016-2018 Intel MacBook Pro and need a docking setup for it, this is a good option to look into.

UPDATE: The customer service is top-notch. There was an issue with the cable. There was a quick replacement and the docking station is working excellent and as described. It was great at first, but for some reason, it stopped connecting all together to my MacBook Pro.

This hub feels high quality and looks sleek. The dual HDMI display connections work great on my MacBook Pro 16" (except for display rate...see below). My monitors turn on nearly instantly with video when I wake my laptop. However, I gave it 4 stars because of a few issues: 1. Despite the product description indicating both HDMI outputs at 60Hz, only one of them is 60Hz; the other is 30Hz. The seller was very responsive, and offered a partial refund while they work out the issue with the supplier, after which they'll send a replacement. Amazing customer service! 2. The hub kills the data connection to my MOKOSE 4k USB webcam after having been connected for a long time (my laptop gets no video from the camera in this state). This does not happen when I plug the camera directly into a USB port on my laptop. The seller is having their R&D team to investigate. 3. The power button on the hub sometimes slides underneath the casing during a press, causing it to get stuck. I just keep it powered on all the time now to avoid the minor issue.

I bought this to use to add ports to a 2021 MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip (listed as supported). It worked for a couple hours driving a main and extended monitor, then started turning monitors on and off. The extended monitor then saw no signal and goes to sleep. In troubleshooting, I tried three different cables and two different monitors. No joy in getting an HDMI signal. None got a signal (and from either of the two HDMI ports on this dock). I'm back to my much cheaper (and with fewer ports) mini dock and both monitors are now working fine. Amazon is sending a replacement. Hopefully it works, and for longer than half a day. I'll update with my experience on the dock replacement. On edit: the replacement had the identical problem (and see also another one star reviewer below). It worked fine an hour or so - then the extended monitor again sees no signal and goes blank. Various steps to "wake" it fail. It's not the monitor, it works fine in extended mode with another cheap dock. Also, the monitors aren't being being pushed hard. These are running below full 4K resolution. I'll see if their customer support has any ideas of a fix - and will update. 50 hours since I since a detailed problem report to Gissmo, but no response. I'm returning the replacement and will hope to find another brand/model that works as well as the tiny dock I'm using now. I just want/need one with enough additional ports to few more devices. Dual HDMI compatabiity with the 2021 14" MacBook Pro MI Pro seems to be a problem with several docks, despite (as in this case) being listed as compatible. Many of the alternatives are now either out of stock (chip shortages??) or have a high number of unsatisfied customers .

I like this loading dock—the size is perfect! I’m so impressed with its functionality. It’s sturdy, well-built, and ideal for organizing my devices. With multiple ports, I can easily connect my laptop, screens, phone, and iPad all at once. The data transfer speeds are fast, and the power output is excellent. The additional HDMI port is a great bonus too. I 100% recommend this dock to anyone looking for a reliable and efficient way to streamline their workstation!

I only use one external monitor while the MacBooks have their lid closed. With a MacBook 16 (Intel, 2019) it doesn't seem to support enough power. Less of an issue with an MacBook 13 (M2 chip, 2022) but the 34" ultrawide monitor still flickers occasionally. Very interruptive. Maybe I got a defective unit, I don't know. Sometimes switching HDMI interfaces helps. Update July 2025: I think I got a replacement when I first experienced problems a year ago, but now I'm seeing issues with some USB ports not getting power for a few seconds. It's super interruptive during my workday and I can no longer rely on this unit. At the end of the day this feels like cheap equipment that might fail on you long after purchase. The combination of accessories that I have connected hasn't change in months. I have since switched back to a more generic USB hub that, while comes with messy cabling, still functions predictably.

I've tried a couple other docks since switching from a desktop to Macbook Air M2 and I've been disappointed in one way or another every time. Tired of wasting money, I finally did some more research and kept seeing this little guy pop up. It's considerably more expensive than the other options I've tried, but boy howdy has it been so much less of a hassle than any of the other ones. Just remember to go into your sound settings to change the output device if you want to use the headphone jack. That was the only thing that threw me off initially, but it works flawlessly once you've set it the first time.

Having been unceremoniously thrust into the world of Mac computing by way of a new job, I had to learn a lot about these things quickly. I'd been given a 2019 Macbook Pro 16" and had three Dell branded external monitors that take either HDMI or Displaylink inputs. The Macbook has Thunderbolt-3 outputs. There are lots of docks that have 2-3 video outputs but if you read the fine print, typically one will only output 4K @ 60hz. Often times they'll share a single output by running two outputs at 30hz or something equally downgrading. This dock was one of the only ones I was able to find which has a "double" Thunderbolt-3 connector. Each side of the Macbook pro has two TB-3 outputs. This dock will "consume" a single dual-TB3-output. This is important since it allows the dock to simply passthrough two independent hardware outputs built-into the laptop, thus achieving "native" resolutions and frame-rates on external monitors. It's as if those monitors were plugged directly in, since all the dock is doing here is acting as a pass-through. So far, I'm very happy with this dock, it does exactly what it says it will do, and that's excellent by me!