Kensington EQ Pro Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station review: Spec’d and priced for pros

Price When Reviewed

$449.99

Best Prices Today: Kensington SD7100T5 EQ Pro 19-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station 

Editor’s Note: At press time, Kensington had solely begun delivery the model of this dock designed for the Apple Mac. The Amazon hyperlink above factors at that model, whereas the Kensington procuring hyperlink above doesn’t but have availability. You ought to be capable of use the “Mac” model of this dock referenced above by simply downloading the Windows software program bundle.

Kensington’s EQ Pro Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station, often known as the SD7100TS, is a monster of a dock, whose $450 value is roughly double what some producers cost for the present technology of Thunderbolt 4 docks. It’s a hefty funding, however this 19-in-1 docking station additionally presents options that rival laptop computer docking stations merely don’t.

It’s value noting, although, that this can be a Thunderbolt 5 dock, a know-how we’ve been speaking about since 2023. However, the 2026 laptop computer platforms for all three PC processor makers, together with Intel’s Panther Lake, is not going to help Thunderbolt 5 besides by way of a costlier discrete chip. That doubtless makes Thunderbolt 5 a distinct segment know-how.

(Yes, you possibly can future-proof your desk with this dock. But if you wish to save within the brief time period, you would possibly need to look elsewhere in our record of the best laptop docking stations.)

With that stated, Kensington nonetheless presents quite a few promoting factors: a CompactFlash slot, one thing that photographers would possibly admire; a devoted (and empty) M.2 slot to insert an SSD; an optical audio enter; and two devoted sizzling keys on the highest of the dock which can be utilized for a number of functions. Kensington sells a model of this dock for Macs for a similar value; there, these keys are used for kicking off a devoted photograph backup.

Otherwise, the dock consists of three Thunderbolt 5 ports for connecting shows. (Note that you just’ll want to speculate a bit extra in show cables/adapters in case your shows lack USB-C or Thunderbolt enter, about $18 or so. to connect with a 4K show at 60Hz, or $24 for a 4K240 gaming display.) The dock consists of 4 10Gbps USB-A ports and two 10Gbps USB-C ports, with a USB-C port able to outputting 30W for charging a cellphone. Some newer telephones require 40W or extra to fast-charge, nonetheless.

However, this dock has a “KonstantCharge” characteristic which permits gadgets to be charged even when the dock isn’t related to a laptop computer, which is moderately neat. It works, too, on all of the ports I attempted. (The 30W charging port delivered 28.6 watts below load, and the opposite USB-C port offered about 6 watts. The (upstream) Thunderbolt 5 port delivered 13.6W, whereas the downstream Thunderbolt 5 port to the laptop computer offered a most of 85 watts of energy. (We’ll revisit this, under.)

Foundry / Mark Hachman

The dock additionally features a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, in addition to some oddities: Instead of a single 3.5mm mic/headphone jack, the dock has separate mic, speaker, and headphone I/O ports, plus an optical connection! The latter can be utilized to cross uncompressed audio to some high-end audio methods. Digital photographers may profit from the inclusion of a CompactFlash card slot, one thing that I haven’t seen for years, along with the miniSD and SD card slots.

I truthfully didn’t anticipate an optical connection, so I used to be completely unable to check that. All of the opposite audio connections labored as anticipated.

The two hotkeys add a further layer of performance, though they’re probably not essential. By default, they’re configured to lock your PC and to set off the Copilot app, though my overview unit nonetheless included the “photos” icon that I consider ships with the Mac model. There’s a small catch: You’ll have to have the Kensington Konnect software program put in for the buttons to work in any respect, and Kensington additionally recommends that you just set up its Dockworks software program too for the most effective connectivity. Everything else, nonetheless, works proper out of the field.

A small white LED on the dock lights whereas the new key’s lively.

I truthfully don’t see a complete lot of use for the hotkeys, because you’ll in all probability have already memorized the keyboard shortcuts as a substitute. But they’re simply another choice, identical to a laptop computer touchpad dietary supplements a mouse.

The total dock connects to the laptop computer by way of a one-meter cable. This dock helps Thunderbolt 5’s functionality to ship 140W of energy, however I haven’t discovered a laptop computer geared up with Thunderbolt 5 that accepts that stage of energy. I detected about 80W of energy being handed between the dock to my take a look at laptop computer, about the identical as each different Thunderbolt 5 dock I’ve examined.

Foundry / Mark Hachman

Kensington applied an attention-grabbing method so as to add an M.2 SSD. Perhaps due to its institutional concentrate on security (the dock features a pair of Kensington lock slots, in any case), the SSD compartment is secured by a screw on one facet of the dock itself. Only then can the compartment be indifferent from the underside of the dock and the M.2 SSD screw eliminated earlier than it could all be put again collectively. (Fortunately, the dock screw seems to be non-obligatory, because the M.2 compartment looks as if it’s securely clipped in.) Make certain you energy off the dock, disconnect it, after which add the SSD.

I a lot most popular the best way Razer applied the SSD set up contained in the Razer Thunderbolt 5 Dock Chroma…although the SSD ended up getting caught inside it and required some drive to dislodge it.

The dock itself is constructed from partially recycled aluminum and by no means grew to become heat sufficient to fret about. Some docks have included an lively fan for cooling functions, however not this one.

Foundry / Mark Hachman

Kensington EQ Pro Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station (SD7100TS) efficiency

Laptops geared up with Thunderbolt 5 ports are nonetheless considerably uncommon, so discovering a correct take a look at mattress has been a constant problem. My current opinions have used a Razer Blade 18, on mortgage from Razer.

My current overview of Razer’s Thunderbolt 5 Dock Chroma merely wouldn’t ship energy whereas gaming, a black mark towards it. Kensington’s SD7100TS dock offered a gentle 80 to 85 watts of energy whereas below regular load. On one event, Kensington’s dock additionally didn’t ship energy whereas gaming, whereas related to Blade 18’s Thunderbolt 5 port, however usually delivered constant energy to the laptop computer’s Thunderbolt 5 port in addition to the separate Thunderbolt 4 port. That makes me assume that the Blade laptop computer would possibly nonetheless have a lingering situation that must be addressed.

Kensington’s dock is rated to ship as much as 140W to a related laptop computer, which should help the USB-C PD 3.1 EPR customary to just accept that a lot energy. It’s not clear whether or not Razer’s Blade 18 does so, which implies that I wasn’t in a position to take a look at this functionality totally. It’s essential, nonetheless, as a result of some laptops will demand that a lot energy — or extra — whereas gaming.

Kensington’s dock did ship energy constantly to different laptops I examined, nonetheless, all of which had Thunderbolt 4 ports.

From a stability standpoint, the dock was barely disappointing. Kensington recommends that you just set up its Dockworks software program, which permits for just a few options, like automated switching to Wi-Fi when the dock and an Ethernet connection are switched off. On one event, the dock had bother connecting to a second show, solely doing so after restarting the PC, after which ready a while. Kensington’s docks are normally fairly steady, and apart from the aforementioned situation, that was true. I examined the SD7100TS for a interval of a number of days, and the dock was completely steady throughout regular use. It was simply after resuming or restarting that I observed these points.

From a efficiency standpoint, Kensington’s dock was barely slower than different Thunderbolt 5 docks I’ve examined: The Sonnet Echo 13 transferred knowledge from our take a look at SSD at about 436MB/s, whereas the Plugable TBT-UDT3 was about the identical. Kensington’s drive transferred knowledge at 398MB/s, or 9 % slower. All of those assessments have been carried out utilizing UL’s PCMark 10 benchmark, as per my docking station testing methodology. Kensington’s dock additionally streamed a pair of 4K streams with none situation in any respect. When I reran the SSD knowledge switch take a look at, efficiency dropped to 378MB/s, a bit greater than normal.

Foundry / Mark Hachman

I then copied a number of gigabytes of information from a folder on my desktop to the SSD hooked up to the dock. The dock carried out usually, taking about 16 seconds. (Sonnet’s dock is the quickest right here, at about 14 seconds.) While streaming, that dropped to 17.3 seconds. Obviously, that distinction would enlarge the extra knowledge you transferred at a time.

Like the Chroma, the Kensington EQ Pro Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station consists of an M.2 slot, into which you’ll insert an SSD. My assessments discovered that that SSD inside Kensington’s dock carried out primarily the identical because the Razer Thunderbolt Dock Chroma, one other Thunderbolt 5 dock with an M.2. SSD slot, when performing a folder copy: 16.8 seconds by itself, and 17.5 seconds whereas streaming 4K video. On the PCMark storage take a look at, Kensington’s dock carried out about the identical: 426MB/s, up from 423MB/s for Razer’s dock, and 408MB/s whereas streaming versus 415MB/s for Razer.

Should you purchase the Kensington EQ Pro Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station (SD7100TS)?

Well, certain. That’s what second mortgages are for.

Seriously, this dock is considerably greater than the $250 or so I anticipate as the value of a Thunderbolt 4 dock. I get it — Thunderbolt 5’s element prices are increased than Thunderbolt 4, and premium options just like the optical connection, CompactFlash slot, and the M.2 SSD repository price extra to engineer in.

Truly, although, this dock caters to the high-end inventive skilled: The CompactFlash slot for the pictures pastime on the facet; the high-end optical connection for a set of studio audio system on the desk; the facility of Thunderbolt 5 alongside the hidden M.2 slot.

For me, this dock is simply too costly to advocate to the typical consumer. But as a premium dock geared toward an expert, definitely. Just be sure that to place it on the expense account.