Today Microsoft launched the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock, noteworthy for one key absence: the Surface Connector, which has now been changed with a typical Thunderbolt 4 interface.

Why is that this necessary? For years, Microsoft Surface units have been pushed and charged through the Surface Connector, a singular and proprietary charging port that transferred knowledge and energy to Surface units. For Surface followers, this wasn’t an issue: like early IBM ThinkPads, the charger and its proprietary charging port served as a handy spare via successive generations. As laptops tried out completely different iterations of barrel chargers, the consistency was a bonus.

However, because the USB-C {hardware} port and the associated Thunderbolt port protocol grew to become extra frequent, the necessity for a proprietary Surface connector diminished. Virtually all Thunderbolt docks now provide energy in addition to the usual 40Gbps of knowledge, which satisfies each necessities. Microsoft’s Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock makes use of a 165W energy brick, passing as much as 96W to any linked laptops. And sure, we may see the writing on the wall—it rendered the older Surface Docks irrelevant.

One shock, actually, was that Microsoft waited on the extra stringent Thunderbolt 4 spec, versus debuting a Thunderbolt 3 dock, as a substitute. Some even puzzled whether or not Microsoft would simply await what’s informally often called the 80Gbps Thunderbolt spec, which Intel has already proven off. We now know the solutions to each questions.

Microsoft’s Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock definitely qualifies as a dock, although Microsoft selected the route that’s generally related to Thunderbolt hubs: There aren’t any devoted show ports. Instead, there’s a front-facing Thunderbolt 4 port to connect with the PC (plus a 31-inch Thunderbolt 4 cable) and two rear-facing Thunderbolt 4 ports as properly. That implies that you just’ll both want a USB-C (Thunderbolt) to DisplayPort cable, or else guess on Thunderbolt shows turning into a factor. So far, Thunderbolt inputs are often solely related to high-end shows. Otherwise, you’ll want a second Thunderbolt dock or USB-C dongle to route the sign.

Microsoft

The Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock makes use of Microsoft’s dock aesthetic: a black brick. It additionally features a front-facing 10Mbps USB-A port (supplying 7.5W to cost your smartphone) and two an identical USB-A ports on the rear. There can be a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a screw nut for a desk mount. (If the USB-A ports don’t provide sufficient energy to your cellphone, you should utilize a free Thunderbolt 4 port and its 15W of energy.)

Otherwise, the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock is optimized for the Surface Laptop 5, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Pro 8, and the Surface Pro 9—although solely the Intel model, and never the Surface Pro 9’s Arm variant. It’s suitable with units that embrace a USB-C port, however not Thunderbolt: the Surface Pro 9 with 5G, the Surface Pro 7+, and earlier units. The distinction between the 2 is basically the variety of supported shows: USB-C ports with out Thunderbolt can help a 1080p or single 4K show, whereas a Thunderbolt port has sufficient bandwidth to help a pair of 4K shows at 60Hz for optimum productiveness.

Mark Hachman / IDG

What does this imply for future Surface units? The implication is that the Surface Connector is on its approach out in future units, although Microsoft hasn’t confirmed this.

“We designed Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock as the optimal dock for Surface devices with USB4/Thunderbolt 4 support,” a Microsoft consultant mentioned in an announcement. “Surface Dock 2 will continue to be available to support non-USB-C devices.”

Microsoft will promote the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock via Microsoft.com, for a reasonably commonplace value of $299.99. We anticipate to ultimately check it as a part of our roundup of the best Thunderbolt docks.