Quite merely, now could be the time to purchase a Thunderbolt docking station.

The argument is straightforward: Thunderbolt docks are lastly on sale, they usually haven’t been for a number of years. And we’re not speaking about rinky-dink gross sales of some {dollars} right here and there. Discounts throughout this yr’s two-day Prime Day sale are working as excessive as half off the Belkin Thunderbolt Dock Core, with the best Prime Day deals for Thunderbolt docks saving you near $100.

Here’s what’s happening. Thunderbolt docks emerged from the shadows round 2019 or 2020 or so, as laptop computer makers started recognizing that the rising USB-C port may exchange the necessity for embedding HDMI, SD, USB-A, and different ports alongside the facet of their laptops. Laptops may lastly be skinny, svelte, and appear like Macs! The rising reputation of the 40Gbps Thunderbolt protocol throughout Tenth- and Eleventh-gen Intel Core laptops additionally meant that this single USB-C port grew to become vastly extra highly effective.

Cue the pandemic. Workers headed residence, quickly realizing that they wish to replicate their workplace workspace with a number of screens and USB gadgets to get extra completed. What to do? Thunderbolt docks supplied an answer: Plug in a number of 4K shows all from a single port. Demand rose. But the pandemic bit arduous, right here, too. With provide chains thrown out of whack, sure Thunderbolt dock components were being snapped up by electric car makers. Prices began spiking, and basic availability grew to become an issue.

About eighteen months later, issues have modified. The pandemic might not be completely over, however the Thunderbolt dock provide chain has relaxed. Plugable founder Bernie Thompson informed PCWorld final week that the corporate has tried to maneuver its sourcing operations to Thailand to make it simpler to purchase and assemble docks. (China has aggressively locked down cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen, tech hubs the place many laptop equipment are made.)

Consumers additionally profit from the will to maneuver on. You’ll discover older Thunderbolt 3 {hardware} like this Editors’ Choice award-winning Plugable TBT3-UDZ dock obtain reductions, partially as a result of the newest specification is Thunderbolt 4. But Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 are virtually functionally an identical, which means you can snap up a Thunderbolt 3 deal like day-old bread: It’s actually virtually nearly as good because the freshest {hardware}.

The bother — which calls for a separate story — is that there’s a complicated mess of {hardware} that may match into that USB-C port and broaden your PC. This contains USB-C hubs and dongles, Thunderbolt docks, DisplayLink docks, and even high-bit-rate choices that may squeeze out extra efficiency on sure PCs. We’ve tried to maintain it easy, specializing in gradual, low cost USB-C hubs/dongles, and the sooner Thunderbolt docks.

What all of it boils right down to, although, is that you just’re lastly seeing truly, honest-to-goodness gross sales on Thunderbolt {hardware} throughout these Prime Day gross sales. If you could have held again from shopping for since you have been unwilling to spend the additional cash, start looking for a Thunderbolt dock deal. Things have lastly modified for the higher.