The Thunderbolt interface – and USB-C – has been one of my favorite computer features (and computer-like devices e.g. iPad) introduced in at least the past decade, up there with USB 3.0 and Solid State Drives. There was a lot of fuss when Apple moved to Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.2* ports in their MacBook Pro models in late 2016; most people decried the idea of needing to use adapters or “dongles” (as one Apple rep around that time called them when I looked at some in a store). I was one of them. If you only used Apple computers, you didn’t know anything about Thunderbolt 3, which had been used in many Windows laptops for an entire year prior to Apple’s adoption. Also, not many devices or peripherals had Thunderbolt 3 connectivity in 2016; USB 3.0 was still the prevailing interface.
*USB 3.2 is a USB-C interface and may support Thunderbolt 3 speeds, but it has a 5Gb/s minimum speed and doesn’t require TB3’s 16Gb/s PCI-e, nor does it require support for a minimum display resolution. It also has a minimum charge output of only 4.5W. One advantage to USB 3.2 over TB3 is it usually displays the speed (see graphic down the page) whereas TB3 only has the lightning bolt, which tells you nothing about its actual specs beyond the minimum requirements.
Apple specifically took flack for moving the MacBooks entirely to Thunderbolt 3 in 2015; they replaced all of the standard USB-A ports with TB3 (two or four ports depending on the size), which at the time was highly unusual. Actually, it still is – I can’t think of any other non-Apple laptop that only has Thunderbolt ports, though I’m sure some exist. Some of that criticism was certainly valid; I remember complaining about it to an Apple rep at MicroCenter at the time. Not to mention, migrating away from MagSafe and dropping the SD card was both unnecessary and miscalculated.
The upcoming 14 & 16” MacBook Pros will still feature Thunderbolt only ports most likely, but will restore the SD card slot and possibly HDMI port, as well as MagSafe charging. The MagSafe is a very good decision – one of my least favorite aspects of my laptop is that I have to occupy one of the Thunderbolt ports to power the computer, not to mention the inherent magnetic advantage of MagSafe (though I solved this with a nifty 90 degree “MagSafe” Thunderbolt adapter from Amazon – which works with any device, not just the power supply).
I didn’t purchase my 2017 Pro 15” until 2019, refurbished, and by that point Thunderbolt (or at least USB-C – they are not the same) had become a fairly ubiquitous interface – from hard drives to monitors to various peripherals like my Loupedeck CT. And most devices - such as mice, wireless headphones, and now thankfully cameras - use USB-C for charging/data transfer. Plus, small USB-A to USB-C adapters are cheaply available and you can just leave them on your device’s cable.
Thunderbolt 3 vs. Thunderbolt 4
Your first thought reading the title might be “Finally what?” since there are only two computers that advertise Thunderbolt 4 ports, as far as I know.*
It isn’t the Thunderbolt 4 part that is the biggest deal – at least, not right now. In the future, when Thunderbolt 4 ports become mainstream on both Apple and Windows machines, then there will be some additional advantages to a dock like this. But we’ll get to that later.
*The Asus Zenbook 13 and Dell XPS 13 both have two Thunderbolt 4 ports. You’ll understand why “advertise” is in italics later.
Have you ever wondered why (and been extremely frustrated that) none of the Thunderbolt 3 hubs or docks available for Macs have additional Thunderbolt ports? Or, if they do, they only work for charging something, like a phone or tablet. This has always been a source of frustration for me because it effectively means I cannot expand beyond four Thunderbolt connections (on a MacBook Pro, that is) – and one of those will be taken up by the power supply. Sure, I can add hubs with USB-A ports, but those ports bottleneck, for example, my numerous external SSDs and they certainly don’t support multiple high-resolution displays.
From now on I may refer to Thunderbolt 3 & 4 as TB3 and TB4 for brevity
The answer seems pretty simple but it also isn’t: a single TB3 port cannot support additional fully functioning Thunderbolt 3 ports. I’m not sure why this is exactly, but I suspect it has something to do with the minimum PCIe 32 Gb/s interface vs. Thunderbolt 3’s 16 Gb/s. Similarly, TB3 can only support one 4K display per lane, while TB4 can support two* – which again I have to suspect is related to the 16 vs. 32 PCIe interface. Thankfully, TB4 fixes this by supporting accessories with up to four Thunderbolt ports without any loss in functionality, allowing you to daisy chain or use bus-powered devices like you haven’t been able to until now.
*TB4 also supports one 5K, 6K, or 8K display.
TB3 supports data transfer up to 40Gb/s and TB4 is a minimum 40Gb/s. USB 3.2 can support 5, 10, or 20Gb/s and USB4 is minimum 20Gb/s up to 40. So, in case you were wondering, no – USB4 and TB4 are not the same, though TB4 is USB4 compliant (vs. TB3 which is USB4 compatible). And yes, “USB4” is correct; the USB-IF (fancy folk who decide what USB standards are) dropped the space. The primary difference between USB4 and TB4 is the latter has a minimum speed of 40Gb/s, minimum data of 32 Gbps, and must support two 4K displays at 60hz. USB4’s minimum is basically half (20Gbps, 16Gb/s PCI-e, one 4K display at 60hz).
Imagine from Intel
Here’s the part that isn’t so simple. Intel opened the TB3 protocol to the USB-IF to use in developing the next standard (USB4), which they did. However, Intel continued to independently develop TB4, eventually announcing it at the Consumer Electronics Show in early 2020.
On paper, TB4 doesn’t seem like a significant improvement over TB3. The reason is because, unlike most USB or other data transfer protocols, TB4 wasn’t focused on one-upping its predecessor. TB4 was developed not to flaunt maximum speeds, but rather to solidify a set of minimum specifications. USB 3.2, TB3, USB4 – all of those may mean very different things and you’d have no idea without reading the fine print.
This is where it gets complicated: You see, Macs with TB3 ports have always had full TB4 capability. Or perhaps I should say potential. “Thunderbolt 4” is more of a marketing term to kick the ass of PC makers – as it stands, manufacturers of Windows machines were free to pick and choose what specifications they would adhere to, of course while still being able to claim TB3 support. That might be the minimum requirements or it might be the maximum, which is what Apple has always done. I mean after all, if you can say you have Thunderbolt 3, why put in more effort or technology than you have to? At least that’s how most PC makers felt, it would seem.
Then in comes a new standard that says “this is how it has to be if you want to claim support for this.”
But Macs – both the new M1 as well as Intel options – are fully Thunderbolt 4 compliant (provided of course they are new enough to have TB3). So why haven’t we been able to use hubs or docks with additional Thunderbolt ports until now? Because this potential wasn’t unlocked until MacOS 11 Big Sur. These new OWC docks and hubs will work with Catalina or whatever earlier version, but you won’t get the full benefit unless you’ve upgraded to Big Sur. And I suspect, though I haven’t looked it up, if your computer is even capable of running Big Sur, then you are golden.
For PC users, as I mentioned before, you can only really take full advantage of these docks/hubs on the few models with actual TB4 ports. But rest assured, more and more models will quickly adopt the interface now. For once, PC users can thank Apple for something; arguably, the TB4 standard would not exist if not for them, as it forces manufacturers to adhere to a strict specification, something Apple has been doing this entire time. Now you’ll know if your PC purports to support TB4 it isn’t stripped down in any way – there simply isn’t wiggle room.
OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock & Hub Features
The OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock sports 11 ports, up to three daisy chains, 90 watts of charging power, two 4K displays or one 5k/6k/8k display – all through a single cable plugged into a single port on your computer.
Imagine from OWC
It features an adjustable LED that lights up when powered, a Kensington Security Slot and a Nano Security slot for anti-theft cabling (I’m just quoting this from their site, I have never used these two security slots in my life).
Mini-Review: Two Months In
When I took delivery of the shipment, which I received in mid to late March (I pre-ordered in early January), I was surprised by how heavy the box was. Upon opening it, I found myself holding one hell of a hefty lump of metal. This thing is a brick and I mean that as a sincere endorsement -- this isn’t a travel device (that’s what the hub is) so the weight helps keep it firmly planted on your desk, which I absolutely love. I can insert an SD card or plug, plug in headphones or a USB cable without the hub moving around, which is something I can’t say about any other hubs I’ve used. The heft and overall aesthetic eschew a truly quality build -- it really looks like something that will last until Thunderbolt 5 is unveiled.
The design of the dock is excellent -- it feels like a piece of equipment made by someone who actually uses devices like this, which isn’t something I can say for a lot of cameras or other electronics. What I mean by this is that the ports are laid out and positioned pretty much perfectly. As it sits on my desk -- which is how I imagine it will sit on the desk of most folks -- the front (the side that says “Thunderbolt Dock” and features the SD slot) faces toward me. The rear, which sports the greatest number of ports and inputs, faces away -- just like any monitor, computer, speaker, or other electronic that you may have on your desk.
The way OWC has chosen to where to place which ports is what makes this such an excellent design. The ports or inputs that you don’t access frequently -- power supply, HDMI cable, peripherals like hard drives, a second monitor, printer cable, etc. that are rarely disconnected -- can all be plugged into the rear of the dock via its variety of Thunderbolt, USB-A, and HDMI ports. Conversely, those that you may need to plug and unplug frequently -- notably the SD slot and headphone jack -- are located around front for easy access. There’s also one USB-A and one Thunderbolt port on the front for those times when you need quick, brief access to them. Otherwise, most of your usual suspects can stay around back, keeping your working environment freer of cables.
The rear Thunderbolt ports are also well-spaced, unlike those on the MacBook Pros, with is quite welcome if you’re using a wide USB-A to USB-C adapter -- or any other situations where you need that extra bit of room between ports. They also seem well-designed -- with pleasant and reassuring click-into-place feedback upon inserting a cable. Earlier model Thunderbolt 3 MacBook Pros were notorious for their tendency to develop loose Thunderbolt ports after a time and as an owner of a 2017 model that needs to be sent in for repair for that very issue, I appreciate the confidence this dock gives me that I won’t constantly have to deal with disconnected hard drives or power if I so much as breathe on the cables.
But in case something does go wrong, OWC provides you with a two-year warranty and I can personally say their customer service is ironclad (I can’t speak to their warranty service, though, because I’ve never needed to use it).
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my favorite features of the dock (and the hub – and OWC’s former products as well): the ability to use their proprietary OWC ClingOn cable stabilizers. Each one attaches to the dock, surrounding one of the Thunderbolt ports, with a little screw that feeds into a tiny hole just above the port to secure it firmly to the dock’s body. The Thunderbolt cable is then fed through the center of the ClingOn adapter, making for a nice little guard against accidental jerks of the cable as well as making it less likely to accidentally disconnect
As for the hub, which I pre-ordered immediately after receiving the dock, it looks to be the same thing, trimmed down for travel and remote use. It still offers the same four Thunderbolt 4 ports and one USB-A port, Kensington Nano slot, up to three daisy chains, 4K-8K displays, and of course DC power input. Charging power drops from 90 watts to 60 and it loses all of the other inputs. Just barebones Thunderbolt expansion plus a standard USB 3.0 port. It also supports the use of the amazing ClingOn cable adapters. I haven’t actually had the need to use it yet, but I’m confident it will be exactly what I expected it is.
If I were to give the OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock a rating, it would be a wholehearted five out of five stars. Everything about it is impeccably designed and I have not had a single issue using it. All of my peripherals (and I use A LOT, some of which are always connected, some of which aren’t) have always worked flawlessly when connected through it.
The OWC Thunderbolt 4 Dock is now available to purchase at B&H Photo and Adorama. The OWC Thunderbolt 4 Hub is pre-order only on their website here for $179 but strangely currently in stock at B&H for $149. It’s worth noting that I paid $249 for the dock, which is now $299 at Adorama (though $249 at B&H), and I pre-ordered the hub for $149, so it would be best to look around before you buy as the prices seem to fluctuate. Make sure to purchase the Thunderbolt 4 dock, not the prior Thunderbolt 3, as they look very similar.