Kensington SD4700P review: An able docking station for laptops without Thunderbolt 3

Kensington makes a lot of quality PC accessories, including docking stations like the SD7000 Surface Pro dock that we absolutely loved. For a less specific usage scenario, at that place is the Kensington SD4700P, which connects to a PC or Mac with USB-C or USB-A to deliver dual 2K display support and a ton of ports for hooking up accessories and Ethernet. I've been using the SD4700P for a couple of weeks to see how well information technology works and whether or non information technology's worth existence your side by side dock.

USB-C or USB-A docking station

Kensington SD4700P

$190

Bottom line: If your laptop doesn't take Thunderbolt three, merely y'all'd like to add five USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, and Ethernet connections, the Kensington SD4700P will get the task washed. There's no 4K display support, simply it will handle dual 2K displays at 60Hz, and information technology comes with a three-year warranty to protect your investment.

Pros

Upward to 60W charging through USB-C
Generous port selection
Detachable host cable
Three-year warranty
VESA mountable

Cons

No verticality
No 4K support
Large footprint

What you'll love about the Kensington SD4700P

The Kensington SD4700P is made primarily of plastic, and compared to some other docking stations nosotros've tested — like the all-metal CalDigit TS3 Plus — it does feel a bit vulnerable. However, information technology put upwards with regular use in my own testing without as much as a scratch. The front side has a sleeky end and encompasses a blue status LED, a 3.5mm audio jack, a single USB-A 3.0 port that offers 5V and two.1A of charging, and a USB-C iii.1 (Gen 2) with 5V and 3A charging ability. From the forepart, it'south a sleek dock despite its relatively big size.

Category	Spec
Ports	Two USB-C 3.one (one for laptop connectedness) Five USB-A 3.0 HDMI i.three DisplayPort i.1 Ethernet 3.5mm sound Kensington lock slot
Max display resolution	2560x1600 @ 60Hz (unmarried) 2048x1152 @ 60Hz (dual)
Dimensions	7.75 inches ten 3.5 inches 10 1.five inches (196.85mm x 88.9mm x 38.1mm)
Weight	0.6 pounds (0.27kg)
Bone	Windows 7 or newer macOS 10.14 or newer

On the left side of the dock is a Kensington lock slot to proceed your hardware secure in an office setting, and on the back is where things get interesting. There'southward a total of iv more than USB-A 3.0 ports with 5V and 0.9A charging, a Gigabit Ethernet hookup, HDMI 1.iii, DisplayPort ane.one, and a USB-C port that is reserved for a connection to the host laptop. If yous accept one or two external displays that are not 4K (the dock maxes out at 2K) you'll be able to connect both and enjoy a 60Hz refresh rate. The v USB-A ports brand information technology easy to hook upwards a mouse, keyboard, external storage drive, and other accessories, turning your laptop into a veritable workstation.

The host USB-C port offers up to 60W charging back to the connected laptop, which is more than enough to continue my LG gram xv topped up and fix for when I striking the road. Testing with my voltage and amperage meter, I saw about 19.6V and two.5A heading into my laptop. If y'all have a laptop that needs considerably more power — something perhaps with a dedicated GPU — you'll no doubt see different performance, though most standard Ultrabooks should fare well.

The SD4700P delivers up to 60W of power back to your laptop and offers a ton of ports, allowing you to connect dual 2K displays and all accessories needed for a complete workstation.

Included with the dock is a 39-inch (iii.25 feet) host cable with USB-C at both ends. To make it compatible with laptops with only USB-A ports, an adapter is clipped onto the end of the cablevision, ready to turn USB-C into USB-A. This cable is completely detachable from the dock, meaning you won't run into whatever problems where the cable becomes damaged and yous have to replace the entire dock. Recall, you lot're but going to run into host laptop charging if connected with USB-C; if your laptop only has USB-A to connect to the dock, yous will nonetheless take to plug in your laptop with its usual AC adapter.

Equally an additional perk, the SD4700P has two holes on the bottom that tin be used with a compatible VESA mount to attach the dock to the dorsum of a monitor that also supports VESA mounting. This process does require purchasing an actress mounting plate from Kensington, but at but near $10 it's a worthwhile investment if you'd like to keep the docking station off of your desk. Finally, the SD4700P comes with a substantial iii-yr warranty to protect your investment in case annihilation goes wrong.

What you lot'll dislike almost the Kensington SD4700P

Bated from not offering 4K back up — which another USB-C docking stations do offer — it would be dainty to see a vertical orientation pick for those who practice non go in for the actress VESA mount to get it off of the desktop. The dock has a rather large footprint, and if space is express, it may chop-chop go in the way. Plugable's similar USB-C docking station, for example. comes with a built-in vertical stand up, no doubt making it a superior option for those with a small workspace.

There'south likewise the size of the AC adapter for the dock, which is almost again as large equally the dock itself. Information technology's truthful that once ready yous no doubt won't be carrying this dock around with you most of the fourth dimension, but information technology is something to keep in mind.

Should you lot buy the Kensington SD4700P?

After using the SD4700P on my desktop for a couple of weeks to connect a display, keyboard, mouse, and Ethernet, I can safely say you lot shouldn't be disappointed with this dock. Y'all'll get the most out of it if your laptop has a USB-C port that supports Power Delivery, simply it will also work with laptops that only offer USB-A. Information technology won't handle 4K, and it'south a shame at that place's no vertical stand up pick to go along with the clever VESA mounting selection, which would help with the footprint the SD4700P commands on your desktop.

If you're looking for a USB-C docking station that can handle 4K, something like the Dell D6000 may exist better suited, though its host cablevision is not-detachable, unlike the SD4700P. And if your laptop does take a Thunderbolt 3 port, y'all tin can spend more money on a dock that will take full reward of the engineering.

Overall, though, you lot're getting an outstanding three-twelvemonth warranty here that trumps most other docks, and enough ports to turn a regular laptop into a desktop workstation. The 60W of charging back to the host removes the worry of keeping your laptop's battery charged, and the optional VESA mountain is a clever way to hide the dock and free upwards infinite on your desk-bound.

USB-C or USB-A docking station

Kensington SD4700P

A great dock for those without 4K displays

The Kensington SD4700P brings five USB-A ports, USB-C, HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, and a 3.5mm audio jack, plus delivers up to 60W of charging power back to a host laptop continued with USB-C. If your laptop doesn't have Thunderbolt 3 and yous're not using 4K displays, it should make a great docking solution.

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