When I’m home, all my ports of my MacBook Pro are being used – to a charger, to a monitor, to a USB-C hub, and to an Ethernet adapter. As such, it becomes rather troublesome to when I want to bring my MacBook Pro out as I have to detach all 4 connections. But having used the Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock, I only have to remove just one connection. That’s right, just ONE.
The Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock retails for US$249.99.
Unboxing
In the box, you will receive the following:
- Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock
- 180W Power Adapter and cable
- ThunderBolt 3 cable (70cm)
Build quality and design
Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock has silver metallic finish combined with black grills which gives off an industrial look to it which I really like. The Anker PowerExpand Elite is not too big, its size kinda fits my whole hand and it has got heft to it which makes it feel very solid. The dock weighs about 490g.
The Anker PowerExpand Elite is designed to be used standing vertically, which is why there is an anti-slip rubber on the base of the hub. It would have been nice if the other base of the dock had an anti-slip rubber base as well so it gives an option to use it laying flat.
Do note that the Anker PowerExpand Elite is not like a typical USB-C hub with a plug-and-play setup. You have to power it up with the chunky 180W power adapter.
Ports selection
The Anker PowerExpand Elite has 13 ports at your disposal at they are located on the front and back of the dock.
- 1 x HDMI 2.0
- 1 x Thunderbolt 3 Port (40Gbps / 85W)
- 1 x Thunderbolt 3 Port (40Gbps / 15W)
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet Port
- 3 x USB-A Port (5Gbps / 4.5W)
- 1 x USB-A Port (5Gbps / 7.5W)
- 1 x USB-C Port (10Gbps / 18W)
- 1 x USB-C Port (10Gbps / 4.5W)
- 1 x SD Card Slot (SD 4.0 UHS-II)
- 1 x microSD Card Slot (SD 4.0 UHS-II)
- 1 x 3.5mm Audio Jack
Back of dock
HDMI 2.0
I like how this is located at the back of dock so your cable management is much easier to handle. HDMI 2.0 means you can get up to 4K display at 60Hz.
ThunderBolt 3 ports x2
One of the ThunderBolt 3 port is able to provide up to 85W of power so you would ideally use that port to charge your laptop. The other ThunderBolt 3 can then be used for hooking up an additional monitor.
Gigabit Ethernet
If you’re using macOS, the Gigabit Ethernet works without having to install any drivers. And on Windows, it works as well like plug-and-play.
USB-A ports x3
The three USB-A ports at the back are useful for connecting external hard drives or USB audio which you want to remain out of sight on your desk. All the ports are USB 3.1 Gen 1 offering transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps.
Front of dock
Power button
The power button simply turns the dock on/off. If you’re using the 85W USB-C PD port to charge your laptop, then it doubles as a switch for your laptop charger as well. Since it is recommended that you shouldn’t leave your laptop charged all the time, the power button is a convenient way to turn off charging.
SD & microSD card reader
It’s great that Anker provided both types of card readers. Speed wise they are in the UHS-II standard, meaning you’ll be able to get speeds up to 312MB/s. There is a spring loaded mechanism in the card readers meaning you have to push the SD card against a spring until it locks in place.
3.5mm audio jack
It’s great that Anker put a 3.5mm audio jack at front of the dock so it is convenient if you want to quickly plug your headphones in. The audio jack supports both audio and microphone.
USB-C ports x2
The two USB-C ports on the front are both USB 3.1 Gen 2 so they provide transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps. However, one of them has Power Delivery of up to 18W which makes it really convenient if you want to charge up your smartphone quickly.
USB-A port
The single USB-A port is USB 3.1 Gen 1 offering transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps and providing slower charging speeds of 7.5W.
Usage and experience
I really like how the ports are located and the selection of it. Personally, I use the Anker PowerExpand Elite for my MacBook Pro 15-inch (2018). On the back, I use up the LAN, HDMI, 85W ThunderBolt for charging my MacBook Pro, and one USB-A for my ATH-G1WL wireless dongle. If there is one port missing, it would be a DisplayPort. But I believe that Anker found that having a second ThunderBolt 3 port would be a better option, which I agree as it is more versatile.
As I’m using a 15-inch MacBook Pro (2018), it actually requires 87W of power but I found the 85W to be not too much of a sacrifice. But if you are using the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, which requires 96W of power, then the 85W from the Anker PowerExpand Elite is something you should keep in mind.
I really like that I can simply remove just one connection from my MacBook Pro whenever I need to take my MacBook Pro out with me. Sometimes my monitor struggles to sense that my MacBook Pro is connected, so having the power button allows me to quickly switch it on/off to trigger the monitor to wake.
Conclusion
At US$249.99, it is by no means affordable. But if you’re in need of a reliable one-stop hub for your workstation, then the Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock is a serious contender. It boast best in class ports and offers a wide array of ports selection located smartly for convenience of use and easy cable management. I really like it and find that it has everything I need for my workflow.
The Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock is not yet available in Singapore yet, but you can check it out on the official US website.