Microsoft releases new smaller Surface Dock without Surface Connect port
Microsoft has now introduced a new Surface Dock, a few days after apparent prototype units were discovered on eBay. For reference, four units were sold for between US$39.99 and US$49.99. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Microsoft has priced the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock at significantly more than what the docks sold for on eBay. In fact, the new Surface Dock is US$50 more expensive than the Surface Dock 2 it replaces.
Specifically, Microsoft sells the new Surface Dock for US$299.99. However, the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock is not a Surface exclusive, unlike its predecessors. As its name suggests, the accessory connects to a device via Thunderbolt 4 and not through Microsoft's Surface Connect port. The Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock contains a few other changes from the Surface Dock 2 too, including smaller dimensions. According to Microsoft, the new dock measures 150 x 75 x 21.3 mm and weighs 410 g.
As the images below show, the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock has three USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports running at 7.5 W, up from two in the Surface Dock 2. Additionally, Microsoft has upgraded the Ethernet port to a 2.5 Gigabit connection, while the dock's three USB Type-C support DisplayPort Alt Mode and 15 W power delivery. In other words, the new Surface Dock has lost a USB Type-C port but gained a third USB Type-A port.
Also, the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock does not support Wake-on-LAN from S4 or S5 sleep modes and delivers a 32 Gbps USB bit rate, not 40 Gbps. It is worth noting that while the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock can power two 4K monitors at 60 Hz, Microsoft has dropped single 4K/120 Hz monitor support. Instead, the Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock peaks at 4K and 60 Hz even when connected to a single monitor. You can find more technical details and comparisons with earlier models on Microsoft's support document.
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