[New Release] PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock Now Available!

[Insider]

Announced at CES in January, Anker has finally released PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock… Take a look!

Features & details

• The Anker Advantage: Join the 55 million+ powered by our leading technology.
• Incredible Expansion: Equipped with dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, 2 USB-C ports, 4 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, SD/microSD card slots, and a 3.5 mm AUX port.
• Unparalleled Charging Options: With 85W and 15W Thunderbolt 3 ports plus an 18W USB-C Power Delivery port, PowerExpand offers multiple ways to get a high-speed charge for anything from laptops to phones and more.
• Media Display: The Thunderbolt 3 port supports 5K@60Hz while the HDMI port supports a resolution of 4K@60Hz. Connect to both simultaneously to enjoy crystal-clear streaming or mirroring across 2 displays.
• What You Get: PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock, 180W power adapter, Thunderbolt 3 cable (2.3 ft), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and great customer service.

Pricing and Availability: Anker’s PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock is available to order now from amazon.com for $299.99 and should begin shipping immediately.

What are your thoughts on Anker’s PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock? Be sure to let us know with a reply!

[professor]

Add picture of other side’s ports to the original post?

[Insider]

Of course

[TechMan]

This looks like a product from the late 90s to early 2000s . Anker has been making some very modern designs lately, so this is a very stark difference

[Insider]

I love this design!

[paulstevenewing]

I think this looks like a decent product @Insider

For me i would rather see a longer unit with all the inputs on the front. It would then be better suited to fit in either my AV rack or under my workstation.
Having cables in the front and back is just untidy and restricts placement.

[ikari04warrior]

Its sibling lol

[Shenoy]

I love the design too… Something I have been waiting for!!

Interesting to see what the price would be?

[AnkerOfficial]

Old fashion still works I guess

[ndalby]

Certainly retro in design

If we keep going at this rate, the number of dock variations are going to match PowerCores and RoboVac’s

[Chiquinho]

I like this design.
Shows functionality, nothing more is needed.

No cactus!

[professor]

I wonder if someone will say the ports on wrong side…

[Ice1]

Yes, another dock !!

[jercox]

85w is good, wish it were able to do the full 100 USB-C allows for. My next laptop sorts USB-C charging, but says it requires 90w - will have to see if that difference matters or not.

Otherwise, looks like a pretty good solution for an all in one dock. Fingers crossed that it comes in at a reasonable price.

[Imo_Iri]

I feel like it’ll be around $110 to $130 (I’m probably wrong though). Either way I think I’ll stick to buying the 8-in-1 hub when it comes out, its more than enough for me.

[Upcoming Release] PowerExpand 8-in-1!

Anker is preparing to release a new USB-C data hub… Get ready for another PowerExpand 8-in-1! [image] Features & details The Anker Advantage: Join the 55 million+ powered by our leading technology. Massive Expansion: Equipped with a USB-C Power Delivery input port, a USB-C data port, 2 USB-A data ports, 1 HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and a microSD/SD card reader, giving you an incredible range of functions—all from a single USB-C port. High-Speed, High-Def: USB-C and USB-A data ports provide f…

[professor]

Good catch, well spotted. The math looks odd. You’re correct, Thunderbolt 3 does support up to 100W.

180W comes in.
Out: 85W, 15W Thunderbolt 3.
USB-c x 2 out - Watts?
USB-A 4 - Watts?
HMDI,
Ethernet
SD
SDXC
Aux

Assuming HDMI, Ethernet, SD, Aux and the hub itself consume 10, and assuming the A ports are 10W, the C non-PD is 10W, then 180-85-15-10-40-10=20W.

So the PD port is going to be 20W or are the A ports lower Watts, say 5W?

[jercox]

Even if the power going to the computer has to go down a little bit when ALL other ports are used, it would be nice if it could do 100W on one port otherwise - that is a flexibility I have seen from some charging ports that can do up to 100W but have multiple ports. For instance, if I am not using the 15W TB port for anything, or only have a display adapter on the USB-C ports.

It just seems strange to design a device like this that seems to support all of the options in a largish dock format device, and not take full advantage of the max supported PD output capability.

[professor]

Fair comment.

To Anker’s defense as PD is a negotiated protocol, to adjust Watts down would require for non-PDO devices the port to turn off then on to force a renegotiation which you probably would not like if it were doing data transfer or was powering non-battery items at the same time.

PD does allow for variable power, but needs the device to support PDO. Not everything does.

http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slva842/slva842.pdf?&ts=1589463864361

When non-PD USB share power they are not doing it in electronics but just via parallel ports, no negotiation, you get whatever is on offer.

I think what you ask for, what I want to happen too, is coming, but requires all devices to support variable power. You’d create situations where a sink has a minimum of 100W, so when you plugged in another sink and there was no headroom in supply, it would not work.

Say you had a laptop needing 60W minimum, it was offered 100W, was happy, then you plugged in a 2nd laptop also needing 60W. Neither would then work. Nightmare for Anker to figure how to please the consumer in different scenarios. This may be one why they are just doing fixed power ports, although I also suspect they just pick the easy option.

[Element321]

I’ll say it, the ports are on the wrong side:grinning:

The design does bring back memories. It similar tothe old docks I had my 90s and early 2000s era gaming rig. But more advanced and looking better.

I can’t take advantage of PD charging my laptop needs more power than what PD can offer at the moment (Would have to buy a different computer) But using the dock to hook up all my extra stuff and only have 2 cables sticking out of the computer while at the desk would be nice.

[Dez_S]

Looks nice but sadly it’s Thunderbolt 3 to host only and not USB-C Gen 2.
Had it been USB-C Gen 2, this would be perfect for my workstation.

#2, what are the specs for the SD card reader? SD 4.0 or slower?
EDIT: Just found in the another post. Supports UHS-II High-Speed SD Cards