Kensington on Monday unveiled one of the first docks using Thunderbolt 5, a new version of the networking standard that’s up to three times the speed of its predecessor. The SD5000T5 will sport an array of ports, and support dual 8K displays.
Also at CES 2024, the accessory-maker took the wraps off a trio of USB-C docks.
Kensington dock is ready for Thunderbolt 5
In September 2023, Intel took the wraps off Thunderbolt 5. The new standard doubles the speed of its predecessor, and can go up to three times faster for video connections. The Kensington SD5000T5 is among the initial devices to be announced use it.
“Building upon the base of Thunderbolt 4, the leading connectivity solution for mobile PCs, Thunderbolt 5 will deliver significant improvements in connectivity speed, bandwidth and capability for the most demanding users,” said Jason Ziller, GM of Intel’s client connectivity division, in a press release Monday. “We’re excited to collaborate with Kensington at CES to introduce the industry to the next generation of Thunderbolt technology.”
In addition, the SD5000T5 will include a pair of USB-C ports, a USB-A port, and SD and microSD card readers. And it might come with even more features — Kensington offered only a sneak peek at the dock during CES 2024 in Las Vegas.
But the dock definitely will support two external monitors at 8K and 60Hz. And provide up to 140W of PD power.
There’ll be a wait, as the Kensington SD5000T5 Thunderbolt 5 Dock is scheduled for release in the second half of 2024. No Mac offers Thunderbolt 5 yet, but that’s expected to change later this year.
No price was announced for the professional-grade Kensington Thunderbolt 5 hub at this time.
Trio of USB-C docks, too
Kensington also used CES 2024 to take the wraps off three multiport docks that use USB-C and/or Thunderbolt 4.
The SD4781P and SD4782P come with two HDMI 2.0 and two DP++ 1.2 ports, and offer dual monitor support for MacBook M1/M2/M3 laptops.
They also include one 10Gbps USB-C port and five USB-A ports. Plus there’s a Gigabit Ethernet port and an audio combo jack. The SD4782P adds a 100W power splitter to power USB-A laptops.
In addition, Kensington announced the SD4880P, a 17-in-1 dock that supports Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4 and USB-C.
It offers four USB-C and six USB-A ports, two HDMI and two DisplayPort connections, a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, an SD card reader and a combo audio jack. And it provides up to 100W of power to the host computer.
These three Kensington docks should launch in Q1 2024 in North America, and be sold through Amazon.
