ZDNET Key Points
- Kensington’s new SD5000T5 EQ docking station will be available in September 21 for $400.
- It’s one of the first devices to support the Thunderbolt 5 standard, meaning it supports charging speeds of up to 140W and can send video signals to three 4K displays.
- The large size and high price of the device may put many people off from purchasing it.
Back in September 2023, Intel announced the next generation of Thunder Connection standards: aptly named Lightning 5The company promises that the updated hardware will support fast data transfer speeds and ultra-fast power delivery.
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It’s been a year since then, and we’re finally starting to see devices that support the standard. One of the best ones out there is the new Kensington Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station SD5000TS. The name is a mouthful, but the moniker is apt — the machine can do a lot. This is a docking station that has all the hardware and software features to turn your laptop into a true desktop.
The first thing I noticed when I took the device out of the box was how large it is. It measures 8.9 x 3.8 x 1.6 inches. People with small desks may have trouble finding a place to put it.
The second thing I noticed were the fins at the end. These fins do more than just look pretty. They increase the surface area for efficient heat dissipation. Docking stations can get pretty hot, especially since they’re often located in the center of a computer setup. Lower temperatures mean better performance.
There are 12 separate ports on the front and back, including a Thunderbolt 5 input, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, and a headphone jack. Only one of the Thunderbolt 5 ports provides 140W of power — the input with the laptop icon and lightning bolt above it.
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I plugged in a dead laptop to see how fast the port could charge. The battery charged to 50% in about 45 minutes.
The remaining ports are downstream ports used for data transfer. They can still charge laptops and other devices, albeit more slowly.
As I mentioned, the dock can also send a video signal to three 4K displays. I own two high-resolution displays, so I can only confirm that Kensington’s device supports them without issue. Using my laptop as the source, I streamed 4K YouTube on one display and a 4K movie on the other. The picture quality on both displays was equally good.
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For fast file transfers, you’ll want to use the two USB-A ports on the back, as they can reach speeds of up to 10Gbps. I sent a 10GB Google Takeout file from my laptop to my main desktop via the dock. It took just a few seconds. The Ethernet port offers 25Gbps, although I had trouble getting it set up properly.
ZDNET Buying Advice
Kensington’s SD5000TS will be available from September 21 for $400. It’s quite expensive, although I think it’s worth it. The dock is quite useful for people who like to use laptops. However, your computer must be running Windows 11 or macOS 14.5 as the dock doesn’t support older devices.
If it is a deal breaker, we also recommend that you TS4. It’s even more expensive, but it supports the older Thunderbolt 4 standard and is highly recommended. A great but cheaper option is Baseus 10 in 1 Docking Station.
