REVIEW – The newer Apple laptops are great, except for connecting things. I have a MacBook Air M2 and it has two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, and a MagSafe power connector – that’s it. But I have a 4K monitor, external SSD, SD cards from my cameras, wireless dongle for my headset, and more. Will the iVANKY FusionDock Max 1 allow me to use all my peripherals?
What is it?
The iVANKY FusionDock Max 1 is an Apple-only Thunderbolt docking station that can support multiple monitors, laptop charging, and numerous connections.
What’s included?
- iVANKY FusionDock Max 1
- HDMI cable
- Power brick and cable
- Dual thunderbolt USB-C cable
- Velcro cable ties
- User manual & warranty card
Tech specs
Click to expand
- Model: VCD010
- Material: Aluminum alloy
- DC input power: 22V (180W Max)
- Laptop charging output: 20V (96W Max)
- Video output: 4K@60Hz HDMI Port x 2, USB-C Port x 4
- Audio output: Optical Tousling Audi, 3.5mm Mic & Headset, 3.5mm Line-out port
- Data output: USB-C PD 30W (10Gbps) x 1, USB-C (10Gbps) x 1, USB 3.2 (10Gbps) x 5, RJ45 ethernet (2.5Gbps)
- Length: 171mm
- Width: 95mm
- Height: 50mm
Design and features
The iVANKY FusionDock 1 Thunderbolt docking station solves a big issue with my desktop setup. Only having two ports on the laptop really restricts what I can plug in. I do have smaller docks, but they don’t provide as much power to keep my laptop powered up and to run all the power needs of the peripherals. And other docks I’ve used, don’t have enough ports or enough of the right kind of ports for my needs. This dock solves all those issues and allows for a single cable connection to the laptop. Managing all the different things that need to connect to my laptop is much simpler. I plug everything into the iVANKY FusionDock Max.
The design of the iVANKY FusionDock Max 1 is different from other docks in that it has a floating design and it can be mounted vertically or horizontally. This floating design allows for more airflow and helps keep the dock from getting too hot. In my day to day use, the dock got warm but never hot to the touch. I also like that this dock has 4 USB-C connections up front, along with 2 USB-A connections. Having the SD Card reader in the front is so helpful when I transfer images from my camera. These are the ports I use most frequently and having them on the from makes things easier for me. For those items, like my monitor and external SD that I don’t need to unplug, having them connected in the back helps clean up my desktop space. As a bonus for me, the color of the iVANKY FusionDock Max 1 nearly matches the color of my midnight MacBook Air!
I do want to mention, the previous hub/dock I was using caused my monitor to flicker. I have not experienced any flickering or disconnects with this dock.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
After unboxing the iVANKY FusionDock Max 1, I started connecting all my peripherals.
- Connected one 4k HDMI connection on the back to the LG 32″ 4K monitor.
- Connected the Samsung T9 external SSD to one of the USB-C ports on the back.
- Connected the Jabra wireless dongle to one of the front USB-C ports on the front.
- Connected the Logitech Litra Beam to oner of the USB A ports on the back.
- Routinely connect SD cards to the front SD card reader on the front
I connected the iVANKY FusionDock Max 1 to the MacBook Air using the included dual USB-C cable. This cable uses two ports on the back of the hub and both ports on the MacBook Air. On the Air, there is enough clearance to also plug in the MagSafe power connector as well, but that’s not really necessary as the dock will charge the MacBook Air with up to 96W of power.
Something to keep in mind, cable management is key as they is a lot of thicker cables to deal with.
Performance
Everything that I connected to the MacBook Air ran smoothly and without any hiccups. I did not notice any speed difference when using the Samsung T9 or the SD cards with or without the iVANKY FusionDock Max 1.
Somethings to keep in mind:
- Only available for Apple Silicon laptops, cannot be used on older Intel Apple laptops or on Windows laptops
- Avoid using all video ports on the same layer (per the included sticker)
- Use Thunderbolt 4 for video output above 4K (per the included sticker)
- There are reports of some of the earlier docks being shipped with a single-conductor cable with dual output on the end. As you can see in the above image, this has been updated to have two single cables with dual connectors on the ends. If you received an older cable, reach out to iVANKY for support.
What I like about the iVANKY FusionDock Max 1
- Number of ports, there are more than enough ports of different types
- Color, the dock’s color is such a good match for my midnight MacBook Air 🙂
- Performance, I did not experience any slowness or degradation when using the dock
What needs to be improved?
- Uses both USB-C ports on the laptop
- Not really a con, but this dock is only for the Apple laptops that run on Apple Silicon – Intel based Apple laptops and Windows laptops will not work
Final thoughts
The iVANKY FusionDock 1 Thunderbolt docking station is probably overkill for my setup at this point. I use one 32″ 4K monitor and a handful of accessories for the MacBook Air. One thing to note for those of you that have an external SSD plugged in all the time, you need to remember to ‘eject’ it before unplugging your laptop from the dock. This is not a reflection of the dock, but best practice when disconnecting any external drive. I can recommend this dock for those MacBook Pro users that use multiple monitors or many USB-C peripherals.
This dock handles my needs now and allows for more growth if (and when) my technology needs change. Perhaps I’ll get an opportunity to review a monitor or two, and I’ll be able to max out all the ports!
Price: $549.99 (List Price)
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by iVANKY. iVANKY did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
