Anker Prime TB5 14-in-1 docking station review

REVIEW – More and more computer manufacturers have been releasing hardware that supports the Thunderbolt 5 standard, and the availability of accommodating docking stations has increased as well. What does the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station bring to this emerging market? A lot actually!

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $399.99
Where to buy: Anker

What is it?

The Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station is a 1-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 docking station that can support up to two 8K monitors and supports up to 120Gbps data transfers. It’s truly an all-in-one solution that supports single cable connectivity to expand the options for your computer.

What’s included?

• Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station
• Thunderbolt 5 cable
• Power cable

Tech specs

Design and features

About a year ago, I was able to review the Kensington SD5000T5 docking station as it was one of the first Thunderbolt 5 docking stations. Although it works perfectly, I requested to review the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station due to the better port layout and HDMI/DP options.

One of the cons that I pointed out from the Kensington was that the upstream port from the docking station to the computer was located in the front. This meant that I would always have the Thunderbolt 5 cable lying across my desk. I know, first-world problem. I moved and now have a space to make the office/den mine, and one of the things I want to do is have a clean, minimal setup. On the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station, the upstream port is on the back and lets me drop the cable into my cable management tray.

Another thing that the Kensington didn’t have was an HDMI or DP port. I had to use a dongle, which took up a Thunderbolt 5 port, leaving me with 2 USB-C ports left. I still use monitors that use HDMI or Display Port, and the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station allows for one or the other, but not both. It supports HDMI 2.1 or DP 2.1, just not both simultaneously.

The Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station is a cube and fits well with Apple’s Mac Mini aesthetic. There is a blue light that outlines the top and serves as an indicator of:

• connection type (flickers twice when connected to Thunderbolt 4 or 5 devices)
• load (special lighting effect when under high-performance use)

Pressing the power button on the front of the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station for 2 seconds deactivates the lighting for those who aren’t into all the bright lights.

The upstream connection supports up to 140W max of hosting charging. This should be more than enough to power anything available today. The two front USB-C ports share up to 45W of total power output.

On the front of the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station, there is a handy power button, audio combo input/output jack, and a single USB-A (1o Gbps) and dual USB-C ports (10 Gbps). The SD and TF card readers are located on the left side. The right side is blank except for the ‘PRIME’ branding. Around back, you’ll find the remaining ports:

• 1 x Thunderbolt 5 upstream port (to computer)
• 2 x Thunderbolt 5 ports
• 2 x USB-A ports (10 Gbps)
• 2.5 Gbps Ethernet
• HDMI 2.1 OR DP 2.1 ports
• Power plug

There are some restrictions when using the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station:

• The HDMI 2.1 port and the DisplayPort 2.1 port cannot be used simultaneously
• The dock is not compatible with Thunderbolt 3 laptops or monitors – including those with Windows or Intel-based MacBooks – and does not support ChromeOS or Linux systems.
• Requires macOS 15 or later
• Use only the included Thunderbolt 5 cable or certified Thunderbolt cables. Using uncertified or incompatible cables may cause incompatibility issues.
• Multiple displays can be restricted by the hardware on the host computer.

The display options are in the Performance section below.

Assembly, Installation, Setup

Nothing to assemble. Plug in the slim power cable; no need for a giant power brick. Then make sure to connect the Thunderbolt 5 cable (either supplied or a certified equivalent) to the upstream port on Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station and the other end to your Thunderbolt 5 port on your computer.

Optionally, you can install the Anker Dock Manager software (for Windows and Mac) to apply firmware updates. For businesses that deploy the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station, it makes managing all devices simple from one interface.

Performance

One of the features of the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station is the ability to connect multiple high-resolution monitors. Here are some screenshots from the Anker website that best show the resolution options.

For Windows:

For Mac:

And here is a great graphic that explains how to connect different types of monitors:

Final thoughts

The Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station has become the centerpiece of my desktop. There isn’t anything that it lacks for me. Compared to the Kensington Thunderbolt 5 docking station, the Anker version has more ports, the ability to supply more power, and the upstream cable is located in the back for easier cable management.

And while I prefer to keep my desktop clear as much as possible, the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station is different enough in size, shape, and lighting to keep it as a permanent piece on display!

What I like about the Anker Prime Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station

• Thunderbolt 5 capabilities
• Compact
• 14 ports!
• No power brick

What needs to be improved?

• I wish the SD card reader supported the latest UHS-II standard

Price: $399.99
Where to buy: Anker
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Anker. Anker did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.

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• BENFEI USB-C 6-in-1 docking station laptop stand review
• Kensington SD5000T5 WQ Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4k Docking Station- Review