Anker Prime 160W Charging Docking Station Review

Price upon review

$249.99

Best prices today: Anker Prime Charging Dock (14-in-1, Dual Display, 160W)

$249.99

Anker is known for its wide range of charging products, and this laptop docking station is the most powerful we’ve ever seen in terms of USB charging ports, as well as the standard display options and Gigabit Ethernet.

If you need an extra display or two as well as some high-quality device charging ports, and can do without memory card readers, this 14-in-1 dock is a powerhouse with nine USB devices.

Windows users can use two extended 4K displays from the dock at 60Hz, while Mac users can mirror two or just go for one extra display.

Ports of power

Docking stations allow you to create a complete desktop setup from your laptop, connected to the dock with just a single USB-C cable.

This Anker USB-C dock also works with Thunderbolt 3 or 4 laptops if your laptop has the high-speed connection standard, but will be pegged at its own maximum data transfer speed of 10 Gbps instead of Thunderbolt’s 40 Gbps.

The Anker Prime 160W Charging Docking Station has a whopping 13 ports, plus the upstream USB-C port to connect to the host (probably your laptop). It’s packed with USB data and charging ports, but also has most of the basic features you’d expect from a dock.

Foundry

Foundry

Foundry

• 100W PD 3.0 charging via upstream USB-C port
• Up to two external displays (2x 4K at 60 Hz)
• Two HDMI 2.0 ports
• Two USB-C ports (10 Gbps).
• Two USB-C ports (100W).
• One USB-A port (10 Gbps).
• One USB-A port (12W).
• Three USB-A ports (480 Mbps).
• Gigabit Ethernet port
• Hybrid 3.5mm audio port
• Total output power of 160 W

This compact and attractive vertical dock relies on its charging power, but the three front-mounted 10Gbps data ports (two USB-C, one USB-A) should also be sufficient for most setups.

The available power beats all other docks into submission. In addition to the 10Gbops data ports, there are two USB-C ports, each capable of pumping out 100W, with a further 12W available from one of the USB-A ports. Keep in mind that the total output power is 160W, so you’ll have that amount of power if you’re using multiple ports at the same time.

The dock does not have a separate power supply. Instead, it has an integrated GaN AC-DC power module. This space-saving design makes it potentially portable.

Its dimensions are 5.5 x 3.8 x 1.9 inches (14 x 9.7 x 4.7 cm) and it weighs 1.96 lb (888 g).

It connects to a power source via the integrated 1.7 m (5.5 ft) power cable. If you need more reach to a socket, you need an extension.

There is a smart mode that automatically allocates the optimal charging power to each port based on the requirements of the connected devices; plus a custom mode so you can prioritize individual ports to your liking. Ports can be set to “Power Priority” for more power, “Power Saving” for less power, or “Balanced” for equal power distribution between ports.

There is no SD or MicroSD card reader slot on this Anker dock, while some docks have both. If you don’t need it, you won’t miss it, but these cards provide affordable and highly portable access to external storage. If you choose one later, you can purchase an SD card reader adapter that will use one of the dock’s USB ports.

If you’re looking for a dock with a higher number of ports, check out our recommended best USB-C laptop docking stations. If you want a powerful desktop charger instead of a dock, take a look at what our tests reveal as the best laptop PD chargers.

If you need both a docking station and a desktop charger, read on, because this Anker dock is a great combination of both.

Many recent docking stations offer high-speed wired network access with a 2.5Gb Ethernet connection, but most networks are still 1Gb, so the Gigabit Ethernet port will work fine for most. Again, you can upgrade later with a 2.5Gb Ethernet adapter plugged into one of the USB-C data ports.

The dock’s small smart display provides visual feedback on power level and port connection status. This feature is becoming increasingly popular on chargers and power banks. Most people will never look at it, but it’s there in case you want to check power.

It does not show data transfer rates between devices.

The Anker has an easy-to-reach power switch on the top, which is a handy power-saving touch, and prevents a laptop’s battery from constantly being topped up, which could damage the battery if left unplugged.

It comes with a 1m (3.3ft) 100W 10Gbps USB-C cable.

Dual display potential (limited for Macs)

The Anker Prime 160W Charging Docking Station can connect to up to two external displays. For Windows laptops that support DisplayPort Alt mode, the docks can display two 4K displays with a 60Hz refresh rate in extended mode via the two HDMI 2.0 ports.

None of the USB-C ports on the dock support video output and thus cannot be used to connect a monitor.

Because macOS doesn’t support MST (Multi-Stream Transport), the dock allows Macs to work with one or two external displays, but the two are mirrored: both show the same screen image, although it may differ from that of the laptop. screen. For more Mac options, check out Macworld’s list of best docking stations for mac.

Price

The Anker Prime 160W Charging Dock costs $249.99 / £199.99, which is a reasonable price for what is both a laptop dock and a desktop USB charging station.

Pronunciation

Anker’s Prime 160W Charging Docking Station 14-in-1 USB-C Dock is a great combination of a 10Gbps dual-screen dock and a desktop charging station. There are USB-C docks with a wider variety of ports, but none that match a set of 10Gbps USB when it comes to high-quality charging ports.