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Plugable Docks Can Now Charge Thunderbolt 3 Macs and PC's with the Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery

The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station was one of the first docking stations that could use Thunderbolt 3 to connect to recent MacBook Pro's and Windows PC's that support Thunderbolt 3. Using Thunderbolt 3 allowed you to achieve 40 Gb/s links between your computer and another Thunderbolt 3 peripheral. If you also need to connect to USB peripherals, the Thunderbolt 3 architecture also embeds a separate USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s) host inside the dock itself, allowing you to connect to a USB 3.1 Gen 2 peripheral through the Thunderbolt Type-C port. You can also connect other USB Type-A devices through the dock's USB Type-A ports without having to worry about saturating the USB bus back to the PC since everything is transported through a fat 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 connection pipe.

Unfortunately, the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station was not able to provide power to the computer, meaning that you needed to use a separate AC power supply. This gets addressed with the next generation Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery which also provides additional enhancements. While the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station only had two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery has five, one of which also supports USB BC 1.2 (5 volts @ 1.5 amps) charging. The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery can also be stood up vertically, reducing the footprint taken on your desk.

The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery box comes in standard Plugable green and white, and as always shares a lot of technical detail about the features of each interface connector.

Opening up the box, the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery greets us immediately, with the rest of the accessories hidden underneath.

The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery comes with a Thunderbolt 3 cable, AC adapter, and vertical stand.

The Thunderbolt 3 cable should be used to connect the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery to the computer.

The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery comes with a 135W AC charger that connects to the AC power connector on the dock. This charger provides power to the dock's electronics but also through the Thunderbolt and USB ports to the computer and peripherals.

The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery looks sleek and stylish at all angles and can be used both lying horizontally and vertically standing up.

The back of the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery has two Thunderbolt 3 ports which are clearly labeled. The one which is marked with a computer logo is the one that should be used to connect to the computer for charging. There are also four USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, a DisplayPort 1.2 output, and AC adapter connector.

The front of the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery has an additional USB Type-A port with BC 1.2 charging support and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Compared to the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station, the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery is more compact and also takes less space even if you decide to let it lie horizontally. The Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery also has a sturdier outer metal shell and is overall slightly thicker.

As Thunderbolt 3 continues to gain in popularity and more AC power adapters are replaced by Thunderbolt charging, the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Docking Station with Power Delivery is great option to get the best in high speed connectivity while keeping your Thunderbolt 3 based MacBook Pro or Windows PC charged.