Anker Prime Docking Station 14 in 1, analysis features price specifications

My work desk is, I admit, a battlefield of cables. I have two 27-inch Dell monitors at 1440p, a Huawei MateBook X Pro 2021 with Windows 11, a MacBook Air M4 what I use when I travel and a Mac Mini M4 which is my work team. Additionally, I use a Razer Huntsman keyboard (which by some quirk of fate occupies two USB ports) and a webcam. When NASA needs a cable, they look for it under my table.

From time to time, my desk also receives a visit from a camera whose SD card I need to empty quite frequently, and none of my computers have a built-in card reader. More cables and connections.

To make matters worse, because of a mess of connectors (only one of the monitors can connect to a Thunderbolt port) when I want to connect the MacBook Air M4 or the Huawei laptop to the monitors I can only take advantage of one of the two.

Luckily, since the Mac Mini does have an HDMI port, it is the only one where I can use both screens. In short, a mess of cables, connections and adapters to connect any of my three devices. I had been looking for a solution for this mess of connections for a while and Anker Prime Docking Station 14 in 1 came to my table promising to solve exactly that problem.

Connectors for all tastes

If I’m honest, the first thing that my old mind thought when I had it in my hand was its resemblance to one of those alarm clock radios from the 90s. However, the first thing you notice when you take it out of the box is the weight: almost 900 grams.

That already leaves us some clues that we are not dealing with one of those adapters that people (especially Macbook users) carry in their backpack. This is a serious desk piece, with metal construction and a very premium feel that not only fulfills an aesthetic function, it also helps dissipate some of the heat.

The little control wheel on the side of the device is striking. It looks like the crown of a watch and, in a way, takes the idea of ​​controlling some smartwatches to move around the hub interface and access options by pressing it.

And then there is the front screen that, although it does not occupy the entire front as one would expect, offers very useful information about the charging power it is supplying, information about the resolution, the type of monitor connector or, simply, the time. I must say, that It’s more useful than it seems at first and I no longer look at the time on the computer bar, but I have surprised myself on more than one occasion looking at the time on the Docking Station.

The disposition of the 14 connection ports It is very well thought out. On the back are two HDMIs with 4K support at 60 Hz and a DisplayPort with 8k support at 60 Hz. So, in practice, it allows up to three screens to be connected to the setup.

It also has a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port, two USB A for data with a transfer rate of 5 Gbps and a third USB A for connecting the keyboard or mouse. In my case, I have used the three ports to connect the Razer keyboard (which uses the two ports) and the webcam.

The USB C output port is also located here, which is the one you connect to the computer and offers a charging capacity of up to 140W, so you can take advantage of the fast charging options on gaming laptops or 96W Macbook Pros.

Such charging power generates heat in the internal components of the device, so, in addition to the aluminum coating on the exterior, has an internal fan which cannot be heard in the slightest even in a quiet environment.

On the front it includes an SD card reader, a microSD slot and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. I have used the latter less because I use Bluetooth headphones and all computers have this very accessible connection. But I find it equally useful because it is very accessible, and to use it you just have to change the audio source to Anker in the computer options.

That design logic is exactly what I needed. Have all the connection cables to the monitors, network cable, keyboard and webcam behind, and on the front, have quick access to the charging ports for your mobile phone or upload photos from the camera without having to look for cables or accessories.

Connect everything with a single cable

However, what undoubtedly seems like a triumph to me is that all the devices are ready to use just by connecting a cable.

However, before reaching the magical moment of connection, you have to do your homework: install the DisplayLink driver on each computer that we are going to use with the base. It is not a direct plug and play connection. The software is essential for the monitors to receive the video signal.

On Windows the process is quick and frictionless: install the driver software and go.

In MacOS, in addition to installing the software, you have to grant screen recording permissions, something that may be striking the first time the notice appears, but it has a technical explanation and we will get to it.

Thanks to this software, the brightness and contrast adjustment of the monitors can be controlled from the system taskbar (similar to how Apple monitors appear), without having to navigate through menus or access the monitors’ adjustment buttons. It is a minor detail but it adds up on a day-to-day basis.

Once the entire software part was installed, I connected the USB C output cable from the Anker Prime Docking Station to the Macbook Air and… Tachan!! Both monitors turned on at 1440p, the keyboard responded, the webcam became available and connected to the network. All with a single cable. There is magic in that moment of seeing your desktop suddenly come to life when you have been managing it for months. a labyrinth of cables and connections.

The best thing is that this is repeated every time you change teams. I disconnect the cable from the Mac Mini, connect it to the MateBook X Pro, and in seconds I have Windows 11 with both monitors working, the network active and all the peripherals ready. The Huawei, which previously required the adapter for the second monitor, here works directly through the base without complications.

Anker has the app Anker Dock Manager which, optionally, allows you to see all the information on the status of the connections, load consumption and port configuration on the connected equipment. Its installation is not essential since the front screen of the base already shows this data.

The fine print of DisplayLink on Mac

Despite all the benefits that this connection base offers, it also there are things that don’t work so wellor at least not always.

The key to the Anker dock being able to connect up to three displays via a single USB-C cable lies in the technology of DisplayLink. This chipset integrated into the Anker station acts as a virtual graphics card which expands the capabilities of the equipment by allowing a single cable to send a video signal to several monitors.

That’s why the macOS app needs screen recording permissions on macOS: it’s processing the video signal by software.

In the case of the MacBook Air M4, the chip is capable of moving two external monitors natively, so the advantage here is not technical but practical: without the base, achieving this would require changing the cables of each monitor or accumulating adapters between the HDMI output of the monitors and the USB C ports of the laptop. With the Anker docking station, all you need is one cable.

Where DisplayLink makes a really significant difference is on Macs with previous chips (like the M1 or M2) that in many cases They have limited output to a single external monitor: with this base, that barrier disappears.

However, such graphical “emulation” comes at a cost: sometimes a noticeable microlatency is added to the mouse response when used with a Mac. It’s not dramatic, but it exists. The cursor of my MX Master 3S It moves with a slight “laziness” that, once you identify it, you can’t help but notice in tasks that require precision. On the other hand, in Windows, with the MateBook, it hasn’t happened to me.

There is another behavior that I have had to manage on occasion: when the Mac goes to sleep and I wake it up again after a while, one of the screens does not recover and I have to disable it from the DisplayLink box or unplug the cable and plug it back in. It’s true that it has only happened to me on a few occasions, but when it does, it is a small moment of frustration.

Xataka’s opinion: conclusions and price

After several weeks of using it daily, the Anker Prime Docking Station 14 in 1 has changed the way I connect devices in a way that I didn’t expect to be so immediate. He desktop is tidy and wire-free In between for the first time in a long time, changing devices is a matter of seconds and the SD reader on the front has solved one of my small daily inconveniences.

It is not a perfect device and both the connection errors and the small lag in the mouse are real. But I think it is a very low toll to pay for all the convenience and solutions it offers. In any case, it is a factor to take into account in the decision.

The price is the other factor. Its official price is 349.99 eurosalthough it is common to find it on sale for less than 300 euros. It is not a little money, although it is consistent with what other equivalent competing docking stations cost.

For a setup, let’s say “complex” like mine, with several computers, two monitors and a collection of peripherals that turn your table into a small chaos of cables, the investment is relatively easily justified. For someone with only one computer and more basic needs, there are cheaper alternatives that probably cover everything you need.

This device has been provided for testing by Anker. You can consult how we do reviews on Xataka and our business relations policy.

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