Microsoft’s Surface devices are some of the best laptops on the market, featuring premium designs, great displays, and generally high-end performance. Whether it’s the Surface Pro 9, which is arguably the best Windows tablet on the market, or the Surface Laptop Studio 2, which has one of the most unique designs for a laptop, there are a lot of good things to say about Microsoft’s lineup. However, ports tend to be one area where the company falls a little flat.
Most Surface devices don’t have a ton of ports built-in, so they usually rely on docking stations to expand the port selection if you need to. Not only is the company relying on docking stations, it actually makes some of its own, which you can use to get the best experience. If you need some help choosing one, we’ve rounded up some of the best docking stations you can get for your Surface device, depending on the model you have. We’ll offer some model-specific guidance at the end, but first, let’s take a look at the top options.
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Microsoft Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock
Best for Surface Pro 9
The official Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock is the best solution if you have one of the latest Surface devices with Thunderbolt 4 support. It adds three USB-C ports for display outputs, three USB Type-A ports, RJ45 Ethernet, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
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Microsoft Surface Dock 2
Best for Surface Pro 7
If you have an older Surface device that doesn’t support Thunderbolt, the Surface Dock 2 remains the best official docking station for you. It adds two display ports via USB-C (up to two 4K displays at 60Hz), two regular USB-C ports, USB Type-A, RJ45 Ethernet, and a headphone jack.
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Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub
Official travel hub
The official Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub works with the vast majority of Surface devices and it’s meant to give you more ports while you’re on the move. It includes USB-C, USB Type-A, HDMI, RJ45 Ethernet, and even VGA, if you happen to come across an old monitor or projector.
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Plugable 16-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Dock
Best alternative
If you have a Thunderbolt-capable Surface device, the Plugable 16-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Dock is a fantastic alternative. It has a total of 16 ports, including support for four 4K displays at 60Hz, lots of USB Type-A ports, and 2.5Gbps Ethernet. It’s one of the best docks around.
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CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock
Premium pick
There aren’t many docks out there with as many ports as the CalDigit TS4, which has a total of 18 ports available. That includes downstream Thunderbolt ports, multiple USB Type-C and Type-A ports, DisplayPort, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, and both combo and split audio jacks.
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Anker PowerExpand 5-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock
More Thunderbolt ports
If you have a lot of Thunderbolt-based peripherals, like monitors and storage, the Anker PowerExpand 5-in-1 dock gives you three more Thunderbolt downstream ports so you can connect them easily. There’s also a USB Type-A port in case you need it.
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Plugable USB-C 4K Triple Display Docking Station
Three displays without Thunderbolt
$240 $270 Save $30
If you have a lot of 4K monitors but your Surface doesn’t support Thunderbolt, the Plugable USB-C 4K Triple Display Docking Station is a great solution. In addition to three 4K displays, it has a lot of USB ports and Ethernet, plus it’s reasonably affordable.
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Belkin 6-in-1 USB Hub
Cheap USB-C hub
$41 $45 Save $4
Belkin is a very reliable brand making all kinds of tech accessories, and if you want a cheap USB-C dock to add some more ports, this is a great option. You get HDMI, USB Type-A, USB Type-C, and SD card readers for a pretty affordable price. It’s also very compact, so you can easily slip it into a bag or pocket.
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CalDigit Element Hub
Best value Thunderbolt
This compact Thunderbolt hub from CalDigit features three Thunderbolt ports, four USB-A ports, and some excellent built quality. Plus, this dock comes in at $200 which is an excellent value for a premium Thunderbolt-focused dock. If you rely primarily on Thunderbolt, this dock is well worth considering.
How to choose a dock for your Surface device
There are a lot of Surface devices on the market right now with different capabilities in terms of ports, and it’s important to pay attention to the device you have and the dock you’re choosing before making a purchase.
Newer Surface models support Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt 4 is the ideal option for docking station, primarily because it’s basically an industry standard at this point. If you buy a Thunderbolt 4 dock, it will work on any Thunderbolt 4-capable laptop, whether it’s from Microsoft or not. However, only a few of the most recent Surface devices support Thunderbolt 4, including:
- Surface Pro 8 and Pro 9 (excluding Surface Pro 9 with 5G)
- Surface Laptop Studio 1 and 2
- Surface Laptop 5
- Surface Studio 2+
If you have one of these devices, your best option will be to get a Thunderbolt 4 dock, whether that’s the one from Microsoft or any of the other models mentioned here. The decision then comes down to the ports you need for your setup. If you have a lot of USB Type-A peripherals, the official Surface Thunderbolt 4 Dock may be a bit lackluster, for example. I’m personally a fan of the Plugable 16-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Dock because of the sheer number of ports, including four display outputs.
Most Surface devices have Surface Connect, but it’s most relevant on older models
If you don’t have one of the models listed above, the best option you have is the Surface Dock 2, which uses the proprietary Surface Connect port available on the vast majority of Surface devices. This delivers capabilities close to a Thunderbolt 4 dock, and it has the benefit of using a magnetic connector that makes it easy to disconnect when needed. However, since it’s a proprietary connector, you won’t be able to use this dock with a non-Surface device. We would only really recommend this option if your Surface device doesn’t support Thunderbolt.
One other thing to keep in mind is that these models offer support for two 4K displays at 60Hz:
- Surface Pro 7-9
- Surface Laptop 3-5
- Surface Laptop Studio 1 and 2
- Surface Book 3
The following devices will support only one 4K 60Hz display, or two 4K displays at 30Hz:
- Surface Pro 5 and 6
- Surface Pro X
- Surface Laptop 1 and 2
- Surface Laptop Go 1-3
- Surface Go 1-4
- Surface Book 2
Other Surface devices will not be compatible with the Surface Dock 2.
USB-C is almost everywhere
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that if you don’t have a Surface device with Thunderbolt 4 and the Surface Connect port seems too expensive for you, or you want something that can work on other laptops, you can always turn to generic USB-C docks and hubs, like the official Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub above. Most modern Surface devices have a USB-C port, including the following:
- Surface Pro 7 or newer
- Surface Pro X
- Surface Go (all models)
- Surface Laptop 3 or newer
- Surface Laptop Go (all models)
- Surface Laptop Studio (all models)
- Surface Studio 2 and 2+
All of these devices should support the full capabilities of the USB-C hubs that don’t require Thunderbolt, including the Plugable USB-C Triple 4K Docking Station, which is one of the best options if you want a powerful dock that doesn’t require Thunderbolt and is still widely compatible.
Best docking stations for Surface devices in 2023: Bottom line
No matter what kind of Surface device you have, there’s a docking station out there for you. The Thunderbolt-capable Surface devices have the best dock options, since Thunderbolt 4 offers the highest performance and broad compatibility, making it the best option to buy now and use for the next several years, even if you switch laptops. Surface Connect also has great capabilities, but it severely restricts your options for docking stations, and if you buy one now, it won’t work with other devices in the future. Of course, you can always fall back on regular USB-C, especially if you don’t need a ton of ports. No matter what you’re looking for, the options above are bound to have something that will work well for you.
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Microsoft Surface Pro 9
$780 $1100 Save $320
The Surface Pro 9 is the latest tablet from Microsoft. It comes in new colors and is available with either 12th Gen Intel Core CPUs or the ARM-based Microsoft SQ3 processor, depending on whether you’d like 5G connectivity.
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
$800 $1000 Save $200
The Surface Laptop 5 features a sleek design, runs Windows 11, and has a touchscreen. For the money, it’s one of the best laptops around right now, and for the 15-inch model, it’s one of the lightest.
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Surface Laptop Studio 2
The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is the most powerful device in Microsoft’s lineup, with 13th-generation Intel processors and up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics. It also includes a sharp 14.4-inch display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and it has a unique form factor, too.