Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station Review

Anker recently sent over its brand-new 14-in-1 Prime TB5 Docking Station for review and so we could throw out some early hands-on impressions of its latest workstation hub. Loaded with I/O around every turn, a sweet onboard halo light around the top, and a built-in cooling system (no external power supply here), we have had a week or so to test it out, so let’s dive in.

Anker’s new 14-in-1 Prime Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station

Before we get into the actual unit, let’s talk price and the Anker Prime TB5 Mystery Box. The Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station (14-in-1, 8K, Thunderbolt 5) costs $399.99 and is available straight from Anker or over at Amazon.

However, over on the Anker site, it is also running the Anker Prime TB5 Mystery Box promotion that you can try to win – it includes 8 Essentials worth over $280. There are two options, the Quiz Challenge and you can try your hand at the giveaway:

Purchase an Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station, then enter our quiz for a chance to win a free Mystery Box!

Participate in the interactive event on Anker’s official Instagram for a chance to win a free mystery box.

The complete details on how to participate are right here.

New Anker Prime Thunderbolt 5 Dock build quality

Firstly let’s start with the build. This thing is particularly heavy and more robust than you might think it would be from a brand like Anker. While it might not be one of those ultra high-end steel models from the ultra high-end brands, it certainly feels like it when you pull it out of the box.

It has a nice, almost Space Gray paint job, with cooling fans on the corners and around the bottom of the unit – I haven’t had any issues with overheating thus far, as well as nice rubber feet to keep things stable on the table top. All-in-all, I have thus far came away impressed with the over build quality here.

You’ll of course also have noticed the halo lighting around the top. Gimmicky, sure, but it also looks really nice on the workstation and is perhaps a little more tasteful than some RGB gaming accessories, for example, with a million LEDs and colors all over the place – I like it.

Connectivity

Overall, this model has just about everything I would need. I perhaps could have done with one or two more Thunderbolt jacks at $400, but if I’m honest I don’t really need that many at any one time. You can get a complete rundown of the options and specs for each of them below – everything is functioning very close to the specs Anker is claiming here in my testing so far:

Thunderbolt 5 upstream port (140W Max power)
two Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports
two USB-C ports (10 Gbps, 45W total)
three USB-A ports (10 Gbps)
120Gbps data transfer
SD and TF card readers
AC input
2.5Gbps Ethernet port
audio jack
HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 2.1 port

Display Support

In terms of the display support – this is likely one of the main reason folks would actually want a high-end box like this for their setup, Anker is supporting both Windows and macOS rigs here at up to 6K at 60Hz, 4K at 144Hz (more like 138Hz in my testing on my monitor, but it depends on your display of course) and dual 2K monitors at 240Hz. Again I have only had a chance to test this new box with a M4 MacBook Pro and M2 Mac mini setup, but you can get the full range of support specs below.

macOS display support:

Window display support:

Buy the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station

Overall, I like this machine, it’s built solid, offers just about all of the I/O I could ask for, delivers on a somewhat future proof Thunderbolt 5 setup, and looks great doing it, but it is a bit pricey for Anker. That said, everyone seems to have different requirements to some degree when it comes to Thunderbolt docks, so I suggest quickly running through some of the disclaimers below just in case – it’s mostly stuff you’re likely already expecting, but you should check it, especially if you don’t have the absolute latest gear:

1. The HDMI 2.1 port and DisplayPort 2.1 port cannot be used simultaneously.

2. The minimum macOS version required to use this Thunderbolt 5 dock is macOS 15 or later.

3. The front USB-C ports support charging and data transfer but do not support video output.

4. Windows laptops with USB-C ports that support DisplayPort Alt Mode can only connect to one external monitor. Apple Silicon MacBooks with M1 / M2 / M3 Standard chips support only one external display via Thunderbolt. MacBooks with M1 / M2 / M3 Pro or Max chips, and all M4 models, support dual displays. M4 MacBooks with Thunderbolt 5 do not support three displays over a single Thunderbolt 5 connection.

5.Very few laptops support connecting three external monitors to this docking station via two Thunderbolt downstream ports and either an HDMI or a DisplayPort.

6. Use only the included Thunderbolt 5 cable or certified Thunderbolt 5 cables. Using uncertified or incompatible cables may cause incompatibility issues.

7. To ensure you achieve the described 2.5Gbps internet speed with this dock, use a Cat5e or Cat6 / Cat6a Ethernet cable no longer than 328 ft (100 m).

8. MacBooks with Apple Silicon chips do not support external GPUs through any docking station. This is a system-level limitation that prevents macOS from recognizing or using an external GPU, even if it is physically connected via a dock.