Transform Anywhere: Compact Dock Upgrades Laptop Into Full-Fledged Desk Setup - Insights From ZDNet

Transform Anywhere: Compact Dock Upgrades Laptop Into Full-Fledged Desk Setup - Insights

This little dock is powerful enough to perform the same job as much larger models, but versatile enough to earn a permanent home in your laptop bag.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

We’re all aware of just how transformative the past few years have been to how work gets done.

The new reality of mobile and remote work has spawned an influx of products created to enhance productivity whether we’ve returned to the office, are permanently working from home, or constantly need to move between both realities.

Also: This flip-out portable monitor is my productivity secret weapon

One of the most important tools in adapting to life spread between multiple workstations is a dock for your laptop.

These handy devices take the task of plugging in five or six cables every morning and replace it with a single plug. They also massively expand connectivity options for even the most port-frugal laptops. Unfortunately, they can sometimes be a bit bulky, meaning you’re unlikely to fit them in your laptop bag.

Also: This $75 dock turns your Mac Mini into a Mac Studio (sort of)

That’s where Accell’s USB-C Mobile Multiport Adapter comes in. What looks small enough to be a simple USB-C dongle can actually do nearly everything a full-sized laptop docking station can. Better yet, it’s portable enough to come with you whenever the need arises.

Buy the Accell USB-C Mobile Multiport Adapter at Amazon $66.26 at Amazon

The port selection includes: USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort (left to right).

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

The Multiport Adapter handles a surprising number of devices at high levels, despite packing only four ports. Those four ports include:

1 x HDMI and 1 x DisplayPort: This pair of video outputs offers a variety of available configurations (where supported), including a single 8K or 4K 120Hz display, or simultaneous 4K 60Hz displays when both ports are used simultaneously.
1 x USB-A 3.1 Gen 2: This port offers data transfer rates of up to 10Gbps, making it ideal for external storage devices or media capture peripherals. However, it can also support any USB-A peripheral, including keyboards, mice, printers, and scanners.
1 x USB-C 3.1 Gen 2: This also supports 10Gbps data transfer and the connection of any compatible peripheral. Additionally, it offers up to 90W of fast charging when plugged into a 100W power source.

When combined, these ports are enough to support a dual-monitor workstation with two 4K displays and a wired mouse and keyboard, while also providing fast charging for your smartphone, tablet, or even a second laptop.

Also: This discreet dock transforms my laptop into a fully featured desktop PC

Adding a secondary USB hub to the USB-C or USB-A ports will let you expand even further, even if it does add one extra thing to plug in.

That’s two 4K monitors, a wired mouse, and a USB-C hub all plugged into one port on my M1 MacBook Air.

Michael Gariffo/ZDNET

Of course, any decent laptop docking station will let you do all this, and probably a bit more thanks to its larger size and potentially broader port selection.

However, where this product shines is its versatility. Not only can it serve as the heart of a permanent workstation, but you can also pluck it out at any time to come along and help you connect projectors for presentations or in-office monitors and peripherals. You could even have it as a valuable standby tool in helping port-starved laptops (like my own pictured above) connect to almost anything.

This versatility is further helped by the Mobile Multiport Adapter’s compatibility with Windows 10 and 11, MacOS, ChromeOS, and even Android devices, meaning it’ll work with almost any system you throw at it.

Also: Is this the ultimate Windows docking station? Meet the Accell Thunderbolt 4

If this sounds like a useful device to toss in your bag or add to your desk at home or at work, you can pick one up now at Amazon for less than $100 (much less thanks to a $8 coupon available at the time of writing).