Mac and Windows people don't often agree on much. PCMag testing shows that this extends to USB-C docks, as well. The attractive metal CalDigit USB-C Dock ($149) is the best fit of the docks I've seen so far for your new MacBook Pro ($808.85 at Amazon) , although I don't recommend it to Windows PC owners. If you're planning to buy one of Apple's new all-USB-C laptops, this dock is one-stop shopping for (almost) every port you can think of needing.
The CalDigit USB-C Dock is bigger, prettier, and heavier than other USB-C docks I've seen so far. It measures 1.1 by 7.9 by 3.7 inches (HWD) and weighs a hefty 1.3 pounds. Made of solid, corrugated metal rather than plastic, it's a great fit with Apple's metal unibody design. Four little rubber feet prevent it from scraping your desk.
On the front, there are headphone and microphone jacks, and a USB Type-A port with 1-amp power delivery. On the back are an Ethernet port, two USB-C ports, two USB Type-A ports with 0.5-amp power delivery, a full-size DisplayPort connector, and an HDMI port. It will deliver 60 watts of power to your system, and it easily charged a new 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Testing and Conclusions
Used with that MacBook Pro, the dock easily drove a 4K Dell display at 30Hz through the DisplayPort and HDMI ports. (The dock promises 4K display support at 60Hz, but only with "special firmware." For now, its frame rates are on par with those of other docks.) I didn't have the same success with an HP Spectre x360 13-w023dx ( at Amazon) , which had trouble maintaining the DisplayPort connection. That leads to my recommendation of this dock only for Mac laptops.
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Speeds on the various USB ports were a bit higher than has been the case on other docks. Using a SanDisk 900 SSD, which gets 800MBps plugged in to the MacBook Pro's native USB port, I saw about 400MBps for both read and write through the various ports on the dock. The USB ports also support Superdrives, which the competing OWC USB-C Dock does not. The Ethernet port handled our 150Mbps symmetrical Fios connection with no issue.
Now, stick with me here. With our Editors' Choice dock, the Plugable USB-C Docking Station With Power Delivery ( at Amazon) , I saw lower speeds on its USB Type-A port with a Mac than with a PC. I'm still trying to unravel that, but it just underscored that different docks may work better with different operating systems.
The only minor performance complaint I'd give in using the CalDigit dock with a Mac is that there's a bit of hiss through the headphone jack. It's only audible when you aren't playing music.
The Caldigit USB-C Dock is the same price as OWC's but it's more attractive, has a DisplayPort connector, and supports Superdrives. It doesn't have an SD card slot, if that's what you're looking for. But unless that's a requirement, this dock will be a better partner for your port-poor new MacBook Pro. Windows users should stick with the Plugable lineup.
The CalDigit USB-C dock offers the best design and features for MacBook Pro owners, but doesn't work well with Windows right now.
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