OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock

Packed with the ports your Mac lacks

$299 From Other World Computing, macsales.com Features 5x USB 3.1 (Gen 1), 3.5mm analog audio in/out, S/PDIF, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, Mini DisplayPort, SD card reader

This dock for expanding your MacBook Pro offers an abundance of ports. Notably, in contrast to the Elgato and CalDigit rivals we’ve tried, it has FireWire 800 for legacy devices, and an SD card reader and optical audio output, both of which are omitted from recent MacBook Pros.

There’s also a Mini DisplayPort, which may make up for the slightly higher cost of this dock — the aforementioned rivals use full-size DisplayPort, but you may have a Mini DisplayPort adapter and suitable cable from an older Mac.

This is the best-specced Thunderbolt 3 dock we’ve tried for variety and quantity of ports. Two of its USB ports can provide higher power to an iPad, say, if you install a driver.

If a dock is the ointment for connectivity complaints with Thunderbolt-3-equipped MacBooks, beware that there is potentially a fly in it, depending on your Mac’s screen size. It provides only 60W output to charge your notebook, so a 15-inch model’s battery may drain under a heavy workload.

The bottom line. A great choice for a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 3, if you really need five USB ports or other extras your Mac doesn’t have.

OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock Five USB 3.1 (Type A) ports Built-in Mini DisplayPort Costs a lot of dough Only 60W charging Excellent