Thunderbolt Go Dock: Rock solid build and performance

May 12, 2023

First unveiled at CES 2023 earlier this year, it's time to take a closer look at the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock – the "first full-featured Thunderbolt dock with a built-in power adapter." OWC is one of the better Apple gear accessory brands out there, from docks and hubs to memory solutions, portable storage, and more. Much of its gear borders on enterprise-grade quality that carries over to its consumer and prosumer lines in the best way possible. Just about every piece of kit from the brand I have got my hands on over the years has impressed me in terms of overall build quality and performance, and the Thunderbolt Go Dock is no exception. But now, after getting a few weeks to put it through its paces, let's dive in and take a closer look to see if it's right for your setup. Head below for our hands-on review of the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock as part of the latest entry in the Tested with 9to5Toys series.

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The new OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock is a heavy-duty hub solution for MacBook users (as well as a host of other Thunderbolt-ready gear), iPads, and more. It is made of a robust heat-dissipating solid aluminum with loads of I/O potential wrapped around every corner. OWC touts the Go Dock as the first full-featured Thunderbolt dock with a built-in power adapter for easy mobility – it doesn't need one of those larger power bricks like much of the competition but rather just a basic lightweight power cable that's included in the box.

Joining 90W power passthrough to charge your laptop and other gear you are using it with, it boasts 11 ports to expand your I/O options and multimonitor setup. Those include a trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports, three USB-A ports, a USB-C jack, 2.5Gb/s Ethernet, a 3.5mm audio port for headphones and the like, HDMI, and an SD card reader.

It supports one 8K monitor or a pair of 4K displays to varying degrees based on the system you’re using it with – it breaks down as follows for Apple's most popular Macs and iPads:

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock retails for $350 shipped, but you can score one for a touch less from trusted Amazon third-party sellers. It also ships with the power cable and a 0.7-meter OWC Thunderbolt Cable.

Whether you’re a content creator returning home from some field work looking to ingest footage into your main system to start editing or just looking to expand your desktop setup, the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock is a solid option. And I mean solid in a couple of ways; it is literally built like a tank and provides more than enough power and I/O options for all but the most hardcore setups. It might be a bit heavy and large for some portable setups, but it is otherwise one of the best builds I have had the chance of testing out in the dock or even USB-C hub categories yet. It simply should be on anyone's radar who might be on the hunt for a fully-featured Thunderbolt 4 dock like this.

In terms of actual functionality, there's not a whole lot to report on outside of saying it does exactly what it says on the tin. The power passthrough was rock solid, the data transfers were speedy and reliable, and everything functions perfectly.

If I had to find a fault with this particularly nice Thunderbolt 4 dock, which is no easy task, it would have to be an aesthetic one. The thing functions wonderfully and happens to be quite a good option for my setup and likely just about anyone else's that doesn't require an inordinate number of Thunderbolt ports, but there is just something about the writing and logo splayed across the top of unit that is a bit much for me. It is by no means ugly, and I love the grayed metal shell with the grille-like detailing along the top, but I tend to prefer gear with as little branding as possible, and I think the Thunderbolt Go Dock would have benefited from a more subtle approach here. It's certainly a trivial thing, even for me, and one I’m hesitant to even refer to as a gripe, but I would have preferred a smaller classy OWC logo with the "Thunderbolt Go Dock" hidden away or just simply not present at all. I also would have liked the option to score one in Apple MacBook silver, but again, no big deal.

Another thing here to keep in mind is the price. The $350 MSRP certainly isn't the cheapest out there, but the OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock is no cheap piece of kit either. Much like the brand's Envoy Pro mini SSD we reviewed previously, the Thunderbolt Go Dock is for folks that can appreciate a solid metal build that can take a beating and come out unscathed, a solution with rock-solid performance, and one that's not going to slide around on the desk every time you connect a cable. There are not many options out there in any price range that can stand toe-to-toe with the build quality here – just be prepared to fork out a little extra cash to get it.

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