Anker Prime 14-in-1 Triple Display DisplayLink Docking Station: Triple-display, fast-charging USB-C dock

Connect up to three displays to any M-series Mac.

- SIMON JARY

The Anker Prime 14-in-1 Triple Display DisplayLink Docking Station (DL7400) is a DisplayLink docking station that brushes aside Apple’s display limitations to enable up to three external monitors (fave.co/ 3RbaED1) via a single cable to the MacBook.

To achieve this, you must install the free DisplayLink software on your Mac, which is reasonably painless and a onetime setup.

The dock has an impressive 14 ports, including three front-mounted 100W USB-C (more on which later) and a 140W connection to the MacBook—enough to fast-charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro. A future-proof 2.5Gb Ethernet is also included for faster wired network access. It's not Thunderbolt, but the 10Gbps USB-C is ample bandwidth for most.

At the front is the smartest visual display we've seen on a docking station: It shows the output power and data ratings of the dock, MacBook, and each port. You can also set it as a handy clock.

SPECS AND FEATURES

> One upstream USB-C port (10Gbps, 140W)

> Two USB-C ports (10Gbps, 100W)

> One USB-C port (5Gbps, 100W)

> Two USB-A ports (5Gbps, 7.5W)

> One USB-A port (480Mbps, 4.5W)

> Two HDMI 2.1 video ports

> One DisplayLink 1.4 video port

> Ethernet (2.5Gb)

> SD card reader (UHS-I,104MBps)

> MicroSD card reader (UHS-I,104MBps)

> 3.5mm combo Audio jack (front)

> 160W power supply

This dock connects to the computer via 10Gbps USB-C, rather than the Mac's faster 40-80Gbps Thunderbolt ports. 10Gbps should be fast enough for most users not replying on ultra-fast external storage devices, but if you require the very fastest data-transfer rates, you should look for one of the best Thunderbolt docking stations (fave.co/3h1wVoY).

The Anker's front and rear connectivity options.