Review
A powered Thunderbolt 4 dock with 18 ports, 98 W of laptop charging and 2.5 GbE Ethernet, reviewed from the recorded specifications rather than from a.
A Thunderbolt 4 dock with a large port selection, high-wattage laptop charging and support for multiple displays.
Full product researchThe CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt Station is a Thunderbolt 4 dock with a large port selection, high-wattage laptop charging and support for multiple displays. It is the permanent desk answer: a powered box that stays plugged in, with a laptop that arrives and leaves.
This review is built from the specifications recorded against the product, each carrying its source and a verification state that is currently partial. We have not handled this dock, so nothing here claims a transfer rate in practice, a fan noise level or a measured display output. The recorded protocol, port count, charging figure, Ethernet speed and power source are what this page works through.
The recorded protocol is Thunderbolt 4, and that single line decides which laptops the dock can serve at full capability. The recorded data does not describe what a host without a Thunderbolt 4 connection can use, so a buyer with an ordinary USB-C port should check before buying. Nothing else on the spec sheet matters as much as this one, because the alternative to Thunderbolt 4 is a laptop with fewer ports than the desk needs.
The recorded port count is 18 ports, against the 8-in-1 of the bus-powered Anker 555. The recorded feature list adds wired Ethernet, multiple display support and powered dock status, and the recorded description calls out a large port selection.
Port count on its own is a poor measure of usefulness, because a dock with eighteen ports still sends display and storage traffic down one link. What the count does guarantee is that a desk rarely runs out of places to plug in.
Laptop charging is recorded as up to 98 W, and the power source is recorded as an external power supply. Those two lines work together and give the dock its clearest advantage over the portable hub: the 85 W pass-through ceiling recorded for the Anker 555 is limited by what the host can spare, while an external supply removes that competition entirely.
The cost of the external supply is that the dock is a fixed object. It lives on the desk, it needs a socket, and it does not travel with the laptop.
Ethernet is recorded as 2.5 GbE, which is more than double the 1 GbE recorded for the Anker 555 and matters when files move across the network. Multiple display support is recorded as a feature and the recorded description notes support for multiple displays, although no specific display resolution or refresh rate figure is recorded for this dock.
The TS4 suits someone with one desk and one demanding laptop who wants many ports, fast wired networking and full-speed charging from one box. It is a poor fit for a laptop that travels daily, or for a machine without a Thunderbolt 4 port.
The Anker 555 USB-C Hub is the alternative, and it is a good one for a different job: 8-in-1, bus-powered, with a recorded HDMI output of up to 4K at 30 Hz, 1 GbE Ethernet, SD and microSD readers and 85 W of pass-through input. The TS4 wins on ports, charging and network speed, while the Anker wins on portability, because it is the one of the two that travels.
Methodology
How the products below were evaluated and chosen.
What we checked
The protocol, because it decides which hosts can use the dock at full capability, the port count, how the dock is powered, the charging figure and the network speed. Each value comes from the recorded specification and carries its source and verification state.
Products
Why it is here: A bus-powered 8-in-1 hub with a recorded 4K at 30 Hz HDMI output, 1 GbE Ethernet and 85 W of pass-through. It travels with the laptop, where the TS4 stays on the desk.
Port count: 8-in-1
Why it is here: The subject of this review. Its recorded Thunderbolt 4 protocol, 18 port count, up to 98 W of laptop charging and external power supply make it the dock to consider for a permanent desk.
Protocol: Thunderbolt 4
Trade-offs
Published per product so you can see which side of the comparison each point belongs to.
Advantages
Limitations
Fit
Each product is matched to the reader who should pick it, and to the reader who should not.
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FAQ
The recorded protocol is Thunderbolt 4. The recorded data does not describe what a host without a Thunderbolt 4 connection can use, so a buyer with an ordinary USB-C port should check before buying.
Source:CalDigit official site
The recorded port count is 18 ports, which is the largest selection recorded for a dock in this catalogue. The Anker 555 USB-C Hub records 8-in-1 by comparison.
Source:CalDigit official site
Laptop charging is recorded as up to 98 W. The Anker 555 records up to 85 W of pass-through input, and the difference comes from the dock drawing its power from an external supply.
Source:CalDigit official site
Ethernet is recorded as 2.5 GbE, and wired Ethernet appears in the recorded feature list. The Anker 555 records 1 GbE.
Source:CalDigit official site
Yes. The recorded power source is an external power supply, which is why the dock can deliver up to 98 W of laptop charging and why it stays on the desk rather than travelling with the laptop.
Source:CalDigit official site
Keep researching
The recorded alternative to the CalDigit TS4 is the Anker 555, a bus powered 8 in 1 USB-C hub with 1 GbE and up to 85 W of power pass through that.
Yes. The recorded power source for the CalDigit TS4 is an external power supply, and its recorded laptop charging is up to 98 W.
