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    Best October Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks & USB-C hubs

    TechAiVerseBy No Comments10 Mins Read8 Views
    Best October Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks & USB-C hubs

    Best October Prime Day deals on Thunderbolt docks & USB-C hubs

    Image: Rob Schultz/Foundry

    Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales offer one of the year’s best opportunities to score deals on USB-C hubs and docks and their more powerful cousins, Thunderbolt docking stations. All offer important, necessary ways to expand your laptop’s ports and connect legacy devices like printers and mice.

    What we call the October Prime Day event kicks off today, October 7 and will last through October 8. You probably will need to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of Amazon’s Prime Day sales.

    I write, test, and recommend the best USB-C hubs and dongles, and do the same for the best Thunderbolt docks. For the past several years, I’ve been responsible for seeking out the best deals in both categories for Amazon’s Prime Days, Black Friday, and more. I think it’s fair to say that you’ll find the best USB-C and Thunderbolt docking station deals right here. Confused? Check the FAQ, below.

    Below, you’ll find a list of deals, as well as a list of frequently-asked questions explaining what you should look for. I don’t expect anything unusual in terms of USB-C hub prices. Thunderbolt docks, however, are a different story: Thunderbolt 5 is arriving in the market, and older Thunderbolt 3 products (which are still somewhat viable) are being phased out. Tariffs also have an effect.

    I value flexibility in my docking station choices, and right now StarTech’s dock offers the most port flexibility. I’ve reviewed StarTech’s Thunderbolt 4 dock/hub, though not this machine. (The MSRP of that dock was originally $483, but it’s at $160 for Prime Day.) In my experience, StarTech makes pretty solid hardware, and this offers all the ports you could want and then some.

    My top choice right now is Plugable’s Thunderbolt 4 dock, however. I haven’t reviewed this dock personally, though our sister site Tech Advisor has, and liked it. StarTech’s dock offers more ports, but Plugable provides a dedicated HDMI port as well as a Thunderbolt 4-to-HDMI cable to allow you to connect a second 4K display without spending extra. That’s value! I’ve also reviewed numerous Plugable products, and their quality is generally excellent.

    I really like Ugreen’s hardware as well, but the 208 is more of a hub, and you’ll need to buy display cables that take its USB-C video connections and translate them to HDMI. Those are about $18 per cable. (The 213 has a display port, but it’s also more expensive.) Kensington’s SD5700T falls under the same category, unfortunately.

    I’ve reviewed the VisionTek VT7000, which was solid — just too pricey. A discount on the cheaper model is a welcome sight.

    TechAdvisor, our sister site, loved the CalDigit TS4, which is still expensive but on a decent sale.

    Belkin’s Connect TB4 dock is pretty basic, but honestly offers most of what you want. The discount isn’t exceptional, however.

    Best October Prime Day deals on USB-C dongles and hubs

    The number of deals has expanded, so I’m separating out the traditional “dongles” from the others, below. Ugreen is a top-rated brand that I’ve personally used, so just select whatever fits your budget.

    Best October Prime Day deals on USB-C docking stations

    These are more traditional, chunkier docking stations for your desktop, and something you might prefer if you’d like more ports or in some cases dedicated power.

    I’ve reviewed the Baseus Spacemate 11-in-1 dock listed here, and I rather liked it, even though it felt a little unnecessarily over-engineered. Note that the price when I reviewed it was $199.99, so the discount is a little deceiving — it’s closer to half off the initial price. Note that the 11-in-1 supplies its own charger; the 9-in-1 hub does not.

    Plugable’s docking station is interesting. It only supports 1080p displays, but four of them. So if you’re a spreadsheet guru or financial analyst looking to construct an array of displays for tracking stocks, this dock might be what you need.

    I’ve never used Benfei’s laptop stand, but that’s an intriguing find. If you think you might use a laptop stand, check it out.

    All of these are DisplayLink docking stations, which means that you can use them with a laptop with a generic USB-C port. You’ll just have to install a software driver first. (The linked story has a fuller explanation.) They’re essentially more powerful versions of a generic USB-C docking station like the Belkin 11-in-1 GaN dock.

    I ruled out several deals because retailers are unloading old docks, which connect at outdated resolutions like 1080p. The Plugable adapter is interesting; it just offers two 4K HDMI displays, and that’s it. It’s a bit novel, but connecting to displays is what a dock does best. The Kensington and Revodok docks are more traditional offerings.

    Deals updated at 9:52 AM PT on Oct. 7, 2025.

    Other great October Prime Day deals

    These aren’t the only October Prime Day deals being tracked by the PCWorld team. If you’re looking to supercharge your home setup with the juiciest tech sales, hit the links for only the best expert-curated picks we’ve found.

    FAQ

    1.

    Why should I buy a USB-C hub or Thunderbolt docking station?

    Laptops have generally begun replacing all of the legacy ports (the boxy USB-A plug, HDMI, SD card slots, and more) with generic USB-C ports. That’s fine, but what if you have a wired printer or mouse or external SSD? You’ll need to connect it to your laptop, and you might need the right physical port connector.

    If you have a fast external SSD or hard drive, the external throughput will certainly help you get the most out of your peripheral. And if you want to connect multiple displays, you’ll need a USB-C hub (and preferably a docking station) with support for two display connectors.

    2.

    How do I know whether to buy a USB-C hub or a Thunderbolt docking station?

    USB-C hubs and Thunderbolt docks use the same physical USB-C connection. A USB-C port (and USB-C hub or dongle) use a basic 10Gbps connection, while a Thunderbolt port increases the throughput to 40Gbps. Ideally, you should see a small “lightning bolt” icon signal a Thunderbolt port, while an unmarked port may be just a generic USB-C port.

    Manufacturers, though, aren’t forced to label their ports. Your best bet is to haul out your laptop’s manual and check.

    Thunderbolt docks will only work with a Thunderbolt connection. You can buy a USB-C hub or dongle and connect it to a Thunderbolt port, but it will only run at the 10Gbps speed.

    3.

    USB-C hubs, dongles, and docking stations: what’s the difference?

    I use hubs and dongles interchangeably to describe the small devices that hang off your USB-C port with a short cable. A docking station is generally large and heavy enough that it will remain on your desk. Virtually all Thunderbolt devices are large enough to be considered docking stations.

    You can buy USB-C docking stations that lack Thunderbolt connections, but those are a bit rarer. A docking station also usually includes a charger so you can use it instead of your laptop charger. I also associate a docking station as something that resides on your desk, all the time.

    4.

    My laptop has USB4, not Thunderbolt. Can I use a Thunderbolt dock?

    USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 are functionally the same. Intel refuses to certify non-Intel platforms like AMD’s Ryzen for Thunderbolt, and the new Copilot+ PCs from Microsoft powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips are in the same boat.

    USB-C hubs work with basically anything with a USB-C port on it. Don’t worry about those at all.

    5.

    How do I know whether to buy Thunderbolt 3, 4, or 5?

    Thunderbolt is backwards-compatible, so you can own a laptop with Thunderbolt 4 and connect it to a Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 dock without worry. It’s not forward-compatible, however. While Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 both transfer 40Gbps, you’re probably best to play it safe and match the specs of your port to the specs of the device. Thunderbolt 5 has been largely confined to gaming laptops, and doesn’t look to expand to the mainstream anytime soon.

    6.

    How will tariffs affect the prices of Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs during Prime Day sales?

    This is the big wild card.

    Many hubs and docks are made in China, which has been a prime tariff target for this administration. On the other hand, dock makers like Plugable have specifically told me that they’ve moved manufacturing out of China, too. But consider: CalDigit announced its TS4 docking station in 2022 for $359.95. Its current list price: $449.95, and it’s “on sale” at Amazon for $379.

    You’ll probably go crazy trying to figure out tariffs. Just buy the price.

    7.

    Some of these docks have had bad reviews on shopping sites. Why?

    While Macs adopted Thunderbolt first, some of the Apple M1 silicon couldn’t keep up with Intel Thunderbolt controllers used by Windows PCs, and the Apple MacOS experience suffered as a result. If you see a negative comment, try and determine if it’s a Windows user making it. The experience may be totally different.

    8.

    Are the best Thunderbolt dock and USB-C dongle deals at Amazon?

    Historically, yes. I check other sites, but over the past few years Amazon has consistently offered the best deals on these two product categories. Thats not always the case; Best Buy, for example, is often very competitive in Chromebooks.

    , Senior Editor, PCWorld

    Mark has written for PCWorld for the last decade, with 30 years of experience covering technology. He has authored over 3,500 articles for PCWorld alone, covering PC microprocessors, peripherals, and Microsoft Windows, among other topics. Mark has written for publications including PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science and Electronic Buyers’ News, where he shared a Jesse H. Neal Award for breaking news. He recently handed over a collection of several dozen Thunderbolt docks and USB-C hubs because his office simply has no more room.

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    Jonathan is a tech enthusiast and the mind behind Tech AI Verse. With a passion for artificial intelligence, consumer tech, and emerging innovations, he deliver clear, insightful content to keep readers informed. From cutting-edge gadgets to AI advancements and cryptocurrency trends, Jonathan breaks down complex topics to make technology accessible to all.

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