Connect a variety of Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Type-C, USB 3.0 Type-C, USB 3.0 Type-A, DisplayPort 1.2, Gigabit Ethernet, S/PDIF audio, 3.5mm audio, and SDXC UHS-II peripherals to your compatible system using the space gray TS3 Plus 15-Port Thunderbolt 3 Dock from CalDigit. This dock contains two bi-directional 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 ports, each of which utilizes the reversible USB Type-C connector and also supports 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 and dual-bandwidth DisplayPort 1.2, allowing you to connect up to two 4K/60 Hz displays simultaneously, or one 5K Thunderbolt 3 display. Additionally, you can daisy-chain up to six total devices from a single Thunderbolt 3 port. As one Thunderbolt 3 port is used to interface with your host system, the other is used for daisy chaining.
In addition to its Thunderbolt 3 ports, this dock also has one 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 Type-C port, which is also known as USB 3.1 Gen 2, as well as one 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 Type-C port, which is also known as USB 3.1 Gen 1. To maintain compatibility with legacy devices, this dock also has five 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 Type-A ports. The DisplayPort allows for a 4K or 5K monitor to be connected, while the 3.5mm audio ports allow external speakers, mics, and other audio equipment to be connected. Pro-grade digital audio output for a lossless signal transfer is accomplished using the S/PDIF output, network connectivity is achieved using the Gigabit Ethernet port, and the integrated SDXC UHS-II card reader lets you download photos and videos from your digital camera or other device. Additionally, a power cable and a 2.3′ Thunderbolt 3 cable are included.
Arnulfo Champlin (verified owner) –
The TS3 Plus has all the ports I wish my iMac had. I was concerned about compatibility with the Apple desktops but can confirm this works with the 4K iMac.
Jack Hettinger (verified owner) –
This dock works well for me. For audio purposes I found that SPDIF worked, but audio through USB was garbled. Having said that, the SPDIF audio sounds terrific and works flawlessly. I run the SPDIF cable to a Fostex HPA4BL dac/amp. No issue with any of the USB ports or with the ability to power my laptop. I am highly satisfied.
Tressa Beer (verified owner) –
This unit replaces a Dell dock that I purchased with my computer. The Dell dock caused any PC attached to it to crash on low power even though it had a 150W supply. Absolutely no such issues with the CalDigit and it’s faster too! Well worth the money
Angelo Leuschke (verified owner) –
Plus slots for my monitor , keyboard, mouse, and external hard drive. And it’s fast!
Edythe Ledner (verified owner) –
I bought based on recommendations, the number of ports and that Lenovo (I have a TP X1E) docking stations were out of stock. The lack of integrated Power & USB is a minor issue as I have at purchase time 2 connections to make when reconnecting. Having the number of ports is great but I have noticed that the Audio output is loose so the sound for my speakers is scratchy. For now I am plugging in to my computer (which defeats the purpose of a Dock as I now have 3 connections). My Logitech keyboard controller does not work through the TS3+. As I understand it, this is a Logitech issue but now I have a 4th connection. I have connected an external drive for backup (using MS File History). I notice that I regularly get a disconnection notice so something is dropping the connection – either the TS3+, my TP X1E or something in Thunderbolt. I have similar issues with my 2 external monitors (HP 27f 4k connected via DisplayPort & TB to DP connector) sometimes disconnecting but the restarting but all windows have now moved to the laptop. So, the questions are whether I have a bad unit, the TS3+ fundamentally has issues and whether the Lenovo TB3 or 4 docks are any better?
Lavinia Macejkovic (verified owner) –
Easily functioned
Cloyd Treutel (verified owner) –
I have connected this to my 2019 27 iMac. It provides many additional ports however if you connect using an external drive with 3.1 Gen 2 connection it will lose the connection each time the iMac reboots. This is not an issue if using the TB port for some reason. Otherwise it works as designed. It gets warm but not overly warm.
Jackie Bailey (verified owner) –
No issues with setup, dual monitor with macbook pro
Nedra Wilderman (verified owner) –
It does gets toasty, haha. But it’s an amazing little device and matches my workstation amazingly. So far I haven’t had any problems with it charging my MP16 inch.
Dayton Nienow (verified owner) –
I’d have a difficult time deciding what is the more useful addition to my workflow between my Apple Magic Keyboard and CalDigit TS3 Plus but if push came to shove, the TS3 Plus gets a slight nod. It’s a major functionality multiplier. There is nothing I miss from my previous setup or any desktop use with this dock. It provides everything you’d purchase this for and more. While a bit expensive, it’s nice for piece of mind knowing you’re using a quality product with an equally impressive feature set!
Otis Nienow (verified owner) –
I’m using this with a MacBook Pro (15-inch 2017) running macOS 10.15.7. I replaced a USB hub dongle, a DisplayPort hub dongle, and a charging cable with a single ThunderBolt 3 cable to this dock. MUCH easier to pack up my laptop when I need to go, and re-connect my laptop when I come home.
Leonora Wiza (verified owner) –
You would be hard-pressed to find another dock that is this compact with as many ports (15 by the way). This can be used vertically or horizontally (with the use of silicone feet which are pressed into the grooves). To date, this dock has not given me any trouble, and it was easy to set up. (Considering USB 4/ TB4 is becoming mainstream, you should probably wait for this to go on sale, unless more ports are immediately important to you.) The reason why I am giving this four stars is due to the ALWAYS-ON USB ports. It’s helpful for when I want to keep a tablet/phone powered/charging. However, I am not interested in my hard drives still spinning once I’ve disconnected my computer. Perhaps there’s a firmware setting to adjust what USB ports will always provide power. For now, I have to disconnect my USB-A (3.0) and USB-C hard drives whenever I disconnect my computer.
Brittany Kuhn (verified owner) –
nothing special, but it works as it shoud be and no hiccups. i used it with macbook pro 2020 13(not M1 processor).
Megane Stokes (verified owner) –
I love this one it helps me lot!
Octavia Mueller (verified owner) –
Still waiting for my Apple Mac Mini M1 to ship.
Crystel Thompson (verified owner) –
I love the color. The included thunderbolt 3 cord works flawlessly to connect all my peripherals. It makes it way easier to move my laptop around.
Mertie Padberg (verified owner) –
This thing is awesome and for the month I had it running Catalina, no issues. Unfortunately, there is some mounting issues upon restart/startup with my Drobo 5C (USB-C) external drive. CalDigit has been extremely helpful and offered solutions, but the problem resides with Drobo I feel, because the issue happens when connected to iMac directly.
Gianni Mueller (verified owner) –
I had some strange coil whine (a high pitched noise) coming from this device. After swapping my usb-c to hdmi adapter the noise stopped. I have had few issues with it since, this is a really handy device and the optical audio out is a nice touch for those using a DAC. One strange quirk on MacBooks: with the lid closed and “Locking” the screen will turn off my external monitors. Not sure if this is MacOS or Caldigit.
Jedediah Willms (verified owner) –
This thing is great. It has a plethora of ports as well as some that many thunderbolt 3 docks don’t have (optical audio). It’s easy to setup, looks great on the desk, convenient ports on the front and keeps the MBP charged up. I’ve used a few other thunderbolt 3 docks and this one is hands down the best one yet.
Amalia Emmerich (verified owner) –
I have tried a lot of docks for my mackbook 16”, and all of them were overheating or looking weird near my laptop. This one stays pretty cool and looks nice.