CalDigit today introduced a new “Element Hub” dock, equipped with four Thunderbolt 4 ports and four USB-A ports for connecting external displays, storage drives and other peripherals to devices such as a MacBook Pro or iPad Pro. For data transfer, the Thunderbolt 4 ports offer speeds of up to 40 Gb / s, while the USB-A ports can reach up to 10 Gb / s.
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Since Thunderbolt 4 has the same connector design as USB-C and is backward compatible with Thunderbolt 3, the dock can be used with many MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iPad Pro models released in recent years, as well as the fourth-generation iPad Air. The dock has pass-through charging and delivers a fixed 30W for the MacBook Air, a fixed 60W for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and up to 45W for the iPad Pro.
Included in the box with the Element Hub is a 150W power supply, a 0.8m Thunderbolt 4 cable and two rubber feet.
The dock is available for pre-order for a discounted price of $ 139.99 (regular price $ 179.99) on CalDigit’s website and will ship in the United States later this month. The dock is also available for pre-order in the UK and will ship in March.
OWC also introduced a Thunderbolt 4 dock last month which may be worth checking out for customers considering purchasing one. That dock costs $ 249 and features four Thunderbolt 4 ports, four USB-A ports, a gigabit Ethernet port, an SD card slot and a combo 3.5mm audio in / out, with up to 90W pass through charging.