As we move further and further into the USB-C future, consumers will need more and more solutions to get peripherals up and running. Intel’s Thunderbolt 4 makes that pretty seamless for anything from dedicated GPUs to simply USB hubs. Anker has updated its series 7 docking station with the 778 Thunderbolt 4 dock.
I’ve spent a few weeks with this device and the Anker 778 Thunderbolt 4 docking station has a ton going for it and maybe a few negatives in this full review.
Ports and features
Let’s start with the unspoken one. This isn’t explicitly advertised for Thunderbolt 4 because Anker has ensured it’s also backward compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB4 via the USB-C connection. And I may be crazy but it also seems to support DisplayLink with the appropriate drivers installed on a machine I know doesn’t support Thunderbolt.
Let’s get to the complete list of ports. It’s a total of 12 and much easier to see with bullet points.
- One upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40Gbps, 100W)
- One downstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40Gbps, 15W)
- Two DisplayPort 1.4 video ports
- One HDMI 2.1 port
- Two USB-C ports (10Gbps, 30W)
- Two USB-A ports (5Gbps, 4.5W)
- Two USB-A ports (480Mbps, 2.5W)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- 180W power supply
This is more than enough for even a power user. With ample USB-C and USB-A for peripherals and the three display out ports, you have almost the dream for those who want all the screens you could want.
Anker even has some nice little icons above each port to point you in the right direction. For instance, the USB-A 2.0 is designated for low-powered options like mice and keyboards. The rest is pretty self-explanatory.
The upstream Thunderbolt 4 connection to your laptop is capable of charging up to 100W and pushing fast charge 30W to the downstream USB-C connections. The ethernet port is a Gigabit variety on the Anker 778 as well.
It’s not without omission though. Let’s start with no microSD or 3.5mm ports. Both seem like a miss for those looking for full desktop replacements with laptops. These are commonly included in similar docks and might make shoppers think twice about the Anker 778.
Take note of the OS support
Windows users should be fine and can fully support all the specs the Anker 778 has to offer. This includes four 4K displays at 60Hz and one 6K display at 60Hz. You can also daisy chain up to six Thunderbolt devices with a single downstream TB port.
Mac users are more of a mixed bag. If you don’t have the older Intel models, or Pro/Ultra M1 and M2, I’d avoid the 778 docking station. Anker notes in the listing and docs that the standard M1 and M2 chips are not supported at all. It’s a hard miss for Apple’s most purchased models of the current generation of PCs, but at least Anker is upfront with it.
Another software mention is that I’ve been consistently getting a “too many USB hubs connected” when using the combination of my Aukey 10-port USB hub and AnkerWork webcam. The hub seems to work fine with any other peripheral attached to the 778 dock but as soon as I plug in the webcam I get an error.
Conclusion
Anker always has competitive devices in any market it enters and the e Anker 778 Thunderbolt docking station is on par with other in the market with four 4K display support. The price of $380 is close to the high end of the market for TB docks, but still worth it if the few negatives aren’t an issue for your setup.
You can add the Anker 778 docking station to your desk from both Anker’s website and Amazon (currently on sale for $285). Hit the links below of your preferred marketplace to snag this new device.
Purchase the Anker 778 docking station from Anker
Purchase the Anker 778 docking station from Amazon
