Keeping users connected and creating
no matter where they are.
OWC has announced that
Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock
The newest in the line, and designed for pro-creative workflows, the Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock is an on-location and post-production “mission control” featuring 10Gb Ethernet, front-side CFast and SD card readers, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, three USB 3.1 ports, and full support for eSATA devices and drives. On location, the dock is a huge asset, helping manage multiple card uploads efficiently. When back in the office or studio, the Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock has the power and ports needed to manage any workflow. The dock is compact, allowing the easy organization of peripherals and keeping workspace free of clutter. It’s 10Gb Ethernet connection allows top- speed connectivity, and with 60W of pass-through charging, the new MacBook Pro 16-inch will be ready for mobile use.
USB-C Travel Dock
In today’s workforce, the office is wherever the work is — that day. OWC’s USB-C Travel Dock keeps vital connections on-hand wherever needed: on-set, on location, at the studio, in a conference room, or lounging at a coffee shop. The Travel Dock transfers up to 100W of pass-through charging from a USB-C power adapter, ensuring users are powered up and ready to deliver a client presentation or download the day’s last shots. With five essential ports and just one cable, users are ready to display, charge, connect, and import while on the move. The USB-C Travel Dock features an HDMI port for easy display connections up to 4K resolution and can be used via bus power when users don’t have access to a power outlet. Or use the MacBook Pro’s USB-C adapter to deliver up to 100W of pass-through power and use the open port on your computer to connect another device. And with its tiny size, it’s the perfect holiday stocking stuffer for every tech user.
Thunderbolt 3 Dock
With its 14 ports of connectivity thoughtfully placed, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock delivers convenience while keeping desktops clutter-free. The dock’s front is designed for the easy connection of portable devices, headphones and media cards, while the rear features a multitude of ports for your devices so cables stay out of sight. With its single connection to the MacBook Pro, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock makes coming and going from a desk a much quicker and easier endeavor. The carefully chosen ports and functionality bring a new world of possibilities to the desktop, but OWC also worked to ensure the Thunderbolt 3 Dock is built to last. A seamless design wrapped in a single piece of aluminum brings a rugged exterior to endure the day-to-day, while maintaining a stylish design that complements any workspace.
USB-C Dock
The OWC USB-C Dock’s 10 ports of connectivity versatility allows users to link five USB devices, charge two power-demanding USB devices, connect to wired Gigabit Ethernet, download images and videos from the front-mounted SD card slot, listen to or capture audio via the 3.5mm audio jack, and connect to a second display, TV, or projector via Mini DisplayPort or HDMI. All that connectivity makes it easy to tap into digital needs and utilize the new MacBook Pro 16-inch to perform double-duty as a desktop workstation at home, in the office, or in the studio. Forget about messing around with dongles and adapters to connect everything, the OWC USB-C Dock makes it easy to connect an entire workflow. And leave that power adapter in the travel bag, as the USB-C Dock charges laptops as well.
Dock Ejector App
OWC Dock Ejector safely disconnects all connected drives in a single click. Designed by OWC hardware and software engineers, Dock Ejector ensures all data is written before disconnection, saving time and protecting against data loss. Ideal for fast-paced workflows, use it to move quickly between workstations and get the most out of your dock.
In addition to award-winning docks, OWC also offers the most complete line of external storage solutions, adapters, accessories and more to allow tech users to take their machines to the absolute max. The complete line of OWC Docks and products are available for purchase now at MacSales.com, so new MacBook Pro owners can be prepared to create as soon as their machines arrive.
Is there enough power for 60w to continue to charge a MacBook Pro 16?
For anyone following up with this over a year later, I can say that with light use, the USB-C dock is “compatible” with the 16in MacBook Pro. However if you try to use any application that will rely heavily on the discrete GPU, e.g. a video game, especially if you are using the dock to connect to an external monitor or anything else that will push the laptop a little harder, the dock power will not be able to keep up and the laptop will die while plugged in.
Fun additional fact: you can’t just plug in a 96w charger along with the dock as the laptop prioritizes the dock instead and will keep attempting to use it as the power source. So you can have it plugged into a real compatible charger and the dock and it will still die.
That’s hardly “compatible.” This was a poor choice OWC. I really regret my purchase.
I spoke with our Product Development team and they noted that the MBP should always switch to the higher power source automatically, no matter the order things are plugged in. But try plugging in the power adapter first and then the dock to see if that works.
I understand that the rearmost left-hand (ESC-side) connector is “special” in terms of handling charging current. Possibly if the OP plugs his 96w charger into that one, and the hub into another one, it will solve his battery depletion problem.
Seems that the current dock options are some somewhat obsolete for the macbook pro 16inch… 96-100 watts pass through power is going to be important… and the smaller usb travel dock is not sufficient…
It’s hard to justify shelling out $300 for a dock that can’t completely handle the current MBP requirements.
I can confirm that the OWC docks do not charge the 16″ MacBook Pro. I’ve had the laptop die two days in a row from two different OWC docks (one TB2, one TB3). The dock works for USB, but is inadequate for power.
We are sorry to hear about any negative experience that you have had with the OWC Thunderbolt Docks. We will be reaching out to you via email to troubleshoot with you further!
I like the Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock for its 10 gbps ethernet, but to be honest have little use for it now that I’m retired. I have little use for eSata or video (though I can see how video will be important for some).
My ideal dock would have legacy ports too – Thunderbolt 2, Firewire 800, as well as TB3, USB 3/3.1, a 100w charging USB-C port (for laptop), fast ethernet, SD card reader, and video.
Unfortunately, not everyone can change over their peripherals all at once, and having dongles connected to a dock seems somehow redundant (not the mention having the isochronous transfer mode of FW for things like audio/mixer decks.
Do any of these offer the 16″ MacBook Pro the full 96w of charging?
I’ve been looking around (and have a couple of USB-C hubs), but nothing seems to fit the bill.
Bought an Aukey 8-in-1 off Amazon which promised 100w passthrough charging, but when I looked at it I saw it only offered the MBP 60 watts of charging.
Hi Verne, it’s a little more complex than just the power supply wattage, but if you scroll down and read this thread, perhaps it will help.
I’m not talking about the power supply wattage – I’m talking about what charging power the dock offers the MacBook Pro through Power Delivery.
As far as I’m concerned, the dock should offer the MacBook Pro at least as much power as the 96w brick does, and if there are other peripherals connected to the dock they should get what they want/need too.
If this means the dock needs a more beefy power supply, then it should have a beefier power supply of its own.
Thanks for the feedback! OWC is consistently updating products, and this is something that has certainly been talked about. If your needs require a full 100W of pass-through power, perhaps the OWC USB-C Travel Dock would fit the bill.
The problem with pass-through power on USB-C docks is that you have to deduct the power which is consumed by the dock itself (probably something like 13-15 watts).
My Aukey (purchased from Amazon) 8-in-1 travel dock advertised 100w but actually only offers the laptop 60w – though there is purportedly an “upgrade package” for owners of MBP 16 users. Even if the “upgrade package” updates the firmware to allow for higher PD output (I haven’t received the “update package” yet), it still won’t offer the same charging power as the Apple power brick – though it is a travel dock so it gets a pass for the portability.
Supposedly there is an update in the works for the Caldigit TB3 dock, and the Plugable TBT3-UDZ seems to be on the way, and the always-out-of-stock Targus DOCK570USZ offers 100w now but is really a USB 3.2 gen 1 dock.
I’m really looking for a TB3 dock which will get the full 40 gbps of Thunderbolt 3 and offer all the charging power of the Apple brick. I’m in no hurry now as I have gigabit ethernet, USB 3, and a SD card reader, albeit with one MBP port used for the power brick and one for the Aukey.
I’d like to see high speed ethernet (now with wifi 6 on the way for local higher speed NAS) and legacy ports, but know there is little chance of seeing those.
Aukey (to their credit) sent me a new hub with 100w pass-through power, but of course it can’t really provide full charging for a 16 inch MacBook Pro because the dock itself consumes some power and the power source is your original MBP16 brick.
Bottom line is no. they do not. :(
HI, I bought the T3 dock a little over one year ago and Im experiencing power issues with the new MBP16 as it takes forever to charge / gets easily discharged when there is high demand for power.
Is it possible to send this to you and get the new version for a discounted price?
Hi Jose, if you contact Customer Support directly, they can help answer that question for you.
I see that I am not the only person with this problem and that you do not have a solution?
it would have been nice to know before I bought it that it wouldn’t charge a MacBook Pro 16″
I bought a usb-c dock to use with my matchbook pro 16″and it will mot charge it or even keep up with use. do you have a solution to this?
Hi Jeff, thanks for reaching out! I would recommend contacting Customer Support to see what they can do for you.
Thanks but customer support was totally useless aside from telling me there will be an update in the future sometime. Fortunately I was pithing the Amazon return period so I just returned it and got a 100w dock with good matchbook pro 16″reviews:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QQ11BP6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Sorry to hear that, but glad you found a solution!
Agree. Customer service didn’t know that this dock was available and when reading the description said that the Power supply was not enough for the new mbp16.
So… Does it work with the new mbp or not???
Sorry but this doesn’t make sense. “Compatible” is nowadays a synonymous for “can be connected” but not for “it is 100% compatible”.
Yes, these docks can all be connected to the 16″ Macbook Pro – but NONE of them can support 96W for charging which the 16″ Macbook Pro requires…
Hi Guenther! Understanding the power needs of a notebook computer like the MacBook Pro is something that can be a bit confusing. In fact, we are actually planning a future article to fully explain how it works. In the meantime, here is a very general and brief explanation…
The MacBook Pro doesn’t need all 96W of power from the included PSU to charge. While under average load, it only requires somewhere in the 50-60W range. So, why 96W? This is so power can also be provided to the USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports to drive any connected bus-powered devices. Therefore, if you are using an OWC dock to connect all of your devices to a single TB3/USB-C port (it’s intended purpose), 60W of passthrough power (the least amount of any OWC dock) will be sufficient to keep your computer charging.
I hope this helps!
Hi Mark,
I have the previous T3 dock and I’m experiencing u sufficient charging on my new MBP16. IF I remember correctly, the original dock was able to supply 60w of power which were more than enough on the previous 15 mbp.
With the new one, it seems 60 is not enough…
Hi Jose,
We are planning an entire post to explain power delivery and consumption with Docks and MacBook Pros. But in order to give you a brief answer, I checked with one of our engineers for a little help with the math. Here, in his own words, is how he explained it…
The 16" MBP has 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports. By spec, the first Thunderbolt 3 device connected to the MBP can get 15W power, and the second device connected to the same side can get 7.5W. Because one port will be connected to the 96W power supply, the 16" MBP itself can only consume at most: 96 - 15 - 15 - 7.5 = 58.5W at its full loading.The 60W PD charging provided by the older TB3 Dock is greater than 58.5W, so the 16" MBP should theoretically be able to sustain its original battery level. When the MBP is NOT running at full CPU load, the battery should charge.If users connect bus-powered peripherals to the MBP, the 60W PD power from Dock would not be enough. However, the main usage of the Dock is for users to connect their peripherals to the dock rather than to the MBP directly. The dock is the power source for those bus-powered peripherals and the MBP. The MBP would not be the power source.If for some special applications, users need to connect the bus-powered devices to the MBP directly, they should use the 96W power supply. The MBP will only take power from the one source that has the highest PD capability. In this case, the MBP would take 96W from the power supply, instead of from the 60W in our Dock.I hope this helps for now! Keep your eyes on the blog for a more detailed article – we will have something up after we complete some in-house testing with the 16″ MBP.
Thx Mark.
So, the new dock WILL be sufficient for peripherals and the mbp 16″, similar to what I had with the mbp 15″and the old dock… correct? Because I already ordered it!
Though it may not charge as fast, as long as you are using it as described above, you should be okay! Also know that you can always reach out to Customer Support for any reason.
Once you receive and start using it, make sure you post an update here for everyone!
You’re basically limited to using non buss powered devices if you want the full pass through. This is a huge limitation imho. Most of the usb devices I’ll use are buss powered….
It would be really nice if there was a dock option that incorporated FireWire 400/800 considering I have multiple external HD using them.
I wish one of your TB3 docks had at least one TB2 port. I have all these wonderful OWC TB2 peripherals that I still need to run.
Our TB2 version sold very well for many years, but as TB3 has become more of the standard, the demand has just dropped off. Depending upon what peripherals you have, TB3 to TB2 adapters might be an option for you.
I’m somewhat surprised that eSATA keeps making the legacy roster while TB2 didn’t, but I guess you know your user base.
Yeah – the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock has eSata. Presumably, this is because the “Pro” users who have been asking for a gigabit ethernet port are often those who have multi-bay external drives that require port multiplier support as well. At least more so than TB2 (for which there are TB3 adapters).
Even the Apple TB3 TB2 adaptor is pretty pathetic and disconnects frequently.
I find I’m put into the uncomfortable position of having to slowly dump my perfectly good TB2 devices because of this.
I hear ya. It’s hard to believe that TB2 is 7 years old already!