Anker Apex 12-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Dock, Max 90W Charging for Laptop, 20W Power Delivery, Single 8K, Triple 4K Display, 2 USB-A 3.1 Gen 2, 2 USB 2.0, Ethernet, Audio, SD 4.0, for Thunderbolt 4 Laptops
- 90W Max Charging: Use a Thunderbolt 4 cable to keep your laptop powered up while you’re working.
- The USB-A data ports do not support charging.
FAQ
Q1: Can this dock support fast charging for my devices?
A1: This dock supports up to 90W of charging via the Thunderbolt 4 upstream port on the front of the dock (indicated with a computer icon). The USB-C Power Delivery port (indicated by “PDâ€) supports up to 20W fast charging for your phone. The Thunderbolt 4 downstream port supports 15W charging for smaller devices.
The USB-C data ports on the back of the dock do not support charging.
Q2: What kind of cable should I use to connect the dock to my laptop?
A2: It’s recommended that you use the included Thunderbolt 4 cable. If you need to use a different cable (due to loss etc.), then another Thunderbolt 4 cable would also be compatible.
Q3: How to deal with screen drop, black screen, or screen flickering issues when connecting to an external monitor?
A3: After the dock has just been connected to the external monitor, it’s normal for there to be some degree of flickering. It should go away in a few seconds. If this problem persists, try lowering the resolution.
If you experience any screen issues after waking up your laptop, restart the dock. If your laptop or the docking station has not been shut down for a long time and you’re experiencing screen issues, please restart the dock.
Q4: Sometimes the dock doesn’t automatically reconnect after I wake up or restart my laptop. What should I do?
A4: This situation doesn’t happen very often, but if you are having this problem, try disconnecting and reconnecting the Thunderbolt 4 cable.
Q5: Why does the dock feel warm?
A5: When charging or transferring data at high speed, the dock’s temperature may increase. Don’t worry, this is within the normal limits of the dock’s operation. To avoid excessive heat, make sure not to place any objects on top of the dock or to cover the dock with anything.
 |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB-A Data Port | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| USB-C Data Port | / | 2 | / | 1 | 1 |
| USB-C PD In/Out | 1 | / | / | / | 2 |
| 4K HDMI Port | 2 | 1 | / | 1 | 1 |
| 4K DisplayPort | / | / | / | / | 1 |
| Thunderbolt port | 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports | 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports | 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports | 1 Thunderbolt 3 port | / |
| Gigabit Ethernet Port | 1 | 1 | / | 1 | 1 |
| Dimensions: | 18.64 x 7.37 x 3.33 cm; 467.2 Grams |
| Model: | A83972A1 |
| Manufacture: | Anker |
| Origin: | China |
I’ve been using the Anker Elite 12-in-1 dock for a couple of hours + it has been performing quite well. I paired it with my Intel MacBook Pro (the version with four ports). For those hoping to use dual external monitors, there’s something you should be aware of: even with high-quality HDMI cables, my MacBook can only duplicate displays when connected via the two HDMI ports. To get both external monitors working as extended displays, you’ll need a robust connection (I utilized a TB 4 video cable) via the dock’s TB 4 downstream port.
With this setup, I’ve successfully connected my Intel MacBook Pro to two LG 27UL850 monitors as extended displays. This means one of the HDMI ports remains unutilized, but I can look past that, especially since I still have three spare ports on my MacBook.
I’ve also integrated an EVO4 audio interface through my laptop and a Brio camera via the dock (using a USB-C to USB3 adapter). Everything is working smoothly. There’s still an abundance of ports available for additional peripherals like scanners, security card readers, and more. Additionally, my LG monitor provides extra USB ports via its Thunderbolt cable. In conclusion, this dock is versatile and efficient, albeit with a slight learning curve for optimal setup.
For those saying this doesn’t work with m1 Macs, it’s a bit of a longer story. But getting a clear answer seemed so difficult the only way was to buy it and check.
On my Macbook Pro with m1 Pro chip, it works absolutely fine, running 2 monitors at 4k @ 60hz without issue. The only limitation is that you can’t run both over HDMI. This is fine, the downstream thunderbolt port can handle it no problem, but it does mean that you’re then left without any further downstream ports to use, for example for high speed SSDs.
It’s a limitation, even if not the end of the world. I don’t think this is an issue on the CalDigit TS4 (which has more downstream TB ports in place of any HDMI at all), but I can’t verify that from personal experience, and obviously the TS4 is a step up in price.
Everything else seems fine — PD charging at 90w to the Macbook (haven’t tested the charging on the USB-C port as that’s in use for something else.
For those with display wake issues —I feel you, I’ve been there. But on latest version of MacOS, this isn’t happening for me so far.
Hopefully this is helpful for m1 Pro/m1 Max users looking for answers!
I bought this dock a number of months ago and wanted to provide a review in case someone else was having the same problem I was. I had bought a Thunderbolt 4 to HDMI cable to plug into my monitor. This caused constant drop outs, so much so I had the dock replaced under warranty as I thought it was faulty. Unfortunately the new dock did the exact same thing. I thought that I would try and return it but ultimately decided to buy a new cable, so I bought the “Silkland USB C to DisplayPort 1.4 Cable [8K@60Hz, 5K@60Hz, 4K@144Hz/120Hz, 2K@240Hz]” at a cost of 17.99. Thus far I have not had a single drop out. I am hoping that this is going to resolve my drop out problem so just wanted to let others know in case they have run into some similar. It looks like the dock or something much prefers Display Port over HDMI.
only had it a couple of weeks but so far so good
This saved me considerable aggravation. I bought a Dell XPS-17 with Thunderbolt ports and my old docking station gave me fits. Dell doesn’t tell you that and I won’t buy a Dell docking station ever again – overpriced and support was poor. They should stick to laptops.
Anyway, the Anker docking station has it all and it handles new devices (iPad Pro) and old ones – USB-A devices. It chages the laptop and my iPad at the same time, althought the XPS-17 thinks it is underpowered but I have no problems with it. Windows 11 is not backward compatible as of this writing so the old non-Thunderbolt docking stations are useless.
This has 2 HDMI ports and I have a 49″ Samsung screen (a monster but can’t live without it) and the Anker powers it just fine. I’m not a techie but this is a must and all of the ports are necessary.
It it expensive. Of course but most of the other docking stations don’t match this. This is the best.
I primarily use this with my macbook pro running windows 10 via bootcamp. No flickering and everything works fine. I’m surprised it works with my m1 ipad pro 11 inch. Playing COD mobile using an external monitor through this dock.
This dock is of excellent quality and works well with a Samsung Evo computer. In addition to a comprehensive series of ports, it has the major advantage that it has a power button so it can be switched off to avoid overcharging the battery and extend it’s life. Unfortunately the unit received was missing it’s Thunderbird 4 cable. However I recieved excellent customer service from Anker who aarranged the immediate despatch of the missing lead. The representative, Eliya, even took the time to contact me a couple of days later to check that everything was now working perfectly.m
I needed a thunderbolt dock for my razer blade 2020 as i use it with an external monitor, keyboard & mouse for photo editing. This dock has the awesome benifit of having a UHS-II spec SD card reader too so i dont have to use my dongle for top speed transfers from my UHS-II cards.
Build quality is amazing and suprising its cool to the touch with every ports used unlike others i have used that start to heat up afyer a while. If i had one small nit pick it would be that the stand to have it sit up verticle is an add on for an extra 30 and not included with something at this orice point.
Overall though worth the unvestment as its thunderbolt 4 and backwards compatible with my thunderbolt 3 laptop so quite future proof.
A++
Pricey kit, but works very well and extremely easy to setup