The Kensington SD2000P USB-C 4K nano dock K38260AU is a remarkably small powered ‘mini’ dock with surprisingly big capabilities.
You buy the Kensington SD2000P USB-C 4K nano dock for its USB-C 3.1 Gen 1, 5Gbps data transfer rate and 60W upstream charging. It suits the majority of MacBooks, Windows laptops and Chromebooks.
The Kensington SD2000P USB-C 4K nano dock (website here). Its mini size means it can support one 4K@30Hz external monitor over either Display Port 1.2++ or HDMI 1.4 as well as one USB-C 3.1 5Gbps/5V/3A, two USB-A 3.0 ports (5V/1.5A) and a Gigabit Ethernet port.
Wrap it up in a 100mm square box that fits a 75 or 100mm VESA mount (optional extra) and
Who would use the Kensington SD2000P USB-C 4K nano dock? K38260AU
Any 60W laptop or tablet with a USB-C Gen 1 or Thunderbolt 3 port can use this. Small enough to be portable and replace a lesser pass-through power ‘dongle’, yet it has full 60W upstream charging.
It is the sort of device that you would hook up to the 32” Samsung Space (review here) so that when you are at your desk, all you need to connect is the USB-C cable – plug and play – to your notebook.
It is ideal for hot-desking, hoteling, home office and educational environments requiring a single monitor solution. The host device (laptop) must support Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alt mode over USB-C – most do.
Tests
We tested on the Lenovo Yoga 930 (14-inch) review here. The Yoga is a Thunderbolt 3 device and has a USB-C 3.1 port as well. We also tested on an i7 HP x360 Spectre – also Thunderbolt 3 with a USB-C 3.1 port. Just for fun, we tried it on a MacBook Touch with USB-C, and it charged and supported the 4K Samsung Space at 30Hz.
To be clear, it will work at 5Gbps on either Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C ports, and it is for one external monitor only.
We also used an HP Z38C 3840 x 1600 (4K Ultrawide – review here), and it drove it at 60Hz (not 30 Hz as conservatively stated).
USB-C 5Gbps test: We connected a Samsung T5 SSD and received close to the maximum for a SATA 6 device – around 440/424MBps sequential read/write – perfect.
Gigabit Ethernet: Rock solid at 978Mbps (marginally under 1Gbps)
USB-A and USB-C power output. Using a test dongle, we confirmed that the front USB-C delivers 5V/3A and the two USB-A will deliver 5V/1.5A. If you use one USB-A it can output up to 5V/2A.
GadgetGuy’s take – Kensington SD2000P USB-C 4K nano dock is a winner
I review a lot of docks – passive dongles, powered extenders and full docks.
While the world is slowly moving to Thunderbolt 3 for dual 4K monitors and more, most of us only need a single 4K capable dock at around half the price. Mwave has this $213.98 plus delivery, and that is a fair price for what it offers.
It’s USP is full 60W upstream charging from its 20V/5.5A (110W) charger and its small enough to conveniently tuck away out of sight.
