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Thunderbolt 5 docking stations are becoming increasingly common as the latest connectivity tech matures, and Dell recently released its new Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock (SD25TB5) aimed at power users and, as the name implies, professionals.
I’ve been using the new Dell dock on my desk for a couple of weeks, and I’m ready to share where it excels and where it falls behind the competition.
This review was made possible thanks to a review sample provided by Dell. Dell had no input nor saw the contents of this review prior to publication.
Cale Hunt
Some might say I’m a little too interested in docking stations, but my years of testing and reviewing the latest hardware gives me a good idea of what works, what doesn’t work, and what’s ultimately not worth your time or money.
Plenty of ports, a straightforward design, and massive charging potential
First, let’s take a look at the port selection. The front of the dock features just two downstream connections: USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2) at 10Gbps with charging abilities and USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2) also at 10Gbps.
Dell Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock (SD25TB5)
• Host connection: Thunderbolt 5 (120Gb/s)
• Front ports: USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2)
• Rear ports: HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, 3x USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2, DP 2.1), 2x Thunderbolt 5 (downstream), 2.5Gb Ethernet
• Power: Up to 300W (with Dell notebooks); up to 240W
• Max display res.: Up to 4x 4K@120Hz, 2x 6K@60Hz, or 1x 8K@60Hz
• Dimensions: 8.07 x 3.54 x 1.39 inches
• Warranty: 3 years (4 – 5 year warranties available)
• Compatibility: Windows 11, Windows 10, macOS, ChromeOS 141, Ubuntu 24.04, RHEL 9.7
• Management: MAC address passthrough, PXE Boot, Wake-on-LAN, WLAN to LAN, Kernel DMA, Intel AMT over Thunderbolt (with vPro PCs)
Most ports are relegated to the back to promote better cable management. There are three more USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2) ports, all capable of charging, as well as USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2) with DisplayPort 2.1 capabilities.
Two downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports also make an appearance. Why not three? Dell moved some of that bandwidth over to native video out ports, including HDMI 2.1 and dual DisplayPort 2.1. This should make it quite easy to connect all of your monitors without requiring adapters or dongles.
A 2.5Gb Ethernet port and a barrel charging port round out the rear connections. I’d rather see a 10GbE hookup on a dock at this price, but at least it’s not 1GbE.
As you should expect in any dock aimed at pros, there are a couple of lock slots on the side — one Kensington and one Noble wedge-shaped. The other side has venting cutouts to feed the internal fan.
So, where’s the upstream Thunderbolt 5 connection for the host PC? This dock comes with the dreaded attached host cable. I prefer a detachable cable simply because you never know when a cord is going to fail, and I’d rather not replace an entire dock when it does.
However, Dell has a good reason for the attached host cable. This is the first dock that can deliver up to 300W of power to the host laptop, which requires a specialised cable. The caveat is that the 300W is only available if you’ve connected one of Dell’s commercial laptops with USB-C PD 3.1 support.
Using the dock with a non-Dell PC? It can still hit up to 240W, which is enough to keep some of the thirstiest mobile workstations topped up. The bottom of the dock includes two pre-drilled holes meant for use with a VESA 100mm x 100mm mounting bracket, which allows you to hide the dock practically anywhere but your desktop.
Dell’s dock supports up to four 4K displays each at 120Hz
Dell’s dock doesn’t skimp on video support; it’s capable of handling up to four 4K displays at 120Hz each simultaneously. This maximum setup is only possible with DP 2.1 and Thunderbolt 5 with Display Stream Compression (DSC), a feature available in many pro-grade displays.
With DP 1.4 and DSC, it falls to quad 4K screens at 60Hz each. And without DSC support in your monitors, you’re looking at quad QHD display support with a 60Hz refresh rate each. Of course, having fewer displays means you can crank up the resolution in each. The dock tops out at a single 8K monitor running at 60Hz.
Ultimately, the Dell Pro dock should be able to handle any sort of monitor setup you throw its way, even if you’re working at a massive workstation with quad monitors.
Dell’s Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock is aimed at professionals, and it brings a ton of PC management tools for IT. Using a Dell laptop with an Intel vPro chip inside? Intel AMT over Thunderbolt is supported.
Otherwise, you’re looking at MAC address passthrough, PXE Boot, Wake-on-LAN, WLAN to LAN switch, and kernel DMA protection. Thanks to Dell’s Device Management Console, the dock can be updated and configured entirely remotely.
Everything wireless is encrypted with a strong WPA-3 192-bit standard, but security goes beyond digital as well. The dock is equipped with hardware-based, tamper-proof encryption, and specific ports can be disabled.
With a standard three-year warranty that can be extended to up to five years, this dock is no doubt going to attract a lot of enterprise customers. And thanks to wide compatibility — Windows 11 (and 10), macOS, Ubuntu 24.04, RHEL 9.7, and ChromeOS 141 — you shouldn’t run into any problems if you’re working across platforms.
Dell Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock review: My final thoughts
✅You should buy this if …
- You already have a Dell laptop with Thunderbolt 5 that can take full advantage of all the dock’s features.
- You absolutely need the remote IT management and professional features.
- You have a power-hungry laptop that needs up to 240W (non-Dell PCs) or 300W (Dell PCs) of charging.
❌You should not buy this if …
- You’re a casual user who won’t make use of the professional management tools.
- You want a Thunderbolt 5 dock with a built-in M.2 SSD slot for easy removable storage.
- You don’t have a Thunderbolt 5 laptop and don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon.
Dell clearly had a focused vision for its new Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock. It set out to create a hub that’s best used with its own Thunderbolt 5 laptops, especially in an enterprise setting where IT management is crucial.
In that regard, it’s a complete success, and I expect that enterprise customers already using Dell PCs will flock to this dock for some excellent future-proofing.
However, due to the price — normally $569.99 but discounted to $484.99 at the time of writing — and the included features, I’m not recommending it to average users, at least unless money is no issue.
Standard users can certainly make use of a lot of the features here, including the excellent display support and charging capabilities, but you can spend a lot less and still get a great Thunderbolt 5 dock that doesn’t charge you for IT management features you’ll never use.
Dell
Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock (SD25TB5)
Dell’s Pro Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock is best paired with a Dell workstation, and its robust list of IT management features clearly aims it at enterprise and pro users. For those without enterprise ambitions and a Dell PC, however, there are better options on the market.
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