CalDigit TS4

The CalDigit TS4 is the flagship Thunderbolt 4 docking station built for professionals who demand maximum connectivity from a single desk accessory. With 18 ports — the most of any Thunderbolt dock — it transforms any Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4, or USB-C laptop into a full workstation via a single cable. Targeting creative professionals, IT power users, and hybrid office workers on both Mac and Windows, the TS4 delivers 98W of sustained laptop charging, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, UHS-II card readers, and flexible display configurations up to 8K. Its rear-facing host port and dual orientation support (horizontal or vertical) make it a clean, cable-friendly centerpiece for any demanding desk setup.

Guaranteed 98W Charging Under Load

Most competing Thunderbolt 4 docks advertise up to 96W charging but ship with an undersized power supply. When additional peripherals are connected, those docks redistribute power away from the host laptop, so charging wattage drops in real-world use. The TS4 ships with a 230W power supply — nearly double what rivals include — ensuring the full 98W is always delivered to the host regardless of how many devices are plugged in. For MacBook Pro users running demanding workloads (video rendering, large compilations) this means the battery never drains during a heavy session, which directly eliminates a frustrating failure mode in creative and developer workflows.

Record 18-Port Connectivity

The TS4 offers 18 ports across every major interface category: 3x Thunderbolt 4-USB4 (40Gb/s), 3x USB-C (10Gb/s), 5x USB-A (10Gb/s), 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x SD 4.0 UHS-II, 1x microSD 4.0 UHS-II, 2.5GbE, front combo audio, rear audio in and out. No Thunderbolt dock from any competitor comes close to this count — the nearest rivals top out at 11-12 ports. For a user with multiple external drives, two monitors, wired audio, card readers, and a wired network connection, the TS4 is the only dock that handles every device without requiring a secondary hub, which reduces both desk clutter and potential failure points.

18 ports. 98W charging. One Thunderbolt cable.

Intel Evo certified · NDAA compliant · 2-year warranty

2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Built-In

The TS4 is the first Thunderbolt dock to include a 2.5GbE port as standard — a specification that was previously found only in NAS devices and high-end routers. 2.5GbE delivers 2.5× the throughput of a standard 1GbE port, which translates to sustained file transfers of roughly 280 MB/s versus 110 MB/s — a meaningful difference when working with large video or RAW photo assets on a NAS. A standalone USB-to-2.5GbE adapter costs €20–55; getting this built into the dock represents real value. Note: Ethernet requires a Thunderbolt or USB4 host with PCIe support; it is not active on plain USB-C connections.

Universal Host Compatibility

The TS4 negotiates its feature set dynamically based on what the host supports: full 40Gb/s Thunderbolt 4 on modern Macs and Thunderbolt 4 PCs; Thunderbolt 3 performance on older Intel Macs and TB3 PCs; reduced but still functional operation on USB4 and USB-C hosts. Requires macOS 11.4 (Big Sur) or later, and Windows 10 20H2 or later. This breadth of compatibility means an organisation can deploy the TS4 across a mixed Mac-Windows fleet with a single SKU, and users can carry their dock between work and personal machines without losing functionality. Compatibility with Thunderbolt and USB-C iPads and Windows tablets extends the use case further.

Flexible Display Output up to 8K

A dedicated DisplayPort 1.4 port plus two spare Thunderbolt 4 downstream ports give the TS4 real flexibility for monitor configurations. Single-monitor users can drive up to 8K 30Hz (or higher refresh rates on hosts supporting DSC 1.2 and HBR3). Dual-monitor users on M1 Pro, Max, Ultra or Intel Macs, and on Windows Thunderbolt 3-4 hosts, can run two displays simultaneously up to 6K 60Hz with DSC support. The built-in DisplayPort connector means an HDMI or DP monitor can connect directly without an adapter — no extra cost, no adapter chain to troubleshoot.

Rear Host Port and Dual Orientation

Most competing Thunderbolt 4 docks position the host Thunderbolt port on the front panel, which forces the connection cable to run across the desk and creates visual clutter. The TS4 routes the host connection to the rear, so the Thunderbolt cable disappears behind the dock for a clean workspace. The enclosure can also stand vertically or lie horizontally, which matters in tight desk setups or when fitting between monitor stands. CalDigit introduced this dual-orientation design in 2015 and has refined it through four generations — a practical differentiator that competitors have since imitated.

UHS-II SD and microSD Card Readers

Both the front SD and microSD slots run at SD 4.0 UHS-II speeds — the fastest card interface available in a dock, capable of reading high-speed CFexpress-B-class SD cards at up to ~300 MB/s. Competing docks in this class typically offer only UHS-I performance, which caps at around 100 MB/s. For photographers and video editors ingesting large RAW or 4K/8K footage batches, UHS-II halves or better the import time compared to slower readers. Both slots can be used simultaneously without bandwidth contention.

Intel Evo Certified and NDAA Compliant

The TS4 has passed Intel's Engineered for Intel Evo certification, which validates fast charging, ultra-fast storage performance, and fast wake from sleep via a single cable on Intel Evo laptops. This certification eliminates guesswork for IT teams deploying the dock in a corporate Dell, HP, or Lenovo Evo fleet. NDAA compliance (National Defense Authorization Act, Section 889) means the TS4 can be purchased and deployed within US federal government environments and by contractors who operate under NDAA procurement rules — a requirement most competing docks do not meet.