'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
I found a dual-display USB-C dock with 8 ports - and no bulky AC brick
EZQuest's Pro Series USB 4 Dual Display 8-in-1 hub
pros and cons
- Advanced features such as Fast Role Swap make this a reliable unit.
- It doesn't require an AC power brick.
- Its design is super compact and lightweight.
- If you lose or forget the input cable, the dock is useless.
- It doesn't have a built-in Ethernet port.
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
While manufacturers want to slim down the number of ports on laptops and desktop systems to save a few bucks, the demand for them among end users has never been higher.
The obvious solution is to throw a dock into the equation, but these are always a compromise, and the trick is to pick a dock that brings the most to the table with a minimum of compromises.
Also: My favorite USB-C accessory of all time has a magnetic superpower (and is priced well)
This is especially true of a portable dock because the last thing you want to end up buying is a dock that requires a huge AC power brick weighing a couple of pounds.
For the past couple of months, I've been using EZQuest's Pro Series USB 4 Dual Display 8-in-1 hub, and with one additional accessory, it's replaced all my other docks.
Best wifi range extenders deals of the week
- $43 (save $18)
- $19 (save $12)
- $77 (save $44)
- $70 (save $50)
- $100 (save $50)
So, what makes this dock special?
It's powered by Intel's "Hoover Ridge" JHL8140 chipset, a cut-down (another phrase for cost-reduced) version of Intel's JHL8440 "Goshen Ridge" chip that's found in many of the big, fully featured Thunderbolt 4 docks. The drawback of the JHL8440 is that docks built around this chipset need an external power brick. That's fine for desktop use, but it's not portable or particularly friendly when it comes to travel.
Also: I tested this fan-equipped MagSafe charger in a heat wave -- and it actually kept my iPhone cool
This EZQuest 8-in-1 measures 5.5 × 1.7 × 0.4 inches and weighs 1.6 ounces. That size and weight are perfect for slipping into a laptop bag.
Despite the cost-cutting, the JHL8140 chipset supports full DisplayPort 1.4a video over the USB 4/Thunderbolt 4 link, and unlike third-party controllers such as VIA Labs or Realtek, it's genuine Intel silicon.
How this dock protects against data loss
The USB 4 Dual Display 8-in-1 hub has nine USB-C ports in all. One connects to the host device, and another is a 100W PD (Power Delivery) input that can feed power into the dock. The dock can split that power -- up to 77W to charge the host laptop and 23W to run the dock.
Also: Use multiple monitors? Why I recommend this docking station for both Windows and Mac
A weakness of some cheaper docks is that if the power drops, there's a risk of data loss and peripherals going down ungracefully. This dock supports a technology called Fast Role Swap (FRS), a USB Power Delivery 3.0+ feature that allows the dock to quickly switch to pulling power from the host device if the input fails.
Another strong point is that the host input is a port, not a built-in cable.
This means that if the cable is damaged, you can use a different one. The downside is that if you forget or lose the cable -- it comes supplied with a 19.6-inch cable -- your dock is a paperweight. Also, if you end up using a lower-spec cable -- this one is rated for 240W and 40Gbps -- then performance will be affected.
The dock has three USB 4 ports supporting 8K video output at 30Hz, 10Gbps Gen 2 data speeds, and up to 15W of output power, and a further four USB-C Gen 2 ports supporting 10Gbps data speeds and 7.5W (5V/1.5A) of power output.
The video output ports support up to 8K/30Hz for a single display or two 4K@60Hz displays.
I've tested the performance of all the ports, and even with multiple ports in use, they deliver on what's promised in the spec sheet.
Also: I found 6 forgotten cables and cords that are still surprisingly useful - here's how
Dual displays are supported on all the major operating systems -- Windows, Linux, Android, Chrome OS, and macOS systems running M1/M2/M3 Pro or Max chips, plus all M4 and M5 (and later) chips.
The one accessory that I added
So, what's the one accessory that I added to the dock to turn it from great to perfect? It's a USB-C to Ethernet adapter, which will set you back about $25. Why? I need Ethernet every so often, but not often enough to need a dock with a dedicated Ethernet port, so this is a good compromise.
Also: I tested my USB-C cables with this free Mac app - some weren't what they claimed
If you regularly need Ethernet, you might be better off picking a dock with one, like the EZQuest 12-in-1 USB-C hub or the much heftier Plugable USB-C triple display docking station.
ZDNET's buying advice
For $120, the EZQuest Pro Series USB 4 Dual Display 8-in-1 hub isn't cheap, but if you need what it offers, it's definitely a dock that's worth the money. I've been using this on both my MacBook Pro and several mini PCs and have had no problems with it. I've even tested the FRS while external drives were attached to the dock, and the power switched gracefully.
Also: I tested the best laptop docking stations - here's what I recommend for your office setup
If you need a dock to plug a USB stick into, then this is going to be overkill (and you're best off with something like this), but if you're going to be relying on the dock to do real work and the port configuration and specs line up, this is a unit that won't disappoint.