Anker Prime 14-in-1 Triple Display DisplayLink Docking Station review: Triple-display, fast-charging USB-C dock

Best Prices Today: Anker Prime Docking Station (14-in-1, Triple Display, DisplayLink)

The Anker Prime 14-in-1 Triple Display DisplayLink Docking Station (DL7400) is a DisplayLink docking station that brushes aside Apple’s display limitations to enable up to three external monitors via a single cable to the MacBook.

To achieve this you must install free DisplayLink software on your Mac, which is reasonably painless and a one-time setup.

The dock has an impressive 14 ports, including three front-mounted 100W USB-C (more on which later) and a 140W connection to the MacBook—enough to fast-charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro. A future-proof 2.5Gb Ethernet is also included for faster wired network access. It’s not Thunderbolt, but the 10Gbps USB-C is ample bandwidth for most.

At the front is the smartest visual display we’ve seen on a docking station: it shows the output power and data ratings of the dock, MacBook and each port. You can also set it as a handy clock.

Specs and features

• One upstream USB-C port (10Gbps, 140W)
• Two USB-C ports (10Gbps, 100W)
• One USB-C port (5Gbps, 100W)
• Two USB-A ports (5Gbps, 7.5W)
• One USB-A port (480Mbps, 4.5W)
• Two HDMI 2.1 video ports
• One DisplayLink 1.4 video port
• Ethernet (2.5Gb)
• SD card reader (UHS-I,104MBps)
• MicroSD card reader (UHS-I,104MBps)
• 3.5mm combo Audio jack (front)
• 160W power supply

This dock connects to the computer via 10Gbps USB-C, rather than the Mac’s faster 40-80Gbps Thunderbolt ports. 10Gbps should be fast enough for most users not replying on ultra-fast external storage devices but if you require the very fastest data-transfer rates you should look for one of the best Thunderbolt docking stations.

The Anker dock’s 10Gbps USB-C connection works seamlessly with the Mac’s Thunderbolt ports, but is not as fast at transferring data. However most Thunderbolt docks can’t support three external displays—in fact only the iVanky FusionDock Max 2 can do so natively (without DisplayLink), although there are DisplayLink-supporting Thunderbolt docks.

The Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station with DisplayLink supports four displays for the M4/M5 MacBooks (for the M3 MacBook four displays is possible only while the laptop is shut in Clamshell Mode), with the M1 and M2 MacBooks are limited to three (one at 6K and two at 4K). At the time of writing no DisplayLink dock uses the most recent Thunderbolt 5 standard.

There are six USB ports, with two USB-C offering a data-transfer rate of 10Gbps, the other USB-C and a USB-A at 5Gbps, and two weaker 480Mbps USB-A.

None of the three “downstream” USB-C ports at the front support video and so are used to connect other devices such as medium-speed hard drives. The USB-A ports can be used for a mouse and keyboard if you don’t use wireless versions, older devices or flash drives. Having your always-on storage devices hanging out the front of a dock isn’t ideal from a tidiness point of view, but the space at the back is reserved for the three dedicated video ports. If possible it would be a better choice to swap the two USB-A for the more powerful USB-C.

Triple video options

Natively (without the need for third-party software) these are the strict limits for M-series Macs, which can be fixed using a DisplayLink dock such as this:

• M1 MacBook Air, M2 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro: Maximum one external display.
• M3 MacBook Air, M3 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro: Maximum two external displays if MacBook lid is closed.
• M2 Pro MacBook Pro and M3 Pro MacBook Pro: Maximum two external displays.
• M4 MacBook Air, M4 MacBook Pro, M4 Pro MacBook Pro and M5 MacBook Pro: Maximum two external displays.
• M2 Max MacBook Pro, M3 Max MacBook Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro: Maximum four external displays.

Those limitations are tossed aside by Installing the free DisplayLink software that gives you the possibility to add up to three displays with the Anker Prime 14-in-1 DisplayLink Docking Station. Elsewhere we have more information on DisplayLink and how to connect multiple screens to an M1, M2 or M3 MacBook.

DisplayLink uses clever compression technology to get around Apple’s built-in display limitations that don’t allow the MST (Multi-Stream Transport) technology that lets Windows PCs run up to four displays with ease without the need for extra software.

Installing DisplayLink on your Mac isn’t difficult. Anker has an updated link with instructions. Mac users must enable Screen Recording in System Settings>Privacy & Security. “Screen Recording” sounds concerning but, don’t worry, there’s no privacy risk. The macOS requires this permission for DisplayLink to access pixels and render mirrored or extended displays over USB. No data or information is collected, and your privacy is strictly protected.

While some DisplayLink docks support up to four displays—the Plugable UD-7400PD is unmatched at supporting five screens—the Anker Prime’s three will be more than enough for most people. If you need only two displays, it’s still a solid solution, with the option to add a third if required. Because it relies on dedicated video ports, users who want only two monitors will be wasting one of the available ports.

The front USB-C ports don’t support video output, being limited to charging and data transfer only, so you must use the three video ports at the back to connect to external monitors. There are two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4.

Most users will want to have the external screens showing a different image on each in what is known as Extended Mode, but you can also set the external screens to show the same image, which can be useful for meetings, classrooms or public viewing.

For all three displays the two HDMI ports support 4K at 60Hz, and the DisplayPort capable of 8K at 60Hz.

Two-monitor configurations will be either both at 4K/60Hz or one at 4K/60Hz plus the other at 8K/60Hz.

The HDMI ports don’t support 5K or 6K resolutions but do support 8K monitors at 30Hz when only one display is connected, although you’d probably choose to use the DisplayPort at 8K/60Hz.

One downside to DisplayLink worth noting is that it doesn’t support HDCP (copy-protected) content playback from streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video, iTunes and Disney+ and even YouTube TV, including on the computer’s own built-in screen. This is true of all DisplayLink docks and not just this one.

Illusion of power

This dock has an impressive armory of charging ports at the front, including an almost unprecedented three 100W USB-C ports. The three legacy USB-A ports at the back are puny in power terms with a possible output of just 4.5W, but that’s quite normal for the legacy format.

Also at the back is the upstream/host connection that can passthrough 140W to the MacBook, which is as fast as it gets. So far, so great.

The three 100W ports gives you options but the overall total power output of the dock is just 160W. If the upstream port is at full throttle to the laptop, a mere 20W is available for all the other ports.

Having three 100W ports is therefore surely overkill without more available power for the dock as a whole. The dock doesn’t come with an external power supply unit (PSU) and comes instead with a cable that plugs straight into a power socket, but inside the dock must reside something that limits the potential power coming out. The highest PSU we’ve seen on a dock is CalDigit’s 330W PSU on its TS5 Plus dock and some others do reach 240W, with 180W as the average for docking stations. With Anker’s established reputation in the charging market and the an unmatched three 100W ports, this lack of overall power from the dock is surprising, and rather disappointing.

It is all the more surprising given than its stablemate, the Anker 6-port Prime Charger uses a similar power connection and has a total output of 250W in a body a third the size of the dock. Obviously it lacks the dock’s great video functionality but it proves that the power can get in, just not out.

There’s enough power to fast-charge an iPhone or iPad at the same times as powering the MacBook but why offer three 100W ports and a 140W upstream connection on a 160W dock?

LAN of opportunity

If you want to connect to a wired network for a more stable and faster connection than that offered by Wi-Fi this dock is equipped with a 2.5Gb Ethernet (2.5GbE) port, which represents a theoreticsal 2.5x the speed of regular Gigabit Ethernet (1GbE). Such speedier network connections are fast becoming the norm for modern docks even if take-up in the real world is not yet widespread.

To get the full benefit of the 2.5x speed boost your network needs to be at least 2.5GbE—but even if your network is still rated at Gigabit Ethernet the faster variants are backwards compatible. This means the dock is ready for you when your home or office network does catch up.

Card readers

There are two card readers—one SD and one microSD—for adding inexpensive portable storage, although they are rated at a relatively slow 104MBps compared to the 312MBps card readers found on many other docks (or the 250MBps reader on the MacBook Pro). If you’re not in a blind hurry to get data off the cards and into your Mac, this doesn’t matter but you probably wouldn’t want to run files from your cards at that speed.

Design and display

The Anker Prime 14-in-1 Triple Display DisplayLink Docking Station is a good-looking horizontal aluminum case that measures 7.7 x 3.6 x 1.9 inches (19.5 x 9.2 x 4.7cm).

Where this dock differs from most is its informative front smart display showing real-time connection status, resolution, and refresh rate signals for HDMI and DP ports. The color display measures 2.05 x 0.85 inches (5.2 x 2.2cm).

You control the display using the side-mounted knob (pictured above), which also works as the dock’s power button.

The information is probably more than most users require but it is useful with the three powerful USB-C ports—except for the fact that they are weakened by the dock’s below-average power supply.

Dock Manager

You can download the Anker Dock Manager desktop application that allows you to manage the dock (and other supported Anker devices), update firmware and troubleshoot issues using the built-in support and feedback tools.

The app also allows you to see basic display configuration settings and the same real-time port charging status, HDMI/DisplayPort connection details, and network status that is possible from the smart display.

Price

The Anker Prime 14-in-1 Triple Display DisplayLink Docking Station is reasonably priced at $299.99 / £299.99.

If you prefer Thunderbolt connections or require four external displays, consider the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station with DisplayLink. If you need five external displays you need to get your hands on the Plugable UD-7400PD Docking Station.

If you need only two or even three external displays, you can also look at our other recommended DisplayLink docks for cheaper options.

Should you buy the Anker Prime 14-in-1 Triple Display DisplayLink Docking Station?

The Anker Prime Docking Station offers up to three external displays at appealing resolutions and refresh rates, which should be more than enough for mere mortals, plus a generous six USB ports and a fast wired network connection.

We like the smart display and 2.5Gb Ethernet but in other areas the dock’s specs look under-powered. We’d be more enthusiastic about the three 100W USB-C ports if the dock’s power supply offered more than 160W in total. The 140W to the MacBook is top end but you simply can’t run all the ports at max power or anywhere close at the same time.

This dock is a solid choice if you want to connect three displays using dedicated video ports, but the lack of overall power makes the other attractive elements—three 100W ports and smart display—almost redundant. Give it a decent 240W power output and we’d rate this dock much higher.

Best Prices Today: Anker Prime Docking Station (14-in-1, Triple Display, DisplayLink)