Keychron, a company best known for making customizable mechanical keyboards, is expanding into desktop peripherals with its first Thunderbolt 5 dock. The device, reviewed by Engadget, aims to simplify laptop connectivity with a single cable that carries power, data, and video. It offers 14 ports, including three Thunderbolt 5 connections, USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, two HDMI outputs, SD and microSD slots, a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
According to Engadget's review, the dock handles data transfers at up to 80Gbps (with a 120Gbps boost mode) and delivers 140W upstream power, enough for most laptops. It can support multiple displays, but with a catch: macOS mirrors screens when both HDMI ports are used, so a true multi-monitor setup requires mixing Thunderbolt and HDMI connections. HDMI output is limited to 4K/60Hz, while Thunderbolt can drive 8K displays.
The reviewer praised the dock's build quality, stable weight, and silent fanless design, as well as its reliable recognition of storage devices—something cheaper docks often fail at. However, the $350 price places it in a competitive segment: CalDigit's TS5 costs $399, Razer's Thunderbolt 5 Dock Chroma is $379, and Anker's Prime TB5 is $399. Unlike those rivals, Keychron's dock lacks an internal SSD bay and DisplayPort connectivity, which may matter to some users. With a rating of 8.3/10, Engadget calls it "unusually sensible" for a high-end dock, even as it notes the feature trade-offs.