HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 Dock Announced

Computer Accessories

by Jeff LochJanuary 29^th, 2024

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During CES 2024, HYPER showcased the HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 dock, one of the first docks on the planet to adopt the new and upcoming Thunderbolt iteration. On paper, the specifications of this dock are hard to believe. With support for three 4K144Hz displays, it has both SD and CFexpress card slots, you can install a PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD inside, and it has two data transfer ports with a maximum bandwidth of 80Gbps. So, let’s take a closer look at the new Thunderbolt 5 standard and its possibilities!

HYPER is an American company owned by Targus that makes mobile accessories mainly aimed at creative professionals. The company makes docks, cables, adapters, iPhone/iPad accessories, power solutions, etc. I have had their HyperJuice GaN charger for a couple of years and have been pleased with it. That charger even spent a year at our office in Vienna when someone from our crew accidentally put it back in the wrong suitcase, so I guess Johnnie and Nino can comment on how well it works!

Thunderbolt 4 was introduced in July 2020, and two of the first laptops to benefit from it were the first “Apple Silicon” powered MacBooks Air M1 and Pro M1, as well as the Mac Mini M1. Three years later, it’s time to upgrade one of the world’s fastest data protocol transfers: Thunderbolt 5.

Thunderbolt 5 – what’s new?

Thunderbolt 5 was announced in September 2023, and the first accessories are starting to be revealed and see the light of the day as Intel’s Thunderbolt 5 controllers, code-named Barlow Ridge, are, as expected, starting to be available this year.

So, what are the benefits of Thunderbolt 5 over Thunderbolt 4? First, Thunderbolt 5 cables have the same connector as Thunderbolt 4/3 and USB-C devices, which means it’ll be backward compatible with previous versions.

Compared to its predecessor, according to Intel, Thunderbolt 5 has no less than “two times the total bi-directional bandwidth” with a bandwidth boost of up to a whopping 120Gbps. Also, it has double the PCI Express data throughput for faster storage and external graphics.

In a nutshell, Thunderbolt 5 is blazing fast; you can daisy-chain more devices, including storage drives/displays/eGPU, and much more.

HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 Dock – specifications

The HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 dock is one of the first Thunderbolt 5 docks announced, and it was displayed during CES 2024. This desktop-oriented dock features a plethora of input and output ports, including:

• Three Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports: two at the front and one at the back.
• One Thunderbolt 5 port connects to your computer and can charge a laptop. This connection port supports 140W PD 3.1 EPR.
• Three USB 3.2 10G Type-A ports.
• One 5Gbps Ethernet port.
• One SD card slot and a CFexpress Type B slot at the front of the unit are convenient for quickly offloading memory cards when you’re back at the office.
• A headphone jack.

If all of these ports are not enough for you, you’ll find a slot to install a PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD on top of the unit. This allows the dock to act as an external drive and extend your storage.

According to HYPER, the HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 dock supports two data transfer bandwidths at 80Gbps and a boosted bandwidth up to 120Gbps. That massive bandwidth means connecting and using no less than three 4K144Hz displays – one to each Thunderbolt 5 downstream port simultaneously – will be a breeze.

Price and availability

The HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 will be available in Q3 2024 for $399.99.

This first dock is an exciting Thunderbolt 5 starting point and a glimpse at the future and what we can expect this year. Of course, Thunderbolt 5 computers still need to hit the market. Apple launched the MacBook Pro M3 in October 2023, while the M2 Pro/Max models were launched in January 2023, so it’s still unknown when the new MacBook Pro – probably M4 Pro/Max – will be launched, and if they’ll already be upgraded from Thunderbolt 4 to Thunderbolt 5.

For more information, please visit HYPER’s website here.

What do you think about this first Thunderbolt 5 dock? Are you excited for what’s next in terms of computing power? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!