The industry has been bridging the gap between laptop and tablet for some years now with arguable success. If you own a Surface Pro 6, Surface Pro (5th Gen) or Surface Pro 4, you have to check out Kensington‘s SD7000 Surface Pro 5Gbps Docking Station. The Windows Central award winning SD7000 makes it much more enjoyable to use. It looks as pretty as it is functional and is pretty slick. Let’s dive in a bit more.
The SD7000 introduces a podium style stand for your compatible Surface Pro 6, 5th Gen or Surface Pro 4. It weighs 7.2 lbs which is a good thing. You don’t want your nice Surface Pro tipping over. The unit measures 2″ x 12.2″ x 8″ which leaves a relatively small footprint on the desktop. Use the Surface Pro in tandem with your desktop/laptop as a supplementary device or as your primary workstation.
Convenient
Slap in an HDMI or DisplayPort cable and output to single or dual 4k displays. The SD7000 makes using the Surface Pro much more enjoyable. You are able to lock the hinge in two positions; upright for more of a viewing experience. The upright position is perfect for viewing movies, how to videos, cookbook instructions etc… and “Studio mode” which is relatively flat but angles towards you so you can work. This presents more of a drafting table or podium style position, works great for when you use the stylus.
Kensington has thoughtfully included a magnetic area to store your stylus on the left side of the SD7000. A small magnet on top and magnet on bottom secure the stylus. The problem is that these magnets are relatively thin, small and do not pack much magnetic power. Additionally the pair of thin magnets are apparently glued in and have the potential to fall out over time. A strong magnetic strip, sheathed beneath the plastic might have been better.
Functional & Beautiful
Kensington’s SD7000 Dock station is a beautiful accessory for Microsoft’s Surface Pro. The SD7000 has got to be one of, if not the best dock station available for Microsoft’s Surface Pro.
The modern finish is dressed in grey plastic with chrome arms that looks great virtually anywhere in the house. Looks like something you might find in a doctor’s office. If you have black furniture, the stand really makes the Surface Pro look like a museum piece.
It’s very simple to use and there isn’t much to figure out. All of the ports align the back base of the stand including the security slot.
The base is stable and you can use your Surface Pro in a variety of positions from a fully prone position, upright and flat or angled. You can even place it up on a shelf or off the edge of a tabletop etc. In certain situations however the stand is not able to support the full weight of the Surface Pro so it can tend to droop down and rest on the table surface.
There are two of Kensington’s security slots integrated to the SD7000. The lower lock slot secures the stand to the table (requires K62918WW lock module sold separately). You can also opt to use Kensington’s upper security slot that secures your Surface Pro to the SD7000 dock station (requires K65035AM cable lock sold separately).
If you are looking for a TB 3 Docking station check out the Kensington SD5200T Thunderbolt 3 dock station.
Specs
The SD7000 features Single and Dual 4k video output at 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz and 3840 x 2160 @ 30Hz respectively. Video out connections include a 1x HDMI v2 port and 1x DisplayPort v1.2++ along with 5x USB ports (4x USB 3.0 at 5V/0.9A) and 1x USB-C port.
Additionally there is a 3.5mm combo mic/headphone jack, Kensington integrated security slot and supports 1000/100/10 Ethernet. Unfortunately the dock does not support USB Fast Charging. USB-C port located on the rear does not support Alt mode but does provide up to 15W of power.
The Kensington SD7000 Docking Station is compatible with Surface Pro 6, Surface Pro (5th Gen) and Surface Pro 4 and Windows 10. Best of all there’s no driver installation necessary.
Awarded as “The Best” Microsoft Surface Pro dock by Windows Central
That’s a Wrap
Kensington’s SD7000 dock station is a solid platform and companion to your beautiful Surface Pro. The SD7000 not only gives you comfortable positions to work in, it can also extend functionality with 5Gbps throughput, 15W of pass-through power and dual 4k video output and additional USB ports. It’s a little pricey but if you’ve already dropped some dime on your Surface Pro and don’t mind burnin a little more, the SD7000 will make your device shine.
SD7000 Surface Pro 5Gbps Docking Station $399.99
www.kensington.com