Frustrated with Microsoft’s availability of the Surface Pro Dock in Australia, I decided to order one from Amazon and use my US ship forwarding service instead. The ordering and shipping process went without fault and my new toy arrived promptly waiting to be opened.
As you take the dock out you can’t help noticing the similarities in design with the Surface Pro. The matt black finish and “blocky” look makes for a seamless design integration once the tablet is docked.
The rear and side of the dock provides you with the following options:
- External power source to keep the tablet charging while docked
- Mini Display port for adding a 2nd monitor
- 3 USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0 (on side) ports
- Audio input and output
- Ethernet port
The sides of the dock slide in and out allowing for easy placement and removal of the supported Surface tablets.
Token warning to perform a system update prior to using the docking station.
The power brick uses a standard figure 8 lead and is dual voltage so no problems running it here.
The dock in use. I recall reading about the Type cover not working with the dock so will need to confirm this later. For the moment, I’m using my Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse which works a treat.
Overall, I’m loving this dock. I’ve tried after-market docks but having one integrated unit that will also charge my device is a big plus in my books. My desk is cluttered as it is, I don’t need to be adding to the mess. My only suggestions for v2 of the docking station would be to have integrated high quality speakers and to do away with USB 2.0, just have USB 3.0 ports.