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What do you get when you combine a monitor stand and a docking station? The most ridiculous USB hub ever designed

What do you get when you combine a monitor stand and a docking station? The most ridiculous USB hub ever designed

Sabrent has announced something quite unique: a Thunderbolt 4 docking station combined with a desktop monitor arm.

Known by the somewhat clunky name DS-T4WA, the device is available for $350 on Amazon, and while it's not the first of its kind (the Philips SB4B1928UB is somewhat similar), Sabrent has packed a lot of high-end features into this device.

For starters, there’s Thunderbolt 4, one of the fastest connection standards available today and a quick way to supercharge your work-from-home setup. Sabrent claims speeds can reach up to 40Gbps over a single cable, while also offering up to 60W of power the other way.

If you have a MacBook Pro and an external monitor (or two external monitors), this docking hub will rock your world.

Ports galore

In addition to Thunderbolt 4, the company says the DS-T4WA also comes with three 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 ports — two USB-C and one USB-A — with up to 5V/3A charging for high-powered devices. The USB-A is retained so the hub can interface with as many products and accessories as possible.

As for the display, there is the option of outputting to a monitor via the DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 ports, which work up to 8K at 30Hz, or the TB4 port up to 8K at 60Hz/4K at 144Hz.

And if that wasn't enough, Sabrent has included some high-end networking solutions, such as a 1GbE RJ45 port for up to 1000Mbps. There are all the usual audio in and out ports, too.

Finding the right monitor

(Image credit: Nikolay Tarashchenko / Unsplash)

So, you've got your new Sabrent docking station and you're going to need a monitor. TechRadar has spent virtually countless hours reviewing the best monitors on the market and our pick is (perhaps surprisingly) the BenQ PD2725U.

The 27-inch monitor has excellent color accuracy, a wide range of connectivity options, and a sleek design with slim bezels, plus 4K. The best part is that the PD2725U isn't as expensive as some of its rivals.

The LG UltraGear 38GN950 is our pick for the best ultrawide monitor, with a massive 38-inch screen, and the Dell UltraSharp U2518D monitor is our pick for the best monitor for working from home.

The DS-T4WA, meanwhile, supports VESA 75/100 mounting and screens up to 32 inches weighing up to 10 kg.