Black Friday Thunderbolt dock deals: What to expect, early sales

Officially, Black Friday this year will take place on Friday, November 28, 2025. Cyber ​​Monday is next Monday, or December 1, 2025.

Early Black Friday sales have already begun at several retailers, although sales should pick up as Black Friday approaches. Retailers aren't shy about using early sales to unload inventory before the Black Friday frenzy begins.

Over the years, I've found that some retailers are simply superior to others in certain product categories. I regularly search sites like Newegg, B&H, Target, and Walmart, but Amazon usually has the best collection of deals on docks of all stripes, including Thunderbolt docks.

Premium Thunderbolt docking stations typically sell for between $220 and $270 or so, depending on features. I usually figure $200 or less, but we'll see.

Although Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 docking stations (and USB3 and USB4) include the same basic feature set, it's likely that retailers and online stores are selling their older Thunderbolt 3 hardware. (If this confuses you, please check out our list of the best Thunderbolt docking stations and an explanation of the various features.) Thunderbolt 4/USB4 will likely remain the default choice in this case.

I can recommend one or two deals on Thunderbolt 5 docking stations, but Thunderbolt 5 is a premium platform and you don't need to buy it right now. None of the 2026 mobile processor platforms will directly integrate Thunderbolt 5, favoring Thunderbolt 4 instead.

Refer to your laptop's manual. Thunderbolt port Maybe be marked with a small lightning bolt logo, but sometimes this icon can be used to indicate that the port can also be used for charging. If anything, a USB-C dongle/hub will always work with a USB-C port.

USB ports have been around for many years. USB-C (an oval-shaped port) replaced USB-A (a rectangular port) as USB-C was more versatile, with faster speeds and a reversible port connector. USB-C ports can have speeds of 5 Gbps or 10 Gbps, just like a regular USB-A port. But some USB-C ports connect to a Thunderbolt chip inside your laptop, and this allows the port to operate at a higher speed of 40 Gbps. Physically the connector looks exactly the same. It's just that what it can do is different.

Thunderbolt 5 is slowly coming to market, but with few docking stations and even fewer laptop models that can support it.

Speed ​​and capabilities. A USB-C hub connects to a single 4K (or 1080p) display and has multiple ports: USB-A, SD card slots, etc. You can usually plug your laptop's USB-C power cable (if you're using one) directly into it.

The Thunderbolt Dock delivers even more bandwidth across more ports. There are two key differences: it has enough bandwidth to power a pair of 4K displays, and many docks come with their own power supply that can charge both your laptop and phone. This all happens through a Thunderbolt cable that connects your laptop to the docking station.

It's easiest to think of this as a branding issue. Laptops with Intel chips inside include Thunderbolt—in this case, most likely Thunderbolt 4. But Intel won't certify laptops that don't have one of its chips, meaning a laptop with an AMD Ryzen chip inside includes the generic equivalent, or USB4. Yes, it's kind of stupid.

There's a slight catch. Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 operate at 40 Gbps through the same connector. USB4 is identical to Thunderbolt 4. But if your laptop is running USB4, it won't “understand” Thunderbolt 3 protocols. But since Thunderbolt 4 is all but gone from the market, there's nothing to worry about.

A little. Physically, they use the same USB-C cable. Functionally they almost the same thing and work with the same throughput of 40 Gbps. However, Thunderbolt 4 was released almost as a patch to Thunderbolt 3, ensuring everything worked correctly.

If your laptop is equipped with Thunderbolt, you should be able to buy a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 dock without any problem. (See my review for all the gory details best thunderbolt docking stations and explanation.)

Maybe. Historically, the back of a desktop computer has been cluttered with I/O ports, especially models you build yourself. Desktop computers usually have extra space for internal SSDs, SD cards, etc. However, if your desktop doesn't have these things, and if it has an external Thunderbolt port, you can always add these additional components externally via Thunderbolt.

Read user reviews carefully. While Macs were early adopters of Thunderbolt, some Apple M1 chips couldn't handle the Intel Thunderbolt controllers used on Windows PCs, and Apple's macOS experience suffered as a result. If a Windows user is complaining, please note; otherwise you can reject them.