Satechi Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock Review

Accessories maker Satechi launched its first Thunderbolt 5 dock earlier this year, releasing the $400 Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock. Satechi’s docking station combines Thunderbolt 5 connectivity with the traditional ports you expect from a docking station, plus additional SSD storage thanks to an additional SSD enclosure.

Satechi likes to create Mac mini-shaped objects, and the CubeDock gives the ‌Mac mini‌ vibe. It measures five inches by five inches and two inches thick, identical to the ‌Mac mini‌. It is silver, so it matches the Apple hardware offered in this shade, and it would go well with a “Mac mini”.

The front of the dock has a 30W/10Gbps USB-C port, a 7.5W/10Gbps USB-A port, a 3.5mm audio jack, and slots for SD and microSD cards. I like the positioning of the card readers because they are easy to access. I don’t use wired headphones, but if I did, I would also appreciate having that front audio jack. 30W charging for the front USB-C port is also helpful, as 30W is enough to quickly charge an iPhone and charge an iPad or MacBook Air.

The rear has a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, an 80/120Gbps Thunderbolt 5 host port for connecting to a Mac, three additional 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 ports (with 15W each for accessories), a 10Gbps 4.5W USB-A port, a 10Gbps 7.5W USB-C port, and a DC port for connect the power supply. The CubeDock provides 140W for a MacBook and can charge the 16-inch MacBook Pro at the fastest speed.

At the bottom of the CubeDock, there is a panel that can be removed to add up to an 8TB NVMe SSD. It supports sizes 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280 with transfer speeds of up to 6,000 MB/s, depending on the SSD used. The CubeDock has an SSD enclosure, but it does not come with SSD storage. You have to buy an internal SSD separately if you want to use the enclosure, and SSDs aren’t cheap at the moment.

I installed a 2TB SSD in the slot at the bottom of the CubeDock. There is a plastic cover that comes off and the SSD plugs in underneath. It’s held in place with a screw, but the installation process was a bit annoying because the screw has to be positioned before inserting the SSD. Satechi includes a thermal pad, which I added before closing it. My Mac recognized the SSD in the case like any other SSD I plugged in.

There is a fan in the CubeDock that circulates air, as well as ventilation holes on the sides. It has an LED power button on the front and charges with an included 180W power supply. The power supply is not integrated into the docking station but rather is an external brick. Satechi also includes a Thunderbolt 5 cable for connecting the dock to a Mac.

I generally don’t mind fan sound, but the CubeDock’s fans have a subtle electronic whine that bothers me. I know some people can’t hear that high-pitched electronic noise, but I can, and in a quiet room it’s the audio equivalent of having a pebble stuck in my shoe. I don’t hear sound when the TV is on, when music is playing, or when my air conditioning is running. Anker’s Thunderbolt 5 Dock has fans and has a similar noise, but fanless models like the CalDigit TS5 Plus are quiet.

With the fans, the CubeDock doesn’t get extremely hot, but it does feel warm to the touch. The temperature is closer to a warm hand on a cold day than to piping hot coffee. I didn’t notice any temperature difference testing with and without the SSD installed.

The CubeDock supports up to three 8K displays at 60Hz, but Satechi says 8K is limited to Windows machines. The M5 Pro and M5 Max chips support 8K displays, but I don’t have one to test with.

What I have on hand is a Studio 5K display and a 32-inch 4K 120Hz OLED display, which the CubeDock can handle without issue. I plugged in two iPhones to charge, inserted an SD card, connected two SSDs, and transferred large files. I had no issues with the CubeDock during this stress test, and everything worked during daily testing as well.

The advantage of a dock like the CubeDock is that you can connect multiple displays, peripherals and accessories while only having a single cable connected to a Mac. I can store the CubeDock under a monitor, route cables through the back, and keep my desk cleaner with less cable clutter. I felt like the CubeDock had a good number of ports for everyday use and I wasn’t missing anything. It has fewer USB-C and USB-A ports than some other docks it competes with, but I have enough USB-A devices that even two USB-A ports seem like one too many.

The Apple silicon chip you have determines how many displays the CubeDock can drive on a single Thunderbolt port. The Mac M5 Pro and M5 Max can drive three displays at 6K/60Hz with the Satechi dock. Earlier M4 Max, M4 Pro, and Pro/Max chips support up to two external displays with the CubeDock (up to 6K/60Hz).

Mac Pro/Max can usually support more than two external displays, but you must use multiple Thunderbolt ports. I have two displays connected to an M1 Max with the CubeDock and a third display plugged into another Thunderbolt port.

Base M1 and M2 Macs support only one external display via Thunderbolt, but base M4 and M5 Macs can drive two. The M3 is complicated because an M3 ‌MacBook Air‌ can support two displays, but only in clamshell mode. It’s best to check the Satechi website for compatibility information to make sure you can connect what you want to connect.

Conclusion

Satechi’s dock lets you connect multiple displays, peripherals, and accessories to your Mac with a single cable, providing simple plug-and-play functionality. The addition of an SSD enclosure helps differentiate the CubeDock from competing products. It puts the ports most people need right out of the box and hides the rest for desktop organization.

The CubeDock is one of the best-looking options on the market because of how well it fits Apple’s aesthetic, and it doesn’t run as hot as docks without an included fan. Unfortunately, fan noise may bother people who are sensitive to certain sounds.

With two generations of Thunderbolt 5 Macs now available, there are more reasons to choose a Thunderbolt 5 over a Thunderbolt 4 dock. Compared to Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 5 offers double the bandwidth (80 Gbps instead of 40 Gbps) and up to 120 Gbps for display-intensive setups.

If you have a newer Mac that supports Thunderbolt 5 and need additional ports, a Thunderbolt 5 dock makes the most sense. If you have an older Mac and are trying to decide between Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 5 is the better choice if you plan to upgrade anytime in the next couple of years.

How to buy

The Satechi Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock with SSD Enclosure can be purchased from the Satechi website or Amazon.com for $399.99.

Note: Satechi provided Woozad with a CubeDock for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. Woozad is an affiliate partner of Satechi and may earn commissions from purchases made through links in this article.