Anker’s new 13-in-1 Nano Docking Station with detachable hub is a study in clever engineering—packing three display outputs, USB-C connectivity, and a portable hub into a footprint smaller than a standard notebook. But beneath its sleek surface lies a glaring omission: charging power. While it excels at expanding your laptop’s connectivity, it fails to deliver the quick-charge performance users expect from modern docks.
The dock itself measures just 1.57 inches wide, 5.5 inches tall, and 4 inches deep, making it one of the most compact triple-display solutions on the market. The detachable hub adds versatility, allowing you to carry a subset of ports—including a 5Gbps USB-C port, 5Gbps USB-A, and SD/microSD card slots—on the go. Yet, this convenience comes at a cost: charging is an afterthought. The front USB-A port delivers a paltry 4.5W, while the USB-C port maxes out at 7.5W, rendering it useless for anything beyond low-power peripherals like wireless earbuds.
The dock’s 100W power delivery to the laptop itself is commendable, though most productivity machines only require 45W–65W. The real letdown is the hub’s 15W input, which is barely enough to sustain a tablet in sleep mode, let alone charge a smartphone. For comparison, competitors like Mokin’s 13-in-1 dock (priced at $99.99 on Amazon, down from $169 MSRP) offer 65W charging—a feature Anker’s design conspicuously lacks.
Display performance depends heavily on your laptop’s capabilities. With Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 ports, the dock delivers 4K at 60Hz on two displays, but drops to 4K at 30Hz on a single display when connected to older hardware like Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio. The third display, accessible via the rear DisplayPort 1.4 port, is a luxury few will need—10Gbps bandwidth means older laptops may only manage 1080p across all three screens, even with Display Stream Compression (DSC) enabled.
Why the charging gap matters is simple: Anker markets this as a one-stop solution, but it forces users to rely on external chargers for devices. The $149.99 price tag feels steep when competitors offer similar port counts for less ($79 on Amazon for Mokin’s model). The dock’s detachable hub is a neat feature, but its lack of integrated charging undermines its practicality for power users.
The dock’s gigabit Ethernet performs flawlessly, dropping only 8 frames in 10,000 during a 4K video stream—a near-perfect score. However, SSD transfer speeds lag slightly behind Mokin’s offering (150MB/s vs. 166MB/s), a minor but noticeable difference in real-world use. The 60-inch power cord is a thoughtful touch, but the wall-wart charger is a nuisance, frequently disconnecting when bumped.
The takeaway? Anker’s Nano Docking Station is a well-built, space-efficient solution for users who prioritize portability and display expansion over charging convenience. If you already own a separate charging dock or pad, it’s a solid addition to your setup. But if quick-charging is a must, this isn’t the dock for you. For $109.99 or less, alternatives like Mokin deliver more power without sacrificing features.
For those who value modularity over charging, Anker’s design is a smart compromise. Just don’t expect miracles.
