Sonnet has announced the first docking station with a modern Thunderbolt 4 chip with the Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock. From now on, an increased data rate will support external displays up to a trigger of 8K at 60 Hz. In addition, notebooks can now be charged with up to 90 watts.
Thunderbolt dock for high-resolution, external displays
The Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock is currently still one of the rare docking stations that can handle the Thunderbolt 4 transmission protocol via a corresponding chip from Intel. Among other things, Razer only introduced the brightly colored Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma at the beginning of the month, its first dock that can connect to compatible notebooks and PCs via the new interface.
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Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock (Image: Sonnet)
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Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock 
Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock 
Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock 
Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock 
Thunderbolt Echo 11″//figure> With increased demands on the range of functions compared to its predecessor Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt of the fourth generation allows the faster connection of external data carriers as well as the parallel use of two displays with 4K/5K UHD with the same high transmission speed of 40 Gbit/s via PCIe 3.0 x4 -Resolution or, alternatively, the control of a 6K/8K display with 60 Hz.
With the Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock, Sonnet relies on all the features that basically represent the minimum requirements for certification, and garnishes the extended range of functions with almost all connections of the three-year-old predecessor Echo 11 Thunderbolt 3 Dock. In addition to a total of five USB ports via type A, three of which work faster than before according to USB 3.2 Gen 2 with 10 Gbit/s, there are also two slower USB 2.0 plugs.
Three TB4 ports for external peripherals
The new docking station from Sonnet also supports external drives with USB 4.0 and the associated higher data rate of up to 40 Gbit/s via the total of four fully downward-compatible TB4 ports, which are typically implemented via Type-C plugs . Compatible end devices with the modern USB interface are still a long time coming. However, the older Echo 11 Dock does not support this standard with only two Thunderbolt 3s. Sonnet has only increased the charging power for connected notebooks, tablets and smartphones in the Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock compared to its predecessor from 87 watts to a maximum of 90 watts. The docking station is powered by a 135 watt external power supply.
Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock (Image: Sonnet) 
Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock (Image: Sonnet) In addition, has As part of the technical modernization, Sonnet has also given the housing a new look. With dimensions of 200 × 75 × 30 mm (W × D × H) to 230 × 87 × 28 mm (W × D × H), the Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock requires less space in all dimensions than its predecessor and is similar despite the similar Clearly distinguish the product name in the design.
HDMI output only via Thunderbolt port
Gigabit LAN with an RJ45 socket as well as an SD card reader and a jack socket for loudspeakers or microphone are also common features of both docks. The Thunderbolt 4 controller used would have to be the Intel JHL8440, but ComputerBase has not yet received a confirmation. On the other hand, the manufacturer has omitted a classic HDMI output in the TB4 Dock. Various adapters are optionally available, among other things to be able to connect 10G networks with the dock.
Approved for Apple M1, MacOS and Windows
With the Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock, Sonnet promises compatibility with Apple systems with an M1 chip and with older Macs with MacOS 11 (Big Sur). In addition, notebooks with Thunderbolt ports and Windows operating systems are to be supported to a limited extent. The manufacturer names the tested configurations in a compatibility list (PDF).
Also available outside the USA from May
The Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock with the product identifier ECHO-DK11-T4 can already be pre-ordered in the manufacturer's online shop for 250 US dollars plus taxes. Delivery of the first copies is scheduled to begin in North America at the beginning of April. According to current planning, other markets will also receive the Thunderbolt Dock in May 2021. The Razers counterpart, which has a different housing including chroma-capable RGB lighting, costs 330 euros from the manufacturer. The previous model, the Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 3 Dock, is hardly cheaper in this country for currently around 256 euros.
Update 07/16/2021 14:15 Uhr
For the new Thunderbolt-4-Dock ECHO-DK11-T4, Sonnet has now set the start of sales in Germany. The docking station, which is equipped with many interfaces, should be available in this country from August. With a price of 409 euros, however, the model is more expensive than initially expected and, due to the variety of connections and flexible application options, also more expensive than most of the competition, such as the TB4 docking station Apex recently introduced by Anker.