DockCase's excellent Smart Dock Pro has a screen and up to 9 ports

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Dockcase Smart Dock
Dockcase Smart Dock (Image credit: SmartDock)

What you need to know

  • The DockCase Smart Dock comes with a handy screen to show connection speeds and more.
  • The Smart Dock Pro is available in 7 and 9-port configurations.

With Macs coming with fewer and fewer ports people are finding that they need docks and hubs more than ever before. There is no shortage of selection, but there's one that stands out from the crowd – because it has a display.

The DockCase Smart Dock Pro has a built-in display that can show you what kinds of connections are active and how fast those connections can shift data. It'll show how much power is being used, too. And, honestly, it makes the normally boring world of hubs and docks more interesting!

The HD display on the dock intelligently gives you the real-time information upon each port inserted.

  • 100W PD 3.0: Voltage, current and temperature
  • 4K@60Hz HDMI: Monitor's brand, size, the current and max resolution, manufacturing date, and temperature, etc
  • USB-A 3.0 Ports: USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 and the temperature
  • SD/TF Card Reader: Card type and temperature

Dockcase Smart Dock Screen

Dockcase Smart Dock Screen (Image credit: SmartDock)

Of course, these things are no good if you don't have the required ports. I've been testing one of these things out for a while now, in seven-port configuration, and I've definitely not found myself missing a port – although some might want to go for the nine-port option for the added Ethernet.

Here's the table of features for the version I've been testing out.

Smart Dock Specs

Smart Dock Specs (Image credit: SmartDock)

If you don't need the 4K60 output of the Smart Dock Pro, the Smart Dock starts at just $39 right now kover on Kickstarter, while the Smart Dock Pro kicks things off at $42. Both are great additions to your setup if you need more ports than the couple of USB-C ports your Mac likely has.

You're going to need to be quick, though – this Kickstarter program comes to a close in less than 24 hours!

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.