CalDigit TS5 Plus Thunderbolt 5 Dock review: monster connectivity – but is it overkill?

Having reviewed the CalDigit TS4, I was excited to get my hands on CalDigit's latest flagship docking station, the CalDigit TS5 Plus. This is a significant upgrade over the TS4 and indeed over the TS5. This Plus edition serves up dual USB controllers, faster networking speeds, native video output, and a greater port count. Those are flagship docking station features if ever I saw them.

The headlines are 20 Ports, 120Gb/s, 3 Displays, 10GbE, 140W Charging. This is a docking station that competes with the best and delivers everything required for the ultimate home-working setup.

With laptop manufacturers increasingly choosing to jettison ports in favor of slimline aesthetics, there's no better time to invest in one of the best docking stations or laptop chargers. With compatibility for multiple displays, the TS5 Plus is also ideally suited for professional creative workflows that require multiple displays.

CalDigit TS5 Plus: Specifications

CalDigit TS5 Plus: Design & Handling

The build quality of the TS5 Plus is exactly what we've come to expect from CalDigit: well-built products with solid materials. The chassis is constructed entirely from high-grade, brushed aluminum, giving it a heavy, premium feel that is guaranteed to keep it free from damage.

In terms of looks, it maintains the iconic industrial aesthetic that CalDigit is known for while adopting a space black finish reminiscent of the modern Pro line of MacBooks. There's also the signature finned exterior that adds to the industrial look while allowing the unit to handle the intense thermal demands of Thunderbolt 5 speeds without the need for a noisy internal fan.

The dock can be placed either vertically or horizontally, which helps to ensure compatibility with most types of desk setup. While on the subject of placement, there is a set of adhesive rubber feet to keep it from slipping, although at 900g there's little chance of it moving very easily at all.

The ports are separated between the front and rear, with those required for daily use located on the front panel and more permanent desktop peripherals at the back. Creatives will love the easy access to two card readers, a combo audio jack, and three high-speed USB ports, including a 36W USB-C port specifically for fast-charging phones or tablets.

Meanwhile, the rear of the device is densely packed with a 10Gb Ethernet port, a native DisplayPort 2.1, and a primary Thunderbolt 5 host connection, which is tucked away to allow for a cleaner single-cable exit toward the laptop.

A notable aspect of the TS5 Plus design is its sizeable external power brick, which is nearly as large as the dock itself. Because the unit provides 140W of charging to the laptop and maintains high power for its downstream ports, CalDigit decided to go for a separate 330W power supply to keep the desktop unit relatively compact and cool to the touch.

CalDigit TS5 Plus: Performance

The TS5 Plus has a lot of ports, which required varied testing, but it'll surprise no-one when I say that it performed well across the board. I put it through its paces while working on several creative projects which required the use of a laptop, tablet, mobile phone, monitors, and various types of file transfer.

I began by powering up the dock and connecting it to my laptop using the 240W cable that was provided. This delivered instant fast charging up to 96 W, which is what my MacBook Pro 2023 is capable of. Faster speeds, up to 140W, are possible, but you'll need the technology to take advantage of it. The other 36W ports were perfect for charging other peripherals, including my phone.

With charging out of the way, I hooked up a monitor, only to find that the dock couldn't finding it. After some troubleshooting, I discovered that I needed a system upgrade to take my Mac from Sonoma (version 14) up to the latest Tahoe (version 26). Without that I wasn't able to perform other functions, including SD card reading, audio output and file transfers. I'd recommend upgrading to your latest OS to avoid running into any problems.

With that complete, my monitor was found instantly, and I experienced no problems such as flickering or lag, even on a 4K monitor with 144Hz support. Additionally, the audio output started coming directly through my Rode headphones.

In terms of file transfer, I began with the SD card slot, which is my most commonly used form for transferring media files. I was able to transfer 5GB of photos in 55 seconds using an SD 4.0 UHS-I card. This equates to just north of 90 MB/s. This is the same speed that I achieved transferring the same files to my laptop using my built-in card reader. If you have SD 4.0 UHS-II cards, then you'll be able to achieve up to 312 MB/s.

The other primary way of data transfer is through the Thunderbolt ports that support up to 80 GB/s bi-directional and a Bandwidth Boost Mode, which bumps that up to 120 GB/s. More often than not I utilized the standard USB technology, which offers up to 1,000 MB/s+ speeds, and was able to hit these with no problems at all.

Throughout testing, the dock remained cool and almost silent during operation, which is exactly what you want from a device that's going to sit on your desk day after day and year after year.

CalDigit TS5 Plus: Final Verdict

The CalDigit TS5 Plus is undoubtedly one of the best docking stations on the market. With a flagship feature set and a serious level of raw performance, this is absolutely the dock to go for if money isn't an issue.

The dock has more ports than most average users will need, but if you're regularly engaged in high-end creative workflows, it'll provide everything you need and more. That includes card slots for media files and multiple USB-C ports for file transfers and charging. Support for a massive 80Gb/s bandwidth with Thunderbolt 5 also helps with future-proofing.

Ultimately, the TS5 Plus is less of a simple hub and more of a comprehensive desktop engine. While it requires a high upfront investment, the sheer utility of its port count and its ability to power the most demanding laptops make it the best choice for power users who refuse to compromise on speed.