Consumercarts

Consumercarts is reader-supported. Learn more

CalDigit TS5 Plus vs Lenovo ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock: Comparison

CalDigit TS5 Plus and Lenovo ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock separate most on power delivery: CalDigit TS5 Plus at 140 W, Lenovo ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock at 100 W, 29% in favour of CalDigit TS5 Plus. Host Power Delivery splits them by another 29%, again favouring CalDigit TS5 Plus. They match on 5 other specifications, including ethernet, bus powered and max single display resolution.

CalDigit TS5 Plus (Thunderbolt 5 / 20 Ports / 140W Host Charging / Dual 8K@60Hz / 10GbE / ~$500)
CalDigitCalDigit TS5 Plus
Lenovo ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock (Thunderbolt 4 / HDMI + Dual DisplayPort / Gigabit Ethernet / Enterprise Fleet Dock)
LenovoLenovo ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock

Specs

Specification
CalDigit TS5 Plus (Thunderbolt 5 / 20 Ports / 140W Host Charging / Dual 8K@60Hz / 10GbE / ~$500)
CalDigit TS5 Plus
Lenovo ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock (Thunderbolt 4 / HDMI + Dual DisplayPort / Gigabit Ethernet / Enterprise Fleet Dock)
Lenovo ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock
Connection TypeThunderbolt 5Thunderbolt 4
Host InterfaceThunderbolt 5Thunderbolt 4
Port Configuration1x TB5 host, 2x TB5 downstream (80Gbps), 5x USB-C 10Gbps, 5x USB-A 10Gbps, DisplayPort 2.1, 10GbE, SD/microSD UHS-II, front/rear 3.5mm audio1x TB4 downstream, 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 4x USB-A 10Gbps, 1x USB-C 10Gbps, GbE
Thunderbolt Version54
Max Display SupportQuad 4KUp to four 4K@60Hz displays
Max Display ResolutionSingle 8K (DSC); dual 6K@120Hz; quad 4K@144HzSingle 8K@30Hz or quad 4K@60Hz
Host Cable Length1 m0.7 m
Power Delivery140 W100 W-29%
Host Power Delivery140 W100 W-29%
EthernetYesYes
External PSU Wattage330 W135 W
Bus PoweredNoNo
Max Displays Windows34
Max Single Display Resolution8K8K
Max Dual Display Resolution6K4K
Max Dual Display Refresh120 Hz60 Hz
HDMI Port Count01
HDMI VersionNone2.1
DisplayPort Port Count12
DisplayPort Version2.11.4
Downstream Thunderbolt Port Count21
USB-A Port Count54
USB-C Data Port Count51
Max USB Data Rate10Gbps10Gbps
Max Downstream USB-C Power36 W15 W
Ethernet Speed10GbE1GbE
Windows SupportedYesYes
Weight900 g525 g
BrandCalDigitLenovo
ModelTS5 PlusThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock
Source URLhttps://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-5-dock-ts5-plus/https://techtoday.lenovo.com/sites/default/files/2024-05/ThinkPad%20Universal%20Thunderbolt%204%20Dock%20Datasheet.pdf

Verdict

CalDigit TS5 Plus

10 / 10 Expert Rating

Best overall Thunderbolt 5 dock — most ports, best charging, dual 8K@60Hz, and 10GbE for buyers who refuse to compromise.

Lenovo ThinkPad Universal Thunderbolt 4 Dock

7 / 10 Expert Rating

Dependable fleet hardware with dual native DisplayPort, best value on the refurb market.

More comparisons in Docking Stations and USB-C Hubs