SonnetTech Echo 11 TB3 Dock – one cable to rule them all

Tests and final thoughts

Today we will have a look at an unusual product in our portfolio. It is an accessory that we do not pay much attention to here. However, the Echo 11 is a very interesting dock that deserves your attention. Especially now that Thunderbolt 3 is part of the new Intel Ice Lake processors, there is a good chance this technology will no longer be limited to use in premium notebooks, but will appear in mainstream products as well.

Tests

We have tested the dock on both Windows and macOS platforms.

When connecting to a Windows computer for the first time, you need to permit the connection of a new Thunderbolt device. When you attach the TB3 cable to your notebook a new device connection pop-up window appears. When you open it, you can reject the connection, accept for one time use or always. If you accept the connection, you can start using the dock immediately.

   

In the Thunderbolt devices’ details you will find more information about the dock, such as the vendor, name, and power status. When you connect a compatible laptop, the dock will charge it. We have tested this with Lenovo X1 Carbon 6th gen. In the images you can see Lenovo Legion Y740, which won’t support charging since its power adapter has higher than 87 watts output, a detail we mentioned in our review of the laptop.

Connection under macOS was faster, but it was more difficult to determine if the connections were already working. The charging icon appeared right away. After I connected a LAN cable to the dock, the MacBook connected to the Internet. You can find more details about the dock in System Information.

   

The Echo 11 dock worked flawlessly in all testing scenarios, and met expectations. There is nothing to criticize; it only deserves praise.

Final thoughts

Sonnet Technologies’ Echo 11 Thunderbolt 3 dock is a great accessory for your Thunderbolt 3 enabled notebook. With just one cable you can greatly expand your notebook’s capabilities. My favorite example is using the dock at work, where through one cable I get charging, and connection to two monitors, Ethernet, mouse and keyboard. All that with just one cable! There are even more USB ports available, plus an SD card reader that is missing on my laptop. This is exactly the “One Cable Solution” that Intel described when it announced Thunderbolt 3. In practice, it’s really outstanding and comfortable to use.

The dock works as expected, and it’s hard to find any real negatives. Its black plastic trim will be prone to fingerprints and scratches. However, it’s not just a trend in computers, but cars too, for example. I’m not sure why “piano black” is so popular when it’s so impractical. The only real negative is the single dedicated video output in the form of HDMI. It would be nice to have DisplayPort as well. DP is available through the second Thunderbolt 3 port, but you will need an adapter to use it, since there are only a few monitors with USB-C. Alternatively, you could use USB-C to DP cable which are available for purchase as well. TB3 devices have high price tags, and this dock is no exception. The Echo 11 costs 8500 Kč / 330 eur, which is a lot for a notebook accessory. However, if you consider all the benefits the dock brings, and want the luxury of connecting just one cable to your notebook to gain full peripheral connectivity, you will have to accept the price tag.


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