Microsoft or Dell has a great dock for Surface Laptop 3

Best answer: The Surface Dock 2 is an excellent choice and a much more modern option than its predecessor for expanding your Surface Laptop 3. However, with USB-C on hand, if you’d like to save some money, Dell’s D6000 is an excellent alternative.

Microsoft equipped the Surface Dock 2 with the first-party Surface Connect solution for hooking up to various Surface devices, including Surface Laptop 3.

The previous model was getting a bit long in the tooth, but the updated dock is a much better piece of hardware to buy, not least because it adds USB-C ports into its arsenal of connections.

The front of the dock has two USB-C 3.2 ports, each with 15W of charging power for connected accessories. The back contains Ethernet, dual USB-A 3.2, dual USB-C 3.2, and 3.5mm audio. The side of the dock has a Kensington lock slot for increased security in an office environment.

The rear USB-C ports are also to power external displays, and the Surface Dock 2 is capable of powering up to two 4K displays at 60Hz. The only slight roadblock here is that you’ll need either a USB-C equipped monitor or a USB-C to HDMI cable.

But these are minor faults, and combining the connectivity with the increased 120W passthrough to keep your Surface Laptop 3 charged as well as powering all these added devices, you’re in excellent hands with the Surface Dock 2.

The affordable alternative

As good as the Surface Dock 2 is, though, it’s also quite pricey. The lack of Thunderbolt 3 on the Surface Laptop 3 is a bit of a disappointment, but as it has a USB-C port, you can connect up an alternative dock and save a bit of money.

The Dell D6000 offers up to 65W of charging back to your device to keep it topped up, plus you get support for up to three 4K external displays if you’re setting up at home or in the office. It’s jam-packed with ports, including four USB-A 3.0, one USB-C, two DisplayPort, HDMI, a 3.5mm audio jack, and Ethernet. There’s also a Kensington lock slot if you like to be extra secure.

Not only is the D6000 a little more affordable, but it has standard display outputs so you won’t need any new cables or adapters. And you don’t even surrender the USB-C port, either, since the D6000 gives it back to you. It’s a pretty standard looking black box, but as far as USB docks go, it’s one of the best you can get.