Belkin Connect 11-in-1 USB-C Pro Dock review: Laptop power users, look no further

The Belkin Connect USB-C 11-in-1 Pro Dock is (you guessed it) an 11-in-1 dock designed primarily for laptop users. As you’d expect from one of the best docking stations, it hugely expands the number of inputs and outputs at your disposal, while significantly tidying up your workspace.

The Belkin 11-in-1 bundles some useful secondary benefits, too, such as 100W PD pass-through USB-C charging, three external monitor support, 10 Gbps Ethernet and a wedge design to serve as a laptop stand.

Whether it lives up to its “Pro” moniker is questionable, and those with seriously demanding workflows, particularly in creative industries, will want to look elsewhere. That said, for most laptop and even desktop users, especially those working on multiple monitors, this is a fine dock for a relatively reasonable price. Find out more in my full Belkin Connect Pro 11-in-1 USB-C Dock review.

Belkin Connect 11-in-1 USB-C Pro Dock: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A USB-C docking station aimed primarily at laptop users
• What does it cost? $199 / £169 at Amazon
• What’s good? Triple monitor support, 10Gbps transfer speeds, 2.5Gbps Ethernet
• What isn’t? Not much, it just isn’t all that “Pro” and tops out at 4K/60Hz

Belkin Connect 11-in-1 USB-C Pro Dock: Specs

Belkin Connect 11-in-1 USB-C Pro Dock: The ups

There’s a lot to like about this 11-in-1 dock, from its decent array of ports through to its clever wedge design that functions as a laptop stand. For improving office and home productivity, the Connect Pro 11-in-1 is a great shout.

A plethora of ports

To me, the primary feature by which any dock should be judged is the number of expansion ports it provides, and the Connect Pro offers a respectable array. There are two USB-A 3.0 SuperSpeed (SS) ports and one Thunderbolt 4/USB-C SS port; a USB-C 100W PD charging port (more on that below); two HDMI ports (1x HDMI 2.0, 1x HDMI 1.4) and a VGA port; SD and MicroSD slots; an Ethernet port; and a 3.5mm audio jack. This is a decent selection, although is relatively par for the course in this price range, with docks like the Baseus SpaceMate 11-in-1 offering similar expandability. The Anker 675 USB-C dock offers 12 ports, but is nearly $100 pricier.

In my role as reviews editor, I have to test out and charge lots of devices. So I really relished having two USB-A ports and an extra USB-C port in addition to my laptop USB-C ports. I also plugged the dock into my gaming PC, whose USB-C ports are all on the rear — this gave me much easier access to ports, and took the hassle out of switching between my GameSir Kaleid controller and Wooting 80HE keyboard when flicking between games.

Particularly handy to me during testing were the SD and MicroSD card slots. I oversee camera coverage here at Tom’s Guide, and regularly need to offload lots of photo and video files from cards. It was nice not to have to scramble around for my adapter, which is always buried somewhere in my work bag. The dock also supports transfer speeds at up to 10 Gbps between connected devices, to speed up bulk file transfers.

The ability to hook up three monitors through the dock will be extremely handy for those wanting to run multi-monitor setups. You can only run one at 4K/60Hz though, one at 4K/30Hz and one at 1080p through the VGA port. The 12-port Anker 675 USB-C dock has only one HDMI port and costs $249, so the $199 Belkin is a better purchase for those with multiple displays. The Wavlink USB C DisplayLink can support up to four monitors at 4K, but costs a whopping $350.

100W PD pass-through

The Connect Pro Dock features a 100W PD USB-C pass-through port. This means you can use this port to hook the dock up to mains power, and it’ll charge your laptop via the main USB-C dock connection. Alternatively, you can also use this port to reverse charge other devices, if you have your laptop plugged in and charging via its own adapter. 100W is plenty of wattage for charging even larger laptops like my 15-inch MacBook Pro.

2.5Gbps Ethernet

Unlike Belkin’s non-Pro 11-in-1 dock, which features a Gigabit Ethernet port, the Pro version features a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port for high-speed wired internet connection. Even some of our favorite docks like the Anker 675 USB-C dock max out at Gigabit Ethernet. If rapid internet speeds are important to your work, this is definitely the dock to consider.

Wedge design

The Connect Pro Dock is universal, so it can be used with Windows, macOS, ChromeOS and Linux devices, and it’ll function just fine for both laptop and desktop use. However, there’s no doubt at all that this is a laptop-first dock.

The dead giveaway is the wedge design and grippy pad at the upper apex of the wedge, which allow the dock to function as a laptop stand. Now, I’m not all that convinced about its efficacy as a stand. Firstly, it’ll only raise your laptop around an inch off the desk, and at a pretty shallow angle. Secondly, by using the device as a stand, all the ports will be at the back, making them difficult to access. However, extra functionality is extra functionality, and the increased angle did set my laptop’s keyboard at a more comfortable position for typing.

Premium build

As a Belkin product, the Connect Pro dock is naturally built extremely well. The upper face is finished in a combination of lightly textured gray matte metal and grippy rubberized plastic. The base features rubber feet to prevent slippage, and the dock just has a reassuring weight to it, without feeling heavy. This dock just feels built to last.

As an extra benefit, the product is produced from 72% recycled materials, according to Belkin.

Reasonable price

While it isn’t exactly cheap, at $199 / £169, the Connect Pro docking station is fairly priced versus similarly-endowed competition. The Anker 675 12-in-1 docking station costs $249 but only supports a single monitor versus three on the Belkin. The 11-in-1 Baseus Spacemate is also $199 but only features Gigabit Ethernet versus the 2.5Gbps Belkin. The WavLink DL7400 supports up to four monitors, but costs an eye-watering $350.

Sure, you can pick up cheaper docks, especially on Amazon. Heck, the Connect Pro’s little sibling, the 11-in-1 Connect (i.e. non-Pro) dock is just $119 at Amazon, but doesn’t provide the rapid Ethernet connection or 10 Gbps data transfer speeds.

Belkin Connect 11-in-1 USB-C Pro Dock: The downs

The Connect 11-in-1 USB-C Pro Dock certainly isn’t perfect, and if you need a dock for specific intensive workflows, it won’t be the one for you.

Not really “Pro”

While this is a decent dock, I really can’t figure out what makes it especially “Pro.” It’s certainly a step up over Belkin’s non-Pro 11-in-1 dock, which doesn’t feature a USB-C 3.0 port or 2.5Gbps Ethernet. Doubtless there are enough features and IO for some serious productivity, but I’d define this dock as befitting lower-case “professionals” — meaning: it’s great for office workers. But if you’re a genuinely Pro user, especially in creative industries like photography or video production, you’ll want something with sharper teeth, like the SanDisk Professional Pro-Dock 4 with its CFExpress Ports and 260W power supply.

Not really for gaming either

Likewise, if you need a dock to simplify your gaming setup, this isn’t the one for you. Its HDMI 2.0 port maxes out at 4K/60Hz, while the HDMI 1.4 port maxes out at 4K/30Hz. There’s no DisplayPort for anything higher than 60Hz.

If you’re a gamer, I would instead recommend a dock that supports 4K/120Hz, such as the Razer USB 4 Dock ($229), which offers dual monitor support and features both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports for high refresh rates.

Belkin Connect 11-in-1 USB-C Pro Dock: Verdict

As I mentioned earlier, I wouldn’t quite define this dock as “Pro” — perhaps it’s my bias from working with photographers so often, but to me, the word “Pro” suggests being aimed at users with intensive workflows, such as those in the creative industries. However, questionable eponyms aside, the Connect 11-in-1 Pro dock is still a very strong dock, and will be a great addition to most users’ workspaces.

If you’re an office or home worker needing to expand your range of IO and boost productivity, this dock is ideal. It features a respectable array of ports, great build quality, triple monitor support and a premium design. What’s more, you can pick it up for less than docks with equivalent or even inferior specifications. After using the Belkin Connect 11-in-1 USB-C Pro Dock for a month, I can say one thing for sure: it isn’t leaving my desk anytime soon.