It’s not the most exciting hardware release ever, but for many schools the Surface Dock 2 has several updates over the original that are really important. Let’s take a look in more detail and see whether it’s worth upgrading to the new model.
Take note – the future is all about USB-C
Every Surface since the Surface Pro 7, Microsoft has included USB-C ports on all of its Surface devices. This has added some great additional features, no least of which is charging over USB-C, but it’s also caused some concern for those of us buried deep in the Microsoft Surface ecosystem.
The thing about the Surface Dock that keeps me awake at night is the proprietary charging and dock connector.
To Microsoft’s credit, they have supported it through every Surface they’ve released, including the Surface Pro X, the and the newly announced Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3, but when that connector disappears every dock in every classroom will potentially become redundant.
The release of the Surface Dock 2 and the Surface Travel Hub is the biggest hint yet that the Surface Dock connector might be on its way out. While the Dock 2 has the same propiertary connector, the Surface Travel Hub only allows you to connect your Surface to it by USB-C.
What are the main differences between the Surface Dock 2 and the original?
First the big one. The dual mini-DisplayPort connectors are gone and have been replaced by two USB-C ports designed specifically for external displays. This allows the Dock 2 to output to multiple higher resolution screens at once, providing more options when connecting to classroom screens and projectors. This could be important for schools using the hardware as an additional adapter or cable may be required.
One issue I’ve experienced with the original Surface Dock is that if the cable run to the screen is too long the connection from the Surface can become intermittent. Hopefully this additional display support on the Dock 2 will improve this issue.
The second is that the audio jack on the Dock 2 allows for both audio in and out, meaning that you can now connect a 3.5mm headset and microphone. Not a huge improvement, but a nice additional feature.
Third is a really good one for schools. Reportedly the Surface Dock 2’s connector cable is longer than the original’s. This means there’ll be no more dragging the whole dock over the teacher’s desk to get it into just the right position.
Other than that, it’s pretty much business as usual.
What ports does the Surface Dock 2 have?
The new dock has all the USB-C ports — four, in fact — two regular, for connecting peripherals, and two which also support 4K screens. Other than the removal of the mini-DisplayPort sockets, the new dock remains pretty faithful to the original.
- USB-C ports
- Power
- Ethernet
- Audio
- USB-C display ports
- USB 3.0
Front -
Back
Surface Dock 2 Compatibility List
The Surface Dock 2 is backwards compatible with every previous Surface model, so there will be few issues upgrading old docks for new.
| Surface model | Display output via USB-C | Audio In/Out | USB-A data transfer rate | Gigabit Ethernet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Pro (5th Gen) Surface Pro 6 | Up to Dual 4K at 30Hz | Yes | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Pro 7 | Up to Dual 4K at 60Hz | Yes | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Pro X | Up to Dual 4K at 60Hz | Yes | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Laptop (1st Gen) Surface Laptop 2 | Up to Dual 4K at 30Hz | Yes | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Laptop 3 (all models) | Up to Dual 4K at 60Hz | Yes | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Book 2 (all models) | Up to Dual 4K at 30Hz | Yes | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Book 3 (all models) | Up to Dual 4K at 60Hz | Yes | Up to 10 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Go | Up to Dual 4K at 30Hz | Yes | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Go 2 | Up to Dual 4K at 60Hz | Yes | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface 3 | Up to Dual 4K @ 30Hz | Yes | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
Surface Dock 1 & Surface Go Compatibility
This isn’t something that I was intending to cover here, but it’s interesting to note form the technical specifications that although the Surface Go is supported on the new dock, the Surface Go 2 isn’t supported on the old dock.
| Surface Model | Audio in and out | USB 3.0 data transfer rate | Gigabit Ethernet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Pro 3 Surface Pro 4 | Audio out only | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Pro (5th Gen) Surface Pro 6 | Audio out only | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Pro 7 | Audio out only | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Pro X | Audio out only | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Laptop (1st Gen) Surface Laptop 2 | Audio out only | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Laptop 3 (all models) | Audio out only | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Book (all models) | Audio out only | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Book 2 (all models) | Audio out only | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface Go | Audio out only | Up to 5 Gbps | Yes |
| Surface 3 | Audio out only | UP to 5 Gbps | Yes |
Where does the Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub fit?
This isn’t technically related to the Surface Dock 2, but it’s an interesting comparison to make. The Travel Hub is a lower cost, but also lower powered Surface dock. It’s also missing the “Surface” name, which means this is intended for use on more than Microsoft devices, hence the USB-C connection.
Coming in at around £99, the new unit is designed for mobile presentations and meetings. It contains most of the ports found on the Dock 2, but also interestingly a VGA socket — great for those old classroom projectors — and an HDMI out as well.
The Travel Hub can only connect to your Surface by USB-C, and doesn’t have power or charging features.
How much does the Surface Dock 2 cost?
Pricing is in line with the previous Dock and the device is expected to be released on the 26th of May. The Surface Travel Dock, however, is an unknown and it will be interesting to see how Microsoft positions it.
More information, including confirmed pricing, is available on the Microsoft Store.
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