The new Anker Nano Laptop Dock is the Optimus Prime among docking stations, because the 2-in-1 device is a real transformer. At the touch of a button, the desktop hub with 13 ports becomes a portable notebook dock with six ports. We took a closer look at the recently launched docking station in our test.
Technical data of the Anker Nano Laptop Dock
| Model name | Nano Laptop Dock |
| Main interface | USB Type-C |
| USB Type-C ports | 1x USB upstream (10 Gbit/s) 1x USB-C (5 Gbit/s) |
| USB-A ports | 1x USB-A (5 Gbit/s) 2x USB-A (up to 480 Mbps) |
| Video interfaces | 3x HDMI 2.0 (maximum (4K@60 Hz) 1x DisplayPort 1.4 (maximum 4K@60 Hz) |
| Further interfaces | RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet; 3.5 mm jack |
| Card reader | 1x SD card reader (UHS-I) 1x microSD card reader (UHS-I) |
| Power supply unit | 140 watts |
| Laptop power supply | Up to 100 watts via USB-C |
| Material | Aluminum |
| Operating system compatibility | Microsoft Windows; macOS |
| price | € 109.99 * |
Anker Nano Laptop Dock Review: Design and workmanship
The design of the Anker Nano Docking Station immediately catches the eye with its modular construction, which I have never seen in this form on any other docking station before. The base station itself presents itself in a compact, rectangular housing with a high-quality finish and a matt finish that prevents fingerprints as far as possible. As is typical for Anker, the dock has a silver and high-quality appearance.
The dimensions are significantly smaller than classic docking stations, making it ideal for tidy desks. 14 centimeters high, only 4.5 cm narrow and pleasantly light. Perfect for the office setup.
The absolute highlight, however, is the removable 6-in-1 hub, which is elegantly integrated into the front of the base station. This mobile hub can be unlocked via a small switch on the top and is immediately ready for use on the go.
The locking switch also holds the notebook hub securely in the docking station so that it does not come loose unintentionally when connecting and disconnecting peripheral devices. This mechanism worked perfectly in my test and provides satisfactory haptic feedback when engaging and disengaging.
This notebook hub is also really compact. With a length of eight centimetres and a height of just 1.4 cm, it also cuts a fine figure on slim ultrabooks. The fact that Anker has positioned the USB-C port for the connection at the very outer edge is also pleasing, as the mini dock does not block any additional connection. The build quality of the hub is in no way inferior to the base station. All connections are secure and the housing appears robust enough to withstand daily transportation.
The Anker Nano Docking Station is powered by a 140-watt power adapter, which rounds off the scope of delivery alongside the USB-C cable for the connection.
- Also interesting: Anker Prime Docking Station 14-in-1 test: USB-C hub with many ports
Connections and features of the Anker Nano Docking Station
The Anker Nano Docking Station cleverly distributes its ports on the front and back, whereby the dock can be switched on and off via a power button on the back. The “large” dock has a total of 13 ports, while the compact notebook hub has six ports.
Combined, you get the following connections:
- 2x HDMI (4K with 60 Hz)
- 1x DisplayPort (4K with 60 Hz)
- 1x USB-C upstream (10 Gbps, 100 W max input)
- 1x USB-C downstream (5 Gbps, 7.5 W) – in the hub
- 1x USB-A (5 Gbps, 4.5 W) – in the hub
- 2x USB-A (480 Mbps, 2.5 W)
- 1x SD card slot (UHS-I, 104 MB/s) – in the hub
- 1x microSD card slot (UHS-I, 104 MB/s) – in the hub
- 1x Gigabit Ethernet LAN
At first glance, the mobile hub has two card slots, a USB-A port and a USB port. However, when you undock it from the large station, it reveals an additional HDMI port (4K with 60 Hz) and a PD-capable USB-C port on the side, which provides a maximum of 100 watts of power.
The front thus offers direct access to frequently used connections: SD and microSD card reader, an additional USB-A port, two USB-C data ports and a 3.5mm jack for headphones or microphone. This arrangement proved to be extremely practical in my test, as I can easily insert memory cards and USB sticks from the front without having to reach behind the desk. The docking station can transmit up to 100 watts to the connected computer or notebook, which is more than sufficient for most ultrabooks.
In terms of display connections, the docking station supports up to three external monitors simultaneously with 4K resolution at 60Hz. However, there is an important limitation here: If all three displays are used, the resolution drops to 1080p@60Hz.
Of course, you have to bear in mind that the Anker Nano Docking Station is a USB-C hub and not a Thunderbolt docking station. Accordingly, the speeds of the built-in connections are manageable, although absolutely sufficient for most scenarios. However, it is a pity that Anker does not provide the dock with a UHS-II card reader, which of course severely limits the transfer speeds for creative professionals.
Practical test of the Anker Nano Docking Station
In the practical test, I intensively tested the Anker Nano Docking Station both in the home office and on the go with a laptop. The modular concept works even better in reality than on paper. At my desk, I operated the station with 4K monitors, a mechanical keyboard, a gaming mouse, external speakers via the audio jack and an Ethernet connection. Everything ran stably and without any problems.
The power delivery of up to 100W is sufficient to fully charge a notebook even under load. The docking station remains pleasantly cool and produces hardly any audible operating noise. The heat development is minimal and barely noticeable, which speaks for the durability of the components.
The 10 Gbps USB-C port proved to be extremely high-performance when transferring large 4K video files from an external SSD. The SD card readers work at USB 3.0 speeds of around 100 MB/s. This is fine, but photo and video professionals will have to wait a little longer when transferring large video files or RAW photos. It’s a shame that Anker doesn’t use the faster UHS II standard here.
However, the real added value is the mobility of the dock. If you are traveling or want to take your notebook with you, simply press the button and you can pack the compact and lightweight 6-in-1 hub, which hardly takes up any space. A practical detail: the hub has its own HDMI port, which delivers 4K@60Hz independently of the base station.
A small disadvantage became apparent when using three displays: The reduction to 1080p@60Hz is acceptable for office applications, but suboptimal for image or video editing. Here you have to decide whether you want to use three screens with a lower resolution or rather one or two monitors in full 4K splendor.
The Mac limitation to mirrored displays when using multiple monitors is annoying, but is not due to Anker, but to Apple’s hardware limitations. Windows users, on the other hand, can easily expand three independent displays and use different applications on each monitor, for example
Anker Nano Laptop Dock Review: Conclusion
The Anker Nano Laptop Dock is a well thought-out solution for anyone who switches between a stationary workstation and mobile use. The modular concept with the removable 6-in-1 hub works excellently in practice and makes a separate USB-C hub for on the go superfluous. The workmanship is high-quality, the variety of connections is impressive with 13 ports and the performance is impressive in all areas.
However, the price of around 140 euros is quite steep and a few more fast ports or card readers would have been desirable. Otherwise, there’s not much to complain about.
- Innovative modular design
- Good selection of connections
- Two card readers
- Up to 100W PD
- Gigabit LAN
- Compact design
- Quite expensive
- UHS-I only
- Only 108p with three displays
Anker Nano Laptop Dock
Design & Workmanship
Compatibility & connections
Performance & stability
Value For Money
90/100
Versatile and high-quality docking station with a convincing variety of connections and a practical notebook hub. Quite expensive though.
