Although CES 2025 didn’t really have a smorgasbord of announcements for Thunderbolt 5 (TB5) tech, this should still be a pretty exciting year for the new TB standard. Motherboards have already entered the market that support the new standard and it should only be months before we begin to see a decent lineup of devices to make use of.
There were a few announcements from companies like UGREEN that promised a TB5 dock solution, but (sadly) didn’t have anything to physically show off just yet. Now, Sonnet is another to announce its TB5 dock, with the Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock.
This news comes as no surprise as we spoke with the company last year (at CES 2024), where we had an exciting conversation surrounding TB5 with its exhibit reps. Including the powerful advantages that Thunderbolt 5 was going to bring to the next generation of docks, eGPU solutions, and more.
The Sonnet Echo 13 will support, as the name suggests, 13 individual ports/options. Including four TB5 ports (one to connect to your machine, and three downstream for devices), four USB 3.2 Type-A ports (three Gen 2, one Gen 1), one 2.5Gb Ethernet port, one headphone jack, a slot for both SD and microSD and a built-in (Kingston) NVMe SSD inside (the 13th feature). Users will be able to choose between a 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB version of the dock.
Having an NVMe built-in makes for a unique approach, compared to companies that supply the slot but expect you to provide the drive (if you need it). So this will be limited to those looking to make use of the SSD storage. But, it should still yield plenty of sales thanks to the brand’s reputation alone. There is also no telling if the drive can be removed, replaced, or upgraded. I would assume the smartest path would be to make this possible, but we won’t know unless Sonnet says something before they start to ship out.
The TB5 ports support displays, with either three displays of up to 4K resolution, or two displays with up to 6K or 8K resolution. The Ethernet port is ready for the continued growth of fiber ISPs that offer multi-gig connectivity, and the dock can supply up to 140W of power to the connected system (in case you’re using a laptop that needs to be charged). It can also supply limited charging to the connected peripheral devices.
Of course, it is backward compatible with TB4 and TB3 systems, although at reduced speeds. TB5 offers up to twice the bandwidth of TB4, so you gain a lot by using this dock with a proper TB5 system. If you are looking for TB4/TB3 connectivity, it’s best to stick with the same generation docks unless you are looking to future-proof your peripherals for a future PC upgrade.
It isn’t ready to ship just yet, but they will be making their way to retailers largely in March, with limited inventory that may begin to ship later this month. Price points start at $399 for the 1TB model, and move up to $499 for the 2TB, and $669 for the 4TB.
