There's also an improvement when it comes to daisy-chaining devices since with Thunderbolt 3, a device chain can be disrupted when any but the final device is removed. Functionally, there's not a huge difference, but TB4 docks can have up to four, rather than two, Thunderbolt ports, including the upstream port that connects to your laptop. The latest MacBook Pros (the 14in and 16in M1 Pro and M1 Max model released in October 2021) have Thunderbolt 4 ports rather than Thunderbolt 3, and even if you have an earlier model, you might still want a Thunderbolt 4 dock since the TB4 is backwards compatible. Do you want to hook up multiple monitors? And do you need Thunderbolt 3 or 4?

What you most need to consider, however, is what connections you want. If charging is a priority, look for at least 90W for charging at a decent rate. The best dock for MacBook Pro will depend somewhat on the model you have and what you want to do with it. How to choose the best dock for MacBook Pro

Dual 4K monitors? A stack of USB hard drives? Graphics tablet? Digital audio devices? A load of files on SD card? It'll take all of that with room to spare too, and it'll keep your MacBook Pro topped up with 87W of power in the process. It comes with 15 ports in total, seven of which are USB, which means that you ought to be able to attach everything your design studio needs. If you're the proud owner of a shiny new 16-inch MacBook Pro and want to plug literally everything into it, the monster CalDigit TS3 Plus is just the answer.

Apple mac pro dock