I recently ordered a new HP Spectre x360 13" Touch laptop and I’m trying to determine which dock I should get. I have read about a lot of issues with docking systems no fully being supported by some of the older Spectre x360 systems. I’m not sure of the exact model number for my laptop, but the product number is 1ZX32AV and it has the Intel® CoreTM i7-8550U processor and 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports. I want to use the dock to support a desktop environment that will have one monitor (1920 x 1080), maybe a 4K monitor in the future. Plus several USB devices like external drives, mouse and keyboard. I want the dock to support charging of the laptop. From Plugable, there appear to be several options. While I can review the features of each, I want to be sure that they will work with my new laptop before buying. The options that I’m considering include: 1) PLUGABLE USB-C TRIPLE DISPLAY (UD-ULTCDL), $179, 2) PLUGABLE USB-C DOCKING STATION WITH POWER DELIVERY / CHARGING (UD-CA1A) $129, or 3) PLUGABLE TBT3-UDV THUNDERBOLTTM 3 DOCKING STATION WITH HOST CHARGING - when available. Not sure how soon this would be available. Can you tell me if these dock will work with my laptop and any issues that I should be aware of.
Thanks.
–Craig
Hi Craig,
Thanks for posting, and I would be happy to answer your question!
Thank you as well for the great detail you provided about your system and requirements, that is much appreciated. For your reference, the SKU number you provided (1ZX32AV) when searched on HP’s support site indicates your system is a HP Spectre x360 - 13t-ae000 CTO -> https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/…
We don’t have your specific model system in our lab, so unfortunately we cannot confirm compatibility with any of our docking stations. That said, in looking at the system specifications online I would expect each of our three docks you mention (UD-CA1A, UD-ULTCDL, and TBT3-UDV) to work and charge the system, and meet the rest of your requirements.
One important note about the TBT3-UDV, system manufacturers like HP have discretion when designing their systems as to how many displays can be supported via a single Thunderbolt 3 connection, one or two. If HP designed your system to only support one display via a single Thunderbolt 3 connection, this would mean the TBT3-UDV could only be used to support one additional display. Unfortunately HP does not provide this information in their documentation to confirm. I wanted to make mention because while many of the HP systems support two displays via a single Thunderbolt 3 connection, not all of them do. In regard to availability of the TBT3-UDV, we hope to have more units in stock at Amazon by Dec. 8th.
All that said, if you do elect to move forward with a purchase and find that things do not work as expected, we do offer a 30-day no-hassle return policy for all products sold by Plugable and fulfilled by Amazon. Conversely, if things do work as expected we would appreciate the feedback as it will allow us to update our compatibility lists and help others in the future.
Please let me know if you have any additional questions!
Bob
Plugable Technologies
www.plugable.com/support
Thanks for the quick and informative feedback. I’m checking with HP on my particular model to see how many screens it supports. I also want to find out if it supports a DisplayPort output or USB-C Alt mode. I will make my choice on a dock based on the feedback I get from HP.
Hi, I’m ordered the same model and it just arrived today. Did you find out how many displays can be supported per usb-c port? I just tried and was only able to connect one. I am trying to trouble shoot whether the problem lies in the laptop or the docking station I bought. Thanks to anyone who can help
Hi Patrick - I have not had a chance to hook up the dock and try it yet. Too many holiday related activities. I would be interested in your results or feedback from others. - Craig
By the way, I bought the PLUGABLE USB-C TRIPLE DISPLAY (UD-ULTCDL) dock, but have not tested it yet.