Thunderbolt 5 is slowly (and I mean slowly) becoming the new standard for laptop connectivity, and Lenovo is looking to keep up with its adoption by announcing a new ThinkPad docking station.
The Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock 7500, which is expected to arrive in Q3 2025 at a whopping $549.99 price tag, is one of a trio of docks revealed at IFA 2025.
Lenovo also showed off the ThinkPad Thunderbolt 4 Smart Dock Gen 2 7500 and the ThinkPad USB4 Smart Dock 5500. These docks are also expected in Q3 2025, but at more reasonable prices ($379.99 and $269.99, respectively).
Three 8K displays and more?
The two biggest draws to Lenovo's new ThinkPad Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock 7500 are likely the impressive display support and the cloud-based management tools.
Thanks to the inclusion of dual DisplayPort 2.1, an HDMI 2.1 port, and dual downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports, the dock can handle up to three 8K displays each at a 60Hz refresh rate, plus a fourth 4K display also at a 60Hz refresh rate.
Don't have any 8K displays lying around? Lenovo says the dock will fall back to dual 4K displays each at 240Hz and two 4K displays each at 120Hz, simultaneously. That's similar to Dell's new Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock (SD25TB5) that I'm eager to test out, capable of four 4K displays each at 120Hz.
I reviewed the mighty CalDigit TS5 Thunderbolt 5 dock earlier this year, handing it a perfect five stars and a Windows Central Editor's Choice award in the process. CalDigit's dock, capable of handling dual 8K displays each at a 60Hz refresh rate, is easily outpaced by the new ThinkPad hardware.
The ThinkPad Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock 7500 likewise pulls ahead in terms of remote management capabilities. Makes sense, as this is a dock designed for professionals and enterprise users.
Via the RJ45 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, the dock is compatible with Wake-On-Lan (WOL), PXE Boot, and MAC Address Passthrough when connected to a ThinkPad laptop.
The dock can handle up to three 8K displays each at a 60Hz refresh rate, plus a fourth 4K display also at a 60Hz refresh rate.
Lenovo says the dock can deliver up to 180W of charging power thanks to PD 3.1, although it doesn't specify if that number includes USB charging or only host laptop charging.
Charging capabilities include USB-A ports with up to 12W, USB-C ports with up to 15W, and downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports also with 15W. That's more than enough to keep smaller accessories charged.
One feature I love, which each dock includes, is a removable Thunderbolt 5 host cable that connects in a small cutout area, keeping the connection tight while in use. It's not something I've seen on any other dock. You'll also find mounting slots on the underside, allowing you to get the dock off your desktop without too much effort.
Here's a closer look at the specs that make up the ThinkPad Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock 7500, as well as its two new siblings.
ThinkPad Thunderbolt 5 Smart Dock 7500 |
ThinkPad Thunderbolt 4 Smart Dock Gen 2 7500 |
ThinkPad USB4 Smart Dock 5500 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Ports |
2x DisplayPort 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x Thunderbolt 5, 3x USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), 2x USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2), RJ45 Ethernet |
2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), 2x USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2), RJ45 Ethernet |
2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB-C 3.2 (Gen 2), 4x USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2), Rj45 Ethernet |
Power |
Up to 180W power output; PD 3.1 |
Up to 100W power output; PD 3.1 |
Up to 100W power output; PD 3.1 |
Display support |
3x 8K@60Hz + 1x 4K@60Hz or 2x 4K@240Hz + 2x 4K@120Hz |
1x 8K@60Hz or 2x 4K@144Hz or 4x 4K@60Hz |
1x 8K@60Hz or 2x 4K@144Hz or 4x 4K@60Hz |
Ethernet |
2.5Gbps; WOL, PXE Boot, MAC address passthrough for ThinkPad laptops |
2.5Gbps; WOL, PXE Boot, MAC address passthrough for ThinkPad laptops |
1Gbps; WOL, PXE Boot, MAC address passthrough for ThinkPad laptops |
Dimensions |
9.25 x 3.15 x 1.18 inches (235mm x 80mm x 30mm) |
8.66 x 3.15 x 1.18 inches (220mm x 80mm x 30mm) |
8.58 x 3.15 x 1.24 inches (218mm x 80mm x 31.5mm) |
Weight |
From 1.29 pounds (586g) |
From 1.21 pounds (547.5g) |
From 1.04 pounds (472g) |
Lenovo also has new ThinkPad docks for Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 laptops
As mentioned, Thunderbolt 5's slow adoption rate among laptops is keeping Thunderbolt 4 a viable alternative. Lenovo's Thunderbolt 4 Smart Dock Gen 2 7500 (what a mouthful) is thus a better choice for those who don't plan to upgrade to a TB5 laptop anytime soon or who don't want to spend as much money.
👉 Related: Thunderbolt 5 vs. Thunderbolt 4 vs. USB4
The Thunderbolt 4 dock, with half of the bi-directional bandwidth as Thunderbolt 5 (and a third when TB5 has Bandwidth Boost enabled), supports just one 8K display at a 60Hz refresh rate.
Should you connect a couple of 4K displays, you'll get up to a 144Hz refresh rate in each. With four 4K displays, each monitor's refresh rate tops out at 60Hz. Power delivery falls to a more modest 100W, but Lenovo keeps four USB ports on the front for easy charging at up to 15W.
The same remote management tools — PXE Boot, WOL, and MAC address passthrough — are available when the Thunderbolt 4 Smart Dock Gen 2 7500 is connected to a ThinkPad laptop.
Thunderbolt is a proprietary Intel technology that must be licensed for use in laptops. While it has been found in some AMD-powered laptops, the vast majority of PCs without an Intel chip — including Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops — inside rely on USB4.
USB4 is essentially a no-name version of Thunderbolt 4, with similar capabilities and cross-compatibility. Lenovo's ThinkPad USB4 Smart Dock 5500 makes the most of those abilities. It supports the same single 8K display at 60Hz, dual 4K displays at 144Hz, or four 4K displays at 60Hz.
The USB4 version of the dock also hits 100W of power delivery, with quad USB-A ports at up to 12W of charging, and three USB-C ports at up to 7.5W of power.
Considering the ThinkPad USB4 Smart Dock is expected to cost about $280 less than the Thunderbolt 5 version and about $110 less than the Thunderbolt 4 version, it should serve as an excellent alternative even if you have a Thunderbolt-equipped PC.
All three of Lenovo's new docks are said to support Accessories Fleet Manager, allowing connected IT teams to monitor and manage in real-time.
