Does Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 dock work with newer Surface Pro's?
Microsoft made sure the Surface Pro 3 dock works with newer hardware
If you already own or are interested in owning the docking station that Microsoft launched alongside the Surface Pro 3, but have a newer Surface Pro such as the Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro 2017, or Surface Pro 6, you might be wondering whether your newer Surface will actually fit in the docking station that was originally designed with the Surface Pro 3 in mind.
The Surface Pro design has not physically evolved much since the Surface Pro 3, meaning the docking station and newer Surface Pro's are still compatible. There have been some minor changes in the dimensions of the Surface Pro with newer devices, but only because Microsoft made the Surface Pro thinner over time. As such, Microsoft has released an adapter that you can add to the Surface Pro 3 docking station that makes newer Surface Pro's fit just fine.
Interestingly, this adapter is not required. If you want, you can manually slide in your newer Surface Pro and line up the ports yourself, the adapter just makes this process much easier. If you don't want to shell out the extra cash for the adapter, there's no requirement to do so.
Use your newer Surface Pro with the older Surface Pro 3 docking station.
This adapter for the Surface Pro 3 dock will make your newer Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro 2017, and Surface Pro 6 fit comfortably within the dock itself, without needing to tediously line up everything.
Additional Equipment
In addition to an optional adapter, you will need to have the Surface Pro 3 docking station itself.
Surface Pro 3 Docking Station (opens in new tab) ($250 at Amazon)
Surface Pro 3 Docking Station turns your Surface into a desktop powerhouse with additional ports and more.
