Microsoft's Surface Dock 2, Travel Hub available starting today

What you need to know

• Microsoft's new Surface Dock 2 and USB-C Travel Hub are available for order.
• Both devices feature USB-C ports, at least one USB-A port, and Ethernet ports.
• The Surface Dock 2 and USB-C Travel Hub are available for order for $260 and $100, respectively.

Microsoft announced a sequel to the Surface Dock and a new USB-C Travel Hub recently, and both are now available for order. Both support connecting devices to modern devices utilizing USB-C ports while also having legacy ports. The Surface Dock 2 works with newer Surface devices whereas the USB-C Travel Hub works with any device that supports USB-C. The Surface Dock 2 costs $260 and the Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub costs $100.

The Surface Dock 2 is the sequel to the original Surface Dock that had not been refreshed in years. The Surface Dock 2 is built as a desk companion, allowing you to plug your Surface device into a single port to connect to several peripherals that you leave set up at your desk. The Surface Dock 2 has faster charging and higher data transfer rates than the original Surface Dock. It also has enterprise management tools.

Here are the ports included on the Surface Dock 2:

• 2x front-facing USB-C ports.
• 2x rear-facing, video-enabled USB-C ports
• 2x rear-facing USB-A 3.2 (10Gbps) ports
• 1x Gigabit Ethernet port
• 1x 3.5mm audio in/out port
• Kensington compatible lock

The downside to the Surface Dock 2 is that it only works with certain Surface devices. To use a Surface Dock 2, you need a Surface device made in 2017 or later. Based on this Microsoft support document, the following Surface devices are supported by the Surface Dock 2:

• Surface Book 3
• Surface Book 2
• Surface Pro 7
• Surface Pro 6
• Surface Pro (5th Gen)
• Surface Pro (5th Gen) with LTE Advanced
• Surface Pro X
• Surface Laptop 3
• Surface Laptop 2
• Surface Laptop (1st Gen)
• Surface Go 2
• Surface Go
• Surface Go 2 with LTE Advanced
• Surface Go with LTE Advanced
• Surface Studio 2

The Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub is built for people on the go and works with more devices. Unlike the Surface Dock 2 which is restricted to specific Surface devices, the Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub works with any modern PC with a USB-C port. It also works with macOS, Google Chrome, and Android devices that use USB-C. The hub is also much smaller than the Surface Dock 2.

Here is a look at the ports that the Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub has:

• 1x USB-C (10Gbps data transfers and pass-through accessory charging)
• 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps data transfers and pass-through accessory charging)
• 1x Gigabit Ethernet port
• 1x HDMI 2.0 port
• 1x VGA port
• 1x 3.5mm audio in/out jack

Microsoft Surface Dock vs Surface Dock 2: What's the difference?

Both new devices became available on the Microsoft Store today and should be available through other retailers soon. You can read more about the Surface Dock 2 and Microsoft USB-C Travel Hub in our post covering the announcements of the devices.