Surface Dock - Features, Unboxing, Tests & Review

The Microsoft Surface Dock is the official docking station for Microsoft surface devices.
It is compatible with the Surface Pro, Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop, Surface Laptop 2, Surface Book, Surface Book 2, and Surface Go.
Available on Amazon:
Amazon USA: amzn.to/2GXHnID
Amazon UK: amzn.to/2WolUPo
Video Timeline
00:00 - Introduction
01:49 - Unboxing
04:32 - Testing the Surface Dock
07:13 - Connecting to Monitor & Final Thoughts
Check out my thoughts about connecting external monitors to the Surface Pro 6 at • Surface Pro with an Ul...
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this so please leave a comment below. As always, if you enjoyed the video, please click like, share, and subscribe :)
Thanks guys.
Kevin
-- Connect With Me --
Website: www.kevinmuldoon.com
Twitter: / kevinmuldoon
Facebook: / kevinmuldoondotcom
#surfacedock #microsoftsurface #surfaceprodock #microsoftdock

[@SpencerMcDonald12601]

Great overview. explained everything I needed to know.. Thanks!

[@KevinMuldoon]

You're welcome Spencer. 👍

[@phoenixx100]

Appreciate your work. Please continue your excellence. :)

[@Jamminn555]

Fantastic, Kevin. Very well presented. Great info and all the right details we need for Surface Dock. Cheers man.

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yours welcome Benjamin. Glad you found it useful.

[@janc6474]

Just seen your review on Amazon. Really helpful, thank you. I definitely need one of these!

[@KevinMuldoon]

You're welcome. Glad you liked it.

[@bentshuang9062]

Thanks for the review, now I need to go out and buy myself a MS surface laptop.

[@JoeJTSJoe]

Love the overview. And the Wii U!

[@bizcaine5536]

Thank you for this video. None of Microsoft's advertising shows the power brick. It's like they don't want to show it because it's ugly and bigger than the dock itself. This is why unboxing videos are important.

[@KevinMuldoon]

You’re welcome. Yeah the power supply isn’t travel-friendly.

[@TheNorliss]

You're a very naughty man, Kevin: you make me want to keep spending money all the time!! It looks like a great addition to a Surface Pro and you really lucked out on the great CEX lottery this time! Looking forward to this new kitchen set-up.

[@KevinMuldoon]

I couldn't believe my luck. I'm not sure how I got it brand new. Perhaps a warehouse had a ton of stock and sold it to CEX at cost to get rid of it. It's definitely not a return as everything was sealed. I'm certainly not complaining.

[@TheNorliss]

@@KevinMuldoon It's deserved luck given the state of some of the stuff they've sent you in the past...

[@KevinMuldoon]

Haha yeha the gaming recorder I ordered was a joke. No box or manual and half the cables missing. And apparently it was a B grade.

[@peppi0304]

Nice tip for buying it second hand! :)

[@KevinMuldoon]

Glad you found it useful.

[@scottshortland3262]

Selling my Docking Station with a Surface Pro 4 on eBay

[@Alina-jj4gj]

Really enjoyed this review, I was thinking about buying one to make uni work easier Thanks for making this video! I'm pretty good with the tech basics but anything beyond that is a big ? for me, this video was super easy to understand.

[@KevinMuldoon]

Thanks Ally. Glad you found it useful.

[@jonathancafua9938]

Great video. What kind of watch are you wearing?

[@KevinMuldoon]

At the time I recorded that I was still wearing the Garmin 935. I now have the new Garmin 945.

[@mapsonnospam1817]

I am thinking about getting the Surface book 3 and Surface Dock 2, do you know if it is possible to connect both to an ultra wide monitor and still use the SB3 in „studio mode“ so I can draw on it and drag the drawings to documents shown on the monitor? Thanks for the video keep up the good work!

[@KevinMuldoon]

I haven't tested this myself, but yes, that should be possible. When you connect the dock to the monitor, or multiple monitors, you can still view the original display and it remains touch screen etc. 👍

[@bowerco.advisory3895]

Thanks for the overview Kevin. Does the dock allow me to connect 3 monitors to my SP4?

[@KevinMuldoon]

According to support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4039635, the Surface Pro 4 can connect to two external displays with 60hz and 2560 x 1600 resolutions.

[@felaykasu]

Hey Kevin, cheers for the review. Do you know if the speeds on the USB are still 5gbs after all the display ports are being used?

[@KevinMuldoon]

I'm not sure. I've not connected two monitors using the dock. My guess is that there would be a bottleneck so speeds would go down, but that is just a guess 😊

[@felaykasu]

Kevin Muldoon alrighty i’ll do some digging. cheers for the reply !

[@KevinMuldoon]

@@felaykasu You're welcome.

[@arminhaberli3935]

Hi Kevin, I have a problem. Maybe you can help me. I have an Surface Book 2 connected to the surface docing station. The surface docking station is connected to an external monitor with an DisplayPort cable. Sometimes If I connect the Surface to the dock, the surface shuts down immediately. I do not have a clue where the problem is :-) Thanks for an answer!

[@AspenFrostt]

Ayy nice vmoda headphones

[@KevinMuldoon]

Thanks.👍

[@DeLarge666]

Hey Kevin... I've got a Surface Go. Do you know how to close over the screen on the Pro/Go without it killing the external displays?

[@KevinMuldoon]

My surface pro has been at my girlfriend's house for months, but you should be able to adjust this by adding screens and changing power settings. www.itechtics.com/run-laptop-with-lid-closed/

[@BenDyke]

Thanks Kevin! Apologies if I missed this in the review but I was wondering whether the surface is powered by the dock? I have a Surface laptop and the connect interface is the power port.

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yes it charges your laptop at the same time. I found it charged my Surface Pro 6 quicker than the default charger.

[@BenDyke]

@@KevinMuldoonThanks! I found one listed here in Sweden for about £60 secondhand but someone got there before me-grrr! I'm not paying £200!

[@osielg9889]

hello excellent tutorial, thank you very much for sharing, you know where I can get the replacement for my "Ctrl" key, greetings

[@KevinMuldoon]

Hi Osiel. Do you mean the surface pro keyboard? I'm not sure they offer any repair components.

[@thongchaisirakul4929]

Very appreciate the review, all information is equiped and explained in any angle about the dock. However, I do not sure that can I use the dock to connect 3rd parties webcam e.g. Logitech Brio?

[@KevinMuldoon]

I haven't tested that myself as the built in camera on the surface pro range is always good. It should work though.

[@thongchaisirakul4929]

@@KevinMuldoonThank so much for your suggestion and opinion … Next couple week, I will try with 3rd parties webcam after it arrived :)

[@KevinMuldoon]

You're welcome.

[@sriramsundar8388]

Can anyone tell the brand and model of the monitors at 0:25?

[@JoschkaAlthoff]

Thanks for the video! Is it possible to put the dock under the stand, or is it to big? Thanks

[@KevinMuldoon]

Which stand? The dimensions of the dock are on the Microsoft website so you should be able to check how it compared to your stand.

[@JoschkaAlthoff]

@@KevinMuldoon the surface own stand. It probably doesn't fit. Thanks

[@rnb6054]

Great video, just wondering if you can connect an external GPU to it.

[@KevinMuldoon]

No. It wasn't designed for that. eGPUs typically require the additional bandwidth available via Thunderbolt 3 connections.

[@rnb6054]

​@@KevinMuldoon​ Cool, thanks for the response :)

[@michaeljonemmerick1740]

What overhead camera are you using? I’d like a decent one for college/zoom study groups?

[@KevinMuldoon]

I'm currently using the Sony RX10 II. Out of my main cameras right now, that's probably the one I will upgrade first as its autofocus annoys me.

[@danisiregar]

Thanks Sir, i see now. By the way, can we use another monitor beside Surface Studio from Microsoft?

[@KevinMuldoon]

Of course. You can use almost any monitor.

[@endermanfellow100]

Thanks I was saving up to buy one of these surface pro 4s this will really help just one question am I able to connect this to my tv because I don’t have a monitor I already have a hdmi cable?

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yes an HDMI cable will work just as well 👍

[@endermanfellow100]

Thanks

[@endermanfellow100]

Oops I forgot to sub

[@KevinMuldoon]

@@endermanfellow100 haha :)

[@LR_Bushido]

Does that work with all models? Like the pro 4 and 5?. Also have little question I'm not sure if you can answer. Did Microsoft fix the Surface pro 4 screen flickering factory defect? Not sure if the surface pro 5 display had the issue either.

[@KevinMuldoon]

You can see the supported models for the original surface dock at www.microsoft.com/en-gb/d/microsoft-surface-dock-for-business/ I've never heard of the flickering issue myself.

[@richardnjones2008]

Can you connect a pc and a surface to the dock and use them to connect the hard drives or would I have to still add a usb to move things across or network them? Sorry if I am not being clear. Thanks for any tips. Richard

[@KevinMuldoon]

No you can't use the dock to connect another PC. You would have to transfer files via your network or via storage.

[@richardnjones2008]

Kevin Muldoon ok thanks

[@andieluke1366]

Thank you so much for the tutorial! I have a Surface Pro 4, if I need a Mini Display Port to HDMI adapter, does the adapter have to be an active one or can it be passive? Would any HDMI cable work with the MDP to HDMI adapter? Thanks!

[@KevinMuldoon]

Most HDMI cables are passive so I suspect that's what you'll have.

[@andieluke1366]

@@KevinMuldoon thanks! What about the MDP to HDMI adapter itself? Does it need to be active?

[@KevinMuldoon]

I don't believe passive or active is ever a factor. It's certainly not something I've ever had to consider when buying HDMI cables and adapters from Amazon. If you search Amazon, you'll find specific adapters that confirm they work with the earlier surface models.

[@WonderWhatsNext]

Do you have to have a 4k monitor? Or will a standard monitor work?

[@KevinMuldoon]

It will work with any monitor which is 4K or lower.

[@issajosh4685]

Can you use on a surface laptop 2, as a charger replacement?

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yes. The official website says it is compatible. www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/surface-dock/8qrh2npz0s0p?activetab=pivot:techspecstab

[@nibblemanabu]

Can I connect a universal docking station with the surface? or is it only compatible with the surface docking station?

[@KevinMuldoon]

You can connect USB 3 hubs or the official connect docking station.

[@numba-nr9jw]

What is the lock button

[@MEGA-zr7br]

Hi, Kevin. I have this exact dock. What type of cable do I need to connect an external monitor? Thanks.

[@KevinMuldoon]

I believe it uses mini display ports.

[@MEGA-zr7br]

@@KevinMuldoon Thanks for the quick response. I thought so.

[@tu8z]

Hey, great vid! Any idea why I’m not getting 1080p on my 1080p monitor through the MS DS2, using hdmi through a micro display to hdmi adapter in the DS2. My surface has perfect resolution, but my second screen is limited to 760+ resolution…

[@KevinMuldoon]

Mmm. My first guess would be display settings in Windows. I wouldn't think it would be a hardware issue as I'm not aware of any HDMI cables that don't support 1080p.

[@tu8z]

@@KevinMuldoon hey, thanks for reply! My res for the surface is perfect, but screen 2 then is maxed at 1020x768, out of only 2 options

[@KevinMuldoon]

Mmm. I'm not sure why 1080p isn't available. I could it could be a graphics driver issue too.

[@justme1379]

My question is with the "microsoft" docking station, can you close the laptop and still use external keyboard and mouse with external monitor? I bought a compatible docking station and I cannot close the laptop and still have it function on external devices. For work, I have a docking station and can close the laptop and use external devices. Do I need to get a "microsoft" specific docking station or does this just not work with the ms laptop 2? Thank you.

[@KevinMuldoon]

I believe you can, but it's not something I can test as I don't have it anymore. I think all Windows computers support this though.

[@justme1379]

@@KevinMuldoon thanks. I found that it was a power setting in the laptop that needed to be changed. It worked.

[@paulahenry8825]

Do I need an active mini display adapter to connect monitor. Sorry the other comment came out odd and I did not type that.

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yes I believe you do.

[@flashwhite5603]

So what cable are you using to go from dock to monitor?

[@KevinMuldoon]

A surface connect cable is provided and goes from the dock.

[@spdrasr007]

Great video. Did you have issues with the monitor flickering when connected to the dock?

[@KevinMuldoon]

No it always worked great.

[@vinnytnecniv]

How can i play games from surface pro 6 on to tv , but the samsung tv i have does not have bluetooth ??

[@KevinMuldoon]

Connect it directly using a mini displayport to hdmi cable.

[@paulahenry8825]

Do I need a 4 k monitor. I have A 1080. Will that do I am only using one monitor with the dock station for now

[@KevinMuldoon]

No you can use it for monitors with lower resolutions.

[@dougstevens1450]

Kevin.... I appreciate it. I am trying to connect 2 Dell 27" monitors through the surface dock.... however.... I either get an error on the monitor where it cannot find the vga cable...... or if i have an hdmi to usbc cable.... it cannot find that either. Any ideas?

[@KevinMuldoon]

What does the error say?

[@dougstevens1450]

HDMI cable not found. I am going from the HDMI in the monitor to the USB -C display port on the dock.

[@KevinMuldoon]

I reviewed the original surface dock that had two mini display ports. Looks like you have the Surface Dock 2, which has two USB-C display ports. My guess is that you're not using a suitable cable. To check, I'd test the same cable by connecting it directly from your monitor to your Surface device. If it doesn't work directly, it's not going to work with the dock.

[@Mahnoorzafar1]

​@@KevinMuldoono

[@SuperMaxssimo]

Per surface pro 2?

[@darknexus7336]

What can I buy if I can't afford the microsoft dock to connect a mouse and usb to my surface go?

[@KevinMuldoon]

Well it has a USB port already. I use a Bluetooth mouse with mine. Ideally, with portable devices like this, you want to use wireless accessories. For example, Bluetooth headphones, Bluetooth gaming controllers etc.

[@klxz3919]

Es necesario esto para una laptop 3 surface ? Para conectar monitor

[@jonathangonzalez7746]

No creo, puedes conectar un monitor con el USB-C con un adaptador a HDMI o DisplayPort

[@jp7871]

Does the first version of the dock work with surface pro x?

[@KevinMuldoon]

According to support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/identify-your-surface-dock-and-features-591c07f4-2784-24cf-6445-6fa059237461 , it is supported.

[@icyblu88]

Does anyone know if it is compatible with both the Surface Laptops 2 AND 3?? Thank you 😊

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yes it is. According to the tech specs page, it is compatible with the following devices. Add to cart Tech specs Compatibility Surface Go Surface Laptop Surface Laptop 2 Surface Laptop 3 Surface Pro (5th Gen) Surface Pro 3 Surface Pro 4 Surface Pro 6 Surface Pro 7 Surface Pro X Surface Book Surface Book 2

[@Coldsteak]

i love limmy

[@upuldi]

is there any alternative docking station for this laptop?

[@KevinMuldoon]

The official ones are the best, but there are some third party adapters.

[@realjuicefr]

Can you connect a keyboard and mouse to the dock?

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yes. 👍

[@emmanueldenkyi9880]

does connecting the microsoft dock charge the surface pro when connected in. and can that cause a swell of the battery.

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yes it charges it when docked. It's designed to work with it so won't cause any problems with your battery.

[@cjcummings3199]

I had one at work always connected to the dock... Surface pro 4. Eventually the battery swelled up and even popped out of the chassis. Microsoft did agree to replace after warranty since it was considered a hazard.

[@KevinMuldoon]

I suspect there would have been a recall if this was a wide spread problem with the dock, so my guess is that this was the battery. Obviously not good when something like that happens though. Glad you got the return.

[@cjcummings3199]

@@KevinMuldoon it was a widespread problem which was what made it bizarre especially the way Microsoft handled most of the complaints. blogs.msmvps.com/connectedhome/2020/08/17/microsoft-surface-bulging-batteries-continue-to-anger-and-frustrate-customers/

[@KevinMuldoon]

That completely went by me. I had a Surface Pro 4 myself before I got the Pro 6.

[@user-hi7iw1ds8o]

Can i use it with surface laptop (1st gen)

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yes, it's supported. See support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/identify-your-surface-dock-and-features-591c07f4-2784-24cf-6445-6fa059237461

[@DRod268]

Is this compatible with Surface Pro (5th gen) ?

[@KevinMuldoon]

There is a compatibly list at support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/identify-your-surface-dock-and-features-591c07f4-2784-24cf-6445-6fa059237461

[@nolight4387]

great video. i love connor mcgregor

[@AmpolyB]

Hi, will it work if not plugged in to power?

[@KevinMuldoon]

No, it's designed to be powered at all times.

[@AmpolyB]

@@KevinMuldoon Thank you!

[@dylanchadderton1]

Why doesnt the dock 2 support older surfaces devices? i really want to get that one.

[@KevinMuldoon]

Looking at the specs page, it works with the Surface Pro 5 onwards. www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/surface-dock-2/8qd908364sg2?activetab=pivot:techspecstab

[@dylanchadderton1]

@@KevinMuldoon thank you for the reply. And yes i know, my question is why and what does unsupported actually mean? It has a surface connect just like the previous Dock 1 so im wondering if it will still work but is not OFFICIALLY supported or it just wont work at all. I dont see why it wouldnt work. I just have the Pro 5 and Book 1 so im stuck between a supported device and unsupported device and really want to upgrade the dock for USB ports and other functionality. Im tempted to just buy one and if it doesnt work return it.

[@KevinMuldoon]

I'm not sure exactly why it doesn't work, but my guess it's due to power delivery requirements being different between the older devices and the newer ones. I'm not sure though. After a few years, most tech companies stop supporting older computers.

[@Dogeghe]

The dock is 436 in NZ

[@agostinc]

does it work on Surface Pro 7?

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yes. 👍

[@ThatOneDudeWhoPostsStuff]

It's a shame neither the old and new dock has a regular HDMI cable, meaning I'd have to rely on adapters. :/

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yeah I don't know why they didn't put in at least one HDMI port.

[@roxz2916]

7:22 what is this for a Curved Monitor ?

[@KevinMuldoon]

It's for any monitor.

[@enginlou]

Thanks for helping my daughter and me learn how to speak with an Irish accent!

[@KevinMuldoon]

I'm Scottish but you're welcome 👍

[@XDiZzYX911]

enginlou lol are you ok?

[@owiyos7053]

In my country they have released surface pro 6 but in your case its surface pro sex 😋😂🤣

[@thephoenixchant]

I've seen it on sale. How many surface docks are there? Cause I've seen one ans it reads: for surface pro 3 and 4. But I have surface pro 6. Is it the same dock?

[@KevinMuldoon]

There is an earlier version I believe. The one I have works with the later versions.

[@KevinMuldoon]

I just checked the specs at www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/surface-dock/8qrh2npz0s0p?activetab=pivot%3aoverviewtab It works with: Surface Go Surface Laptop Surface Laptop 2 Surface Pro Surface Pro 3 Surface Pro 4 Surface Pro 6 Surface Book The Surface Book 2 I suspect the surface pro 7 and surface laptop 3 work too and the page hasn't been updated.

[@XtremeRideR117]

Can it run a 2k monitor at 144htz?

[@KevinMuldoon]

I don't believe so. According to their website "When connecting your Surface to monitors through Surface Dock, the maximum refresh or screen resolution through the Mini DisplayPort will be 4096 x 2160 @30Hz or 2960 x 1440 @60Hz, even if the device capabilities exceed this. For more info, go to Troubleshoot connecting Surface to an external display." support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/identify-your-surface-dock-and-features-591c07f4-2784-24cf-6445-6fa059237461#bkmk_surfacedock

[@XtremeRideR117]

@@KevinMuldoon thank you

[@alharosh]

Bought new in the box , tried to connect to my 2 screen it does not work,only work with only one screen. Help

[@KevinMuldoon]

If it's new and isn't working, I'd return it immediately. However, if it connects to one monitor and not another, I'd check your cables and settings etc. It could just be a configuration issue.

[@alharosh]

@@KevinMuldoon that is going drive me nuts, I did update the dock and still not working my surface screen goes black and does not connect to the other moniter. Help please. Thanks

[@KevinMuldoon]

It's difficult for me to troubleshoot as I don't know what you're doing (or not doing), plus it could be a hardware issue.

[@alharosh]

@@KevinMuldoon what happen that my surface can not have to screen work at the same time,

[@alharosh]

When I conned both USB adapter the dock my surface screen go black and start giving me noise

[@raziariff2345]

To get the dock 55 quid is quite a steal.

[@KevinMuldoon]

Yeah it was a fantastic price.

[@realmoa]

"Two many display Ports" I don't think it's too many at all. /s

[@abbc3444]

I've got a surface book 1. Can I use this dick/power brick to turn it on and off? My power button no longer works

[@krisdesha8129]

Sexty Hurtz :) Love it.

[@evoGage]

Poor surface will be on life support when it's at home haha.

[@KevinMuldoon]

Haha. Yeah it's gonna get desktopped!

[@AntonioDal.]

Starting from €170 in my country.... Anything above €100 is way too expensive for this product.

[@KevinMuldoon]

I would agree with you. The recommended retail price is too high.

[@andysun73]

Bought on off eBay. There no power cable/plug

[@damainx]

you don't explain where the cables go

[@KevinMuldoon]

Which cables?

[@LeRoyandLunYa]

R to

[@allinonethegreat]

Wtf bro safely remove your portable hard drive before you kill the drive. Don’t just yank it out.

[@KevinMuldoon]

Good luck trying to eject a Samsung T5. There is no option to do eject which means Windows doesn't need you to right click and eject. Same situation with my WD My Passport drives.

[@serhioromano]

What is you accent?

[@KevinMuldoon]

Scottish.

[@serhioromano]

@@KevinMuldoon sounds cool. It is so off traditional or even British accent, but at the same time so understandable.

[@KevinMuldoon]

@@serhioromano Glad you like it :)

[@ducsieuma8884]

i feel bad for ms design, they are not really capable of design a great product. I have surface pro 1, 2 and 3 then stop it because the kept changing the interface making expensive for user to use product. What you have with SP now might not working for future SP release... not worth to spend money

[@KevinMuldoon]

Well this dock does work with the pro 4, 5, 6 and 7. It's not too bad, but the bigger issue is that they haven't s itched to a thunderbolt 3 connection.

[@juliobonetti]

Surface 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and SEX

[@phoenixx100]

Appreciate your work. Please continue your excellence. :)

[@KevinMuldoon]

Thanks Terry.

[@dhanushbalakrishnan3848]

can this be used on a dell laptop as well? Thank you

[@KevinMuldoon]

No. It's specifically for Microsoft Surface laptops.

[@dhanushbalakrishnan3848]

@@KevinMuldoondo you know of any docking stations that could work for both? Thanks

[@KevinMuldoon]

Most surface laptops have a USB 3.0 port. The newer one also has type C. So depending on the model you have, you could buy a usb 3.0 or usb type C based docking station.