Anker's Latest USB-C Docking Station Brings Triple-Display Support to M1 Macs

While Apple's early M1-based Macs can only officially support a single external display, there are ways around the limitation. Anker is launching a new 10-in-1 USB-C docking station today which delivers just that.

anker 563 dock ports
The Anker 563 USB-C dock includes two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort port, and it leverages DisplayLink to carry multiple video signals over a single connection. Given that this hub operates over a single USB-C cable, there are bandwidth limitations that limit the quality of displays you can attach.

anker 563 dock displays
If you want to add a single 4K display, you can do that from one of the HDMI ports, but it will only run at 30Hz. A second HDMI display and/or a DisplayPort display will be then limited to 2K resolution each at either 50Hz or 60Hz depending on configuration, so while this dock may be a solid solution for productivity setups where you don't necessarily need high resolutions and refresh rates, users should be aware of the limitations.


Beyond the display support, the Anker 563 dock includes a wealth of other ports, including a USB-C Power Delivery port that provides up to 100 watts to the host computer, and a pair of 5 Gbps downstream USB ports: one USB-C at up to 30 watts and one USB-A at up to 7.5 watts. Two additional USB-A 2.0 ports are good for peripherals like mice and keyboards, while a Gigabit Ethernet port and an AUX in/out port round out the setup.

anker 563 dock charging
The Anker 563 measures in at a little under 7 inches by a little over 3 inches and just about an inch thick, although it's powered by a 180-watt external brick. It's priced at $249.99 and is available now from Anker and Amazon.

In other Anker news, several of the company's recently announced products are now available to ship, including the massive 757 Portable Power Station ($1399 at Anker and Amazon) and the Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K Projector ($2199 at Nebula and Amazon).

anker may 2022 collage
The highly anticipated Anker 736 100-watt GaN charger that immediately sold out when it launched in black last month is also now available in white for $79.99 at Amazon. And finally, the AnkerMake M5 3D printer is in its final days on Kickstarter, where it has seen over 11,000 backers and is looking to hit its final stretch goal at $9 million in pledges.

Update May 20: This article was updated to note that the dock uses DisplayLink rather than Multi-Stream Transport to support multiple displays.

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Tag: Anker

Top Rated Comments

CoolSpot Avatar
18 months ago
This thing seems kinda ******.

60hz is the bare minimum for monitors and the PC world is rapidly moving to 120+hz for everything. I think the OWC thunderbolt hubs/docks are supporting multiple 4K displays at 60hz so I don't know why they didn't do that here.

I would rather not use a monitor than use one at 30hz.

What am I missing?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
asdfjkl; Avatar
18 months ago
This is NOT MST. This dock has a Display Link adapter built in. This is how it provides 3 monitor support for M1 Macs. So everyone complaining that this just doesn't drive high enough resolution / refresh rates is ... well kind of right. The actual limitation is the M1. Display Link is the only way the base M1 is going to support multiple monitors. 2K monitors will be the max resolution @60Hz. For programmers and office workers this is just fine. If you are in the business of multi-media content creation then you need a Mac with an M1 Pro / Max / Ultra.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Greggers135 Avatar
18 months ago
okay I was a little thrown, it is using DisplayLink and requires the software to be installed to support the triple monitor. That is a little different than DisplayPort Multi-Stream Transport.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
enricoclaudio Avatar
18 months ago
My Satechi TB4 Dock supports dual ASDs at full 5K@60Hz without a single issue. And it cost $50 more than the ANKER.



Attachment Image
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tfresquezdxs Avatar
18 months ago
Not supporting 60hz 4k in today's day and age is a no go... especially with that price there are other docks that do more for that price.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sheepish-Lord Avatar
18 months ago
4K@30Hz? Nah.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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