Microsoft’s Audio Dock adds ports, a woofer, & tweeters to your setup for $250
Enlarge / During actual use, there'd be some cables coming out of the Microsoft Audio Dock. (credit: Microsoft)
As part of its Surface event today, Microsoft announced the Audio Dock, a USB-C docking station that can serve as your computer's speakers and microphone, too. While the dock doesn't include Thunderbolt 4 or even USB4, the compact device further attempts to earn a small space on people's desks with USB-C power delivery and a dedicated Microsoft Teams button.
Microsoft is calling the Audio Dock, which works with Windows and macOS, an "all-in-one speakerphone." It can connect to and charge PCs over USB-C (3.2 Gen 2) with up to 60 W. That should be enough to support some ultralight laptops, but you can find greater charging capabilities-even from a speaker dock. Logitech's Logi Dock offers 100 W over USB-C.
The Microsoft Audio Dock rounds out the port selection with two more USB-C (3.1 Gen 2) ports. Both support 7.5 W charging, but one of them also supports DisplayPort over Alt Mode.