Anker 777 Thunderbolt 4 Dock Review: Apex 12-In-1 Expansion Solution

The Anker 777 “Apex” PowerExpand Elite 12-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 Dock, aside from being a mouthful, is also an outlier when it comes to appearance. While most hubs and docks prefer nondescript or unremarkable minimalist looks, the Anker 777 goes in the opposite direction. The ridges and grooves on top and bottom of the rather large box might immediately remind one of a travel suitcase. While distinctive and memorable, it might be sending out the wrong message regarding this accessory’s portability and ruggedness. By no means is the dock designed for rough handling despite its aluminum build, nor is it even made to be portable the way a mode modest and less powerful hub would be.

This Thunderbolt 4 dock isn’t meant to be carried around, at least not all the time. It is large, bulky, and weighs around 1 pound. It’s meant to sit on top of a desk, horizontally or even vertically, and stay there for long periods of time. There’s even a dock made specifically for it so that it can stand tall and proud on your desk, but you have to buy that accessory separately. Fortunately, the unique design works in the dock’s favor, even when you have cables running out of it on both sides — and cables will indeed run out both sides because the Anker 777 values practicality over appearances. 

While some users might prefer to hide all the cables from sight to keep their desks clean, this 12-in-1 docking station prefers to make your computing life less stressful instead. It puts the most commonly used ports in the front of the hub, which includes the downstream Thunderbolt 4 and the lone USB-C port. The back has the HDMI ports and all the USB-A ports for peripherals you’d rarely take in and out on a regular basis, like monitors and wireless receivers. It’s designed for friction-free use rather than looks, and given how many ports there are, you’d be grateful it was designed this way.