- [Michael] As the owner of a late model MacBook Pro
I've tried a lot of dongles and extenders
to restore the ports that Apple so courageously omitted
in its quest to make a thinner laptop.
Linedock is the latest, but it doesn't just promise
extra ports
it packs a huge battery, an extra hard drive
and active cooling to boot.
I'm Michael Fisher, let's find out if it's worth the bulk
and the cost in the MrMobile review.
(upbeat electronic music)
Pull it out from the optional charcoal sleeve
and the Linedock looks a lot like a laptop
that somewhat forgot to cut a seam in.
Its aluminum finish comes in gray or black
with a matte coating that picks up fingerprints
and scuffs really quickly.
But, which is also really easy for your computer
to stick to.
I thought it was just the paint at first
until I did some digging, and found that there are also
four magnets inside the casing
to guide your computer into place.
I also found a delightful series of Easter eggs
left by Linedock's creators.
Way to paint the back of the fence, bravo!
Your computer, by the way
has to have at least one USB-C port to work with Linedock.
I ended up using a Huawei Matebook X Pro for my testing
because right now
Linedock only has 13 inch models available
too small for my 15 inch MacBook Pro.
More on availability later.
Once you plug it in and Windows recognizes Linedock
two things happen automatically.
One, it pops up as an external hard drive
letting you drag and drop any files you want
to the Sandisk SSD inside.
And two, Linedock starts charging your laptop
with its onboard battery.
That's a big power pack, at 72 watt hours
it's actually 26% larger than the battery in this laptop
and you can also charge other devices at the same time.
In my testing, it usually extended my laptop life
by three to four hours, depending on how many
other devices I had connected.
The charge rate is pretty quick, too
with Qualcomm Quick Charge Three
and USB Power Delivery Compliance.
You can even charge your laptop through the Linedock.
It supports pass-through charging up to 100 watts.
That's pretty fast.
Then there's the ports.
Linedock gives you three USB-A connections
three USB-C, a full size SD card reader
a mini display port, and an HDMI jack.
That's a lot of connectivity.
Also, the company didn't have any of these to send me
but each Linedock does come with a U-line cable
that bonds dock and PC very neatly
much more useful than this long awkward wire
I've had hanging out the whole time.
Also, you'll notice these ports on the back.
On the 13 inch, they're just air vents.
But on the 15, it's actually an active cooling system
with fans, heat pipe, and a heat sink.
I did get to try out another optional accessory
in addition to the sleeve.
The magnetic connector, which is meant to save your laptops
from trip hazards, like the old mag-safe connectors did.
On the plus side, it's rated for a full 100 watts
and it works for data, too.
But for an adaptor this chunky
it's got a pretty weak magnetic lock.
It disconnected accidentally enough times that
I eventually just decided to ditch it.
Before we get to the brass tacks
something important to know about Linedock
this is the product of crowdfunding
so it's left a lot of angry people in its wake.
Linedock is over a year late to production
and the 15 inch version won't even start shipping until Fall
That's not great.
Also, my review device is from an early batch
that had some soldering issues
which prevent my HDMI port from functioning.
The company has stressed to me that this problem
has been corrected for all of the production models.
So, assuming that's true, it doesn't stop me
from recommending it.
It's just a really good reminder
to test every single function as soon as you take delivery
of a new product like this, so you can get a refund
if necessary.
Linedock does offer those, for dissatisfied customers.
So, is Linedock worth it?
I'll be honest.
When I first looked at the price tag, I said
Bro, no!
How could any laptop accessory be worth $399?
But then, I tallied up everything included
inside this product.
A 256 gig external drive from SanDisk
costs between $70 and $100.
A battery pack like this one from Anker costs around $60.
And this port extender that I picked up from Best Buy
costs me $90.
Add it all up, and you get somewhere between $250 and $275.
That means you're paying a $125 premium to get the Linedock
as reviewed here.
Folks, I'm not saying $125 is a small amount of money
and $399 certainly isn't.
But for the fusion of functionality and portability
you're getting along with it
I do think it earns its price tag.
And once the 15 inch model is available this fall
well, there's a pretty good chance I'll be snapping it up
to take the place of a lot of bulk in my backpack.
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Folks, let me know what you use
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Until next time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile, my friends.