Lenovo ThinkPad Ultra Docking Station US (40AJ0135US)

Further update (03/13/25):After my 6th purchase of this Ultra Dock, I continue to be impressed that a new, OEM, quality product can be sold at this price. My latest purchase happened to also include a European 2 prong plug in addtion to the standard US 3 5-15P plug and 2 keys wrapped and taped to the bottom of the dock. Firmware updates for this dock can be found on Lenovo Support by entering its part number, 40AJ0135US. The dock has 4 different firmwares (USB audio, USB hub, DP (display port) hub and PD (power delivery) control). Only the last 2 needed updating by the single update program.This hub works on the T470, T570, T480, T580, T490 and T590 Thinkpads. The T490 and T590 tend to run very hot in maximum performance mode and/or with an i7 processor, but the design of the dock allows you to place a laptop cooling pad (with fans) underneath the laptop and in front of the dock itself to keep the temps under control.Update:Purchased this same product from a 3rd party seller after returning the 2 products sold by the Lenovo Store. This latest product was obviously brand new in its original packaging, AND IT INCLUDED THE KEYS!After attaching the T490 laptop, Win10 recognized a couple of new USB devices. Running Lenovo System Update installed new firmware for this Ultra Dock, and then new Realtek Audio drivers. All set, and it works perfectly, as originally expected. (Now 5 stars.)Original review (3 stars):Like all Lenovo docks I've bought new in the past, this Ultra Dock is easy to setup and use, providing additional USB 3.0 ports and a VGA port for older monitors. However, unlike previous purchases from various vendors, this item sold by the Lenovo Store was missing its key to lock the dock to the Thinkpad T490 laptop. The setup instructions included in the box had a packing list that explicitly showed that a key should be present.Thinking this was somehow a packing error, I returned this and requested a replacement, also from the Lenovo Store. It arrrived the next day, and was also missing a key. It seems to be a deliberte choice by Lenovo to leave out the key.I ended up returning that one and ordering yet another (at a slightly lower price) from a 3rd party seller. Hopefully that one will include the key..After reading similar comments from other Amazon customers, I didn't even try to resolve the problem thru Lenovo support.

This is a great product especially considering the flimsy nature of the Thinkpad's USB-C ports. What I was not anticipating was the included Lenovo laptop charger. The charger itself is worth more than the total cost of this product, making it an amazing bang for the buck.

Works great with my Lenovo T480 laptop! Connected to Monitor via 15 Pin Connector Male VGA (has HDMI and 2 Displayports as well), speakers, USBs, and power! Come with power cord which essentially is the same cost of this docking station - so a bonus! (can use your current power cord elsewhere). Docking station is NEW! Allows me to use this laptop like a desktop!

I got one of these for my work (t14s) and personal (t480) laptops and it works perfectly. Considering ebay sellers are trying to sell them for $40 used potentially without the power brick $25 for a dock of this quality is a steal. Only downside is it's a pain searching for compatibility as lenovo's own charts are hard to find and inaccurate. As long as you have the same semi proprietary usb-c docking connector as the t480 and the t14s though you should be good.

Feature-wise, I'm still determining if I like it or not. I have two 30" monitors attached (HDMI and DisplayPort). Resolution and responsiveness both look pretty good. I have the USB ports all filled (mouse, keyboard, video camera). All of that is working well so far.Where I have an issue is the horrible side dock. Before turning anything on, tried docking and undocking multiple times. The computer has to be in the dock in a very specific way or the side dock doesn't engage. It will only come out part way. You know the computer isn't in the right position because the side dock slides easily when the laptop is positioned correctly. However, I tried about 3 dozen times to dock/undock. In 3 dozen tries, I literally only positioned it correctly maybe 3 times. The point of a dock is to be able to get up & go and return. If it takes me minutes and lots of frustration, I'm likely to not want to dock.At this point, I would not recommend the dock. After using it a while, if it appears it is me not understanding how to correctly position the dock, I'll review my review.UPDATE: I contacted Lenovo support. They said it should not be that difficult to dock. They were very responsive and sent me a replacement. I have the same problem with docking and undocking. Now I'm having the problem another reviewer stated where it doesn't always recognize both of my monitors.

I got a new monitor and my company was unable to get me an upgraded docking station for my Lenovo laptop. I was able to install and get it working within 15 minutes. It works perfect.