Full Review: Dell’s Best-Kept Secret

Dell can be considered one of the largest tech companies in the world today. Among its huge arsenal of products one category is probably their best kept secret to the consumer public: complementary accessories.

A trio of products from this category has made its way to me for an in-depth review. My computer of choice has always been the sexy, thin and light ultra-portable notebooks. Bring on the Spectre’s, XPS’s, Swift’s, Razer’s, Zenbook’s and the posh Macbook pro’s. These notebooks are supermodel-waif thin. Which brings on one huge problem for road warriors like myself and many others. The lack of connectivity, in some cases, the USB 3.0 port or the HDMI connector, is bigger than the thickness of the notebook itself hence it has been migrated to the latest standard, USB Type-C.

This connector could virtually be used as a connectivity port out in the digital world today. This does come with some caveats, you need to have the right adapters or as some nerds/geeks would say, dongles. So if you need a HDMI port, there is a dongle for that. If you need a RJ45 port, there is a dongle for that. If you need a….Well I think you get the picture….

DA300

The first of the trio that Dell has sent me is a small little puck like device (DA300) which has all types of connectors and ports embedded into its side. The complete list of ports/connectors are:

  • Network RJ45
  • HDMI
  • Display Port
  • VGA (This is rare and most welcome)
  • Type-C 3.1
  • USB 3.0

Twisting the two halves of the DA300 will extend and retract the Type-C cord which was then attached to any Type-C port on the Notebook and allow for the connectivity to the ports above. The DA300 is really handy to carry around and all the ports on it will ensure that you will always be able to connect to a display or a network anywhere. The Type-C port on it cannot be used to pass through power and the USB 3.0 port cannot be used simultaneously with the 3.1 which was a little let down. Besides that this small little device does save me the hassle of rummaging through my connectors just to find the right one that I need. Oh one more thing….in my testing, the DA300 works with the Huawei (Mate 10/20 and P20 series) and Samsung’s latest Note 9 flagship phones for their desktop replication which is pretty neat. Connecting to an external monitor with a keyboard and mouse for the full PC experience is so much easier and convenient with this.

D6000 universal dock

The first MacBook signaled a changing of the technology guards ushering in first true USB. Universal in every sense of the word. The MacBook did leave a dilemma for many of its early adopters. There was a whole bunch of dongles and cables that owners had to buy. Today just about every ultra-portable notebook including the latest MacBook Pro has the USB Type-C as a norm. The need for a docking solution has been around and a wide variety of companies the likes of Belkin to quite a few Indiegogo crowd funded projects that aimed to produce a product for that purpose. There are a quite a few docking solutions from Dell, the one we got was the D6000 universal dock. The D6000 dock uses a single type-c cable to connect to just about any notebook, Mac or PC. This single cable would provide both power to the notebook and connectivity to a wide variety of ports:

  • 4*3.0 USB ports (1 with power share)
  • 1*USB 3.1 Type-C (Data and Power Share)
  • 2*Display Port
  • 1*HDMI
  • RJ45 Gigabit Network Port
  • Headphone/Mic output
  • Line out

That provides just about every possible connection any user could and would ever need. That also means it could be used to connect up to 3 monitors at 4K resolution, mind blown. One of the most eccentric and picky computers in the market today are Apple’s MacBooks which do not take too kindly to most non apple certified or original accessories. Putting the D6000 to a serious test was attaching it to the 2017 13” MacBook Pro. I am pleased to say that everything worked perfectly, which is god sent since it now enables access to all the ports and charging using just a single cable to link the D6000 to the 13” MacBook Pro. At 65Watts of power via the Type-C it is enough for most ultra portables.

Dell Notebook Power Bank Plus

Dell-1175-Adapters

I am sure many of us has been in the situation where we are working at a café or out of office somewhere and as we are about to complete our tasks the computer runs out of juice. This scenario is all too familiar, the fact that processors are becoming more and more efficient does not negate the fact that you can still run out of power. Frantically looking for a power outlet at the café or starbucks may be more difficult than you expect and it is often hogged by someone who has been practically living next to it forever. We have power banks for our phones but finding one for notebooks are rare.

Dell-1175-Adapters

Dell’s Notebook….extra-long name gizmo, is a real life saver in the situation described above. With 65Wh it is enough to extend the XPS 13 notebook for quite a few hours depending on the usage. The power bank comes with a non removeable Type-C cord, which does make storing it quite a hassle, though I am sure there are some design limitations surrounding it being there. There is also a USB 3.0 port on the battery bank which can be used as an extended port for the notebook when it is connected, how cool is that. What this means is that it allows for the port to be used as a port replicator while the type-c port on the notebook is used for charging.

If you are looking for a universal power bank that can help charge just about anything, This has to be it.

Conclusion

The trio of products is surely unique and in many instances are the products that many road warrior’s would have loved to have in their arsenal. They are not pretty but form and functionally excellent. The Power bank will require a PD powered adapter to charge it so bear that in mind when you get it. There is a little contest where we will be giving one of these products out to our readers/subscribers. Do look out for it online for your chance to win one.

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