Sonnet announces new Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock with integrated NVMe storage

Sonnet just announced its new Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock, the first dock of its kind to ship. The Echo 13 includes four Thunderbolt 5 ports along with a host of other I/O. If you own a M4 Pro Mac mini, or an M4 Pro or M4 Max MacBook Pro, you’ll be able to take advantage of the extra bandwidth provided by Thunderbolt 5. But even if you’re using an older Mac with Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4, the Echo 13 will be fully compatible.

Sonnet’s newest dock features an M.2 SSD with up to 6,100 MB/s data transfer support via 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB NVMe SSD options sourced from Kingston. Also included is a 2.5Gb Ethernet connection, and up to 140W of power delivery to laptop computers like the MacBook Pro.

Here’s a breakdown of all of the I/O included with the Echo 13:

Four Thunderbolt 5 ports – 1 upstream and 3 downstream

Four USB 3.2 Type-A ports

2.5Gb Ethernet (RJ45) port

3.5mm headset jack

SD and microSD card slots

Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 compatibility

The Echo 13’s standout feature is, of course, its Thunderbolt 5 compatibility, and Sonnet is providing four physical ports. Thunderbolt 5 is a significant upgrade over its predecessor, as it provides double the bandwidth, a full 80Gbps of bi-directional data, which will allow more ports to simultaneously provide increased performance.

Thunderbolt 5 also provides bandwidth boost technology for displays, lending more bandwidth in a single direction, up to 120Gbps. Sonnet’s dock fully supports bandwidth boost, which should mean it will play nice with upcoming high-end display solutions, like the recently-teased LG UltraFine 6K Display.

Speaking of displays, the Echo 13 supports up to two 8K displays, two 6K displays, or three 4K displays. Of course, much of this will depend on the host computer’s capabilities.

If you don’t own a Thunderbolt 5-enabled Mac, fret not. Each port supports Thunderbolt 5, 4, and 3 for connecting accessories and peripherals. The same ports also support USB 4 V2, USB4, and USB3 devices along with USB displays.

Sonnet notes that two of the Echo 13’s downstream Thunderbolt ports, located on the rear of the unit, provide up to 15W each for charging and bus-powered devices. The third downstream port, sharing a front-location with the 140W upstream port, lends up to 60W of power for fast-charging the latest tablets and phones.

Not to be forgotten are the Echo 13’s four USB 3.2 Type-A Ports
, three of which support 10Gbps and 7.5W of power, even when the computer is powered down.

Sonnet Echo 13 Availability

Sonnet plans to ship the Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock with 4TB SSD in limited quantities this month, and in increased quantities in mid-March 2025. It will arrive at reseller partners with an MSRP of $669.99. If you don’t require as much storage, the 1TB and 2TB options will ship mid-March with an MSRP of $399.99 and $499.99 respectively.

I’ve been a big fan of Sonnet’s past hardware, especially their docks. I still regularly use its 20-port SuperDock (review), which is built like a tank and provides an insane amount of I/O. Needless to say, I can’t wait to put the Echo 13 to the test with a Thunderbolt 5 Mac. What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.

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