PPS
PPS is the USB-PD 3.0 trick that lets a phone ask for voltage in 20 mV steps, which is what Samsung Super Fast Charging and similar phone profiles actually use.
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189 reviews & guides.
The Best Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Docks in 2026
Intel-certified Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 40Gbps docks that actually drive dual 4K and charge a laptop at 90W or more, without the cheap USB-C hub compromises.
Thunderbolt
Intel's certified USB-C path: a controller plus a protocol, which is why a USB-C dock is not Thunderbolt.
GaN
Gallium nitride is the semiconductor that lets a USB-C charger pack laptop watts into a pocket cube instead of a silicon brick.
USB4 vs Thunderbolt Pocket SSDs in 2026 (and When USB 3.2 Is Enough)
USB 3.2, USB4, and Thunderbolt pocket drives compared on the port you own, DRAM vs DRAM-less, and the write-speed drop after a few minutes.
DisplayLink
A software-plus-chip path that turns USB into extra monitors, the usual fix when a Mac will not drive two independent displays from a plain USB-C dock.
USB-PD
USB Power Delivery is the handshake that lets a USB-C cable carry laptop-class wattage, if the brick, cable, and device all agree.
SMR
Shingled magnetic recording packs more data onto a platter by overlapping tracks, then slows to a crawl once the cache fills.
CMR
Conventional magnetic recording gives every data track its own lane, which is why NAS and RAID buyers treat CMR as the safe default.