HP Thunderbolt 4 100W G6 vs G4 Dock Comparison 2026

HP’s 100W Thunderbolt 4 business dock matchup

HP now has two very similar 100W Thunderbolt 4 business docks in the catalog. The HP Thunderbolt 4 100W G6 Dock is the newer standard G6 model for commercial HP fleets. The HP Thunderbolt Dock 120W G4 is the older cube dock that has been the safer known quantity for a lot of enterprise desks.

The confusing part is that the headline specs overlap. Both are native Thunderbolt 4 docks. Both charge the host at up to 100W. Both can reach up to four 4K@60Hz displays when the laptop has the right DisplayPort 1.4 DSC support. Both skip SD card readers and 3.5 mm audio. Both care much more about HP fleet behavior than about being universal creative docks.

The short version: the G6 is the better default buy if you are purchasing new hardware today. Its YAML-backed advantages are practical rather than flashy: HDMI 2.1 instead of HDMI 2.0, a downstream Thunderbolt 4 video port, two powered USB-C ports, a 1 m cable, a 36-month limited warranty, and the newer HP management stack around HP Quick Connect, Poly Lens, CMSL, WMI, PXE boot, Wake on LAN, MAC address pass-through, and disconnected firmware updates. The G4 still makes sense if price, existing fleet standardization, or proven deployment history matters more than the newer port layout.

If you are choosing outside the HP ecosystem, read our USB-C vs Thunderbolt docking stations guide first. These are business Thunderbolt docks, not DisplayLink workarounds for base MacBooks.

Quick specs comparison

What changed from G4 to G6?

The G6 is not a complete reinvention of the G4. It is more like a cleanup of HP’s business dock formula. The basic promise stays the same: one Thunderbolt cable, 100W charging, several USB ports, enterprise network behavior, and more monitors than a simple USB-C hub can handle on a capable Windows laptop.

The clearest upgrade is the video layout. The G4 has two DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and HDMI 2.0. The G6 keeps the two DisplayPort 1.4 outputs but moves to HDMI 2.1 and adds a downstream Thunderbolt 4 port that can also carry video. That downstream Thunderbolt port matters for modern monitors, USB-C display adapters, and HP’s documented M4 MacBook Pro setup, where one display uses downstream Thunderbolt 4 and another uses HDMI or DisplayPort.

USB-C is also better on the G6. Its YAML lists two USB-C 3.2 ports with 15W accessory power. The G4 has two USB-C 3.2 entries, but only one lists 15W accessory power. The G4 counters with one extra USB-A port, four total instead of three, which may matter if your desk is still full of USB-A keyboards, mice, scanners, and conference-room accessories.

Warranty is the least exciting difference, but it is the one IT buyers should notice first. The G6 YAML lists 36 months. The G4 YAML lists 12 months. If you are buying docks for a fleet and do not want to treat them as disposable accessories after a year, that gap is hard to ignore.

Display support: same headline, different details

Both docks can look stronger on paper than they are in a real laptop setup. The G6 YAML lists up to four 4K@60Hz displays on Thunderbolt hosts with DisplayPort 1.4 and Display Stream Compression. It also lists dual 4K@120Hz on some high-resolution USB-C hosts and Thunderbolt hosts with enough DP 1.4 DSC bandwidth. The G4 YAML lists quad 4K@60Hz too, but it calls out a stricter requirement: DP 1.4, DSC, and four DisplayPort streams.

That means neither dock should be treated as a magic four-monitor box. The laptop decides a lot. A modern HP EliteBook, ProBook, or ZBook with the right Thunderbolt and graphics configuration is the natural target. A lower-bandwidth USB-C host will drop to fewer displays or lower modes. A MacBook brings a separate set of limits.

The G6 is easier to recommend for new mixed display desks because the physical outputs are more flexible. HDMI 2.1 is newer than the G4’s HDMI 2.0, and the downstream Thunderbolt 4 output gives you another modern video path. The G4 still has the basics for two DisplayPort monitors and one HDMI monitor, but the YAML notes that the lower DisplayPort and USB-C DP Alt Mode port are mutually exclusive. That is a small planning detail, but those details become annoying when you are deploying 40 desks at once.

For four-monitor buying research, compare this page with our best docking stations for triple monitors list. HP’s quad 4K modes are powerful when the host supports them, but they are not the same thing as DisplayLink-based universal monitor expansion.

Mac support: do not skip the footnotes

Neither dock uses DisplayLink. That is good if you want native Thunderbolt video without display drivers. It is bad if your goal is to bypass Apple Silicon external display limits.

The G6 YAML is more current and more specific about Apple hardware. It lists macOS 14 Sonoma, says HP does not provide Ethernet and audio drivers for Apple PCs, and notes that HP’s technical white paper lists up to two extended displays on M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max MacBook Pro systems. The same YAML says that setup uses one display through downstream Thunderbolt 4 and one through HDMI or DisplayPort. It also warns that base Apple Silicon MacBooks still have native display limits because the dock is not DisplayLink.

The G4 YAML lists macOS 12.1 Monterey and later, but its Mac caveats are rougher. It says basic functionality is supported, then warns that multi-display support is limited to mirrored mode through MST behavior and that HP does not provide Ethernet and audio drivers for macOS. It also lists base M1, M2, and M3 MacBook Air or Pro systems as limited to one external display.

If you are buying for MacBooks, the safer conclusion is simple: choose a Mac-focused Thunderbolt dock or a DisplayLink dock if multiple external displays on base chips are the requirement. The G6 is the better HP choice for newer MacBook Pro testing because its YAML has clearer M4-era notes, but that does not make it a CalDigit-style Mac dock.

Ports and desk setup

The G6 has the more modern port mix. Two DisplayPort 1.4 outputs, HDMI 2.1, downstream Thunderbolt 4, two powered USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, and 2.5GbE cover a current business desk cleanly. You get enough USB-C charging for accessories, a faster HDMI spec, and the downstream Thunderbolt port that the G4 does not list in its video section.

The G4 has one obvious advantage: one extra USB-A port. Its YAML lists four USB-A 3.2 ports, with two providing 7.5W charging. If your employees still plug in mostly USB-A peripherals, that matters. The G4 also has a very compact cube body, listed at 3.9 x 3.9 x 2.7 inches, and its $329 MSRP is in the YAML. The G6 YAML does not list MSRP, so this comparison cannot claim a price win for the newer dock.

Both docks omit the same creative ports. There is no SD card reader on either one. There is no 3.5 mm audio jack on either one. The workaround in both cases is external USB audio or a USB card reader. That is acceptable for a business desk, but it is one reason creative users often end up looking at the CalDigit TS4 review instead.

Manageability and HP fleet behavior

This is where the two docks make the most sense. The G4 YAML emphasizes HP Sure Start security, NIST 800-193 compliance, centralized management, native Thunderbolt 4 plug and play behavior, and firmware support from HP. It also warns that the dock power button and LED do not function as designed on non-HP commercial notebooks, Apple systems, Chrome systems, and unsupported HP notebooks.

The G6 YAML keeps the same business focus and adds a broader current management list: HP Sure Start, HP Wolf Security, HP Quick Connect on supported HP notebooks, Poly Lens cloud management, CMSL, WMI, PXE boot, Wake on LAN, MAC address pass-through, and disconnected firmware updates. It also says those features depend on supported HP commercial PCs and host firmware support.

That dependency is not a flaw if you are buying for HP fleets. It is the point. If your laptops are HP EliteBook, ProBook, or ZBook models supported by HP’s compatibility database, the G6 is the cleaner current platform. If your environment is a random mix of Dell, Lenovo, Mac, and personal laptops, both docks lose some of their advantage. You still get Thunderbolt ports and charging, but you should not expect HP-specific buttons, firmware behavior, or management features to work everywhere.

Reliability notes from the YAML

The G4 has more explicit issue history in its YAML. Common issues include display signal loss after sleep or wake, rare firmware update failure with self-healing recovery, occasional DisplayPort signal dropouts, and monitors cycling through no-input messages after shutdown. The listed fixes are predictable: update dock firmware, update the laptop BIOS, use the included Thunderbolt cable, and plan display connections around the mutual exclusivity note.

The G6 is newer, so its reliability section reads differently. The YAML calls out mixed early Amazon feedback, Mac display behavior complaints, fan noise reports, and some HP laptop recognition issues. It also says some HP laptops may need firmware or driver updates before the dock is recognized reliably. For non-HP or Mac setups, the G6 YAML explicitly recommends checking firmware, host capability, and return windows.

That makes the buying decision less automatic than “newer is better.” The G6 wins on specs and warranty. The G4 may be easier to justify if your IT team already deployed it, documented its quirks, and knows exactly which laptop BIOS and firmware package works.

Verdict: buy the G6 unless the G4 is the known standard

The HP Thunderbolt 4 100W G6 Dock is the better default recommendation for new HP business deployments. It does not win by score, since both products are rated 7.8/10 in the YAML. It wins because the factual differences line up with how people buy office docks in 2026: newer display outputs, a downstream Thunderbolt 4 path, stronger USB-C accessory power, a longer listed cable, a broader current management stack, and a 36-month warranty instead of 12 months.

The HP Thunderbolt Dock 120W G4 is not obsolete. It still offers 100W host charging, native Thunderbolt 4, up to four 4K@60Hz displays on the right Windows host, compact desk placement, 2.5GbE, and HP Sure Start. It also has one more USB-A port and a known $329 MSRP in the YAML. If your company standardized on it and the price is lower, staying with G4 can be the boring, sensible choice.

Choose the HP Thunderbolt 4 100W G6 Dock if:

• You are buying new docks for HP commercial laptops.
• You want HDMI 2.1 and a downstream Thunderbolt 4 video path.
• You need two 15W USB-C accessory ports.
• You want the longer 1 m host cable listed in the YAML.
• You value the 36-month limited warranty.
• You want HP’s newer management stack, including Poly Lens, HP Quick Connect, CMSL, WMI, PXE boot, Wake on LAN, and MAC address pass-through on supported platforms.

Choose the HP Thunderbolt Dock 120W G4 if:

• Your organization already uses the G4 successfully.
• The G4 is meaningfully cheaper than the G6 at purchase time.
• You need four USB-A ports more than you need the G6’s newer USB-C layout.
• Your monitors are already wired around dual DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0.
• You prefer a dock with more documented field quirks before deploying at scale.
• A 12-month warranty is acceptable for your buying cycle.

For most new buyers, the G6 is the one I would start with. For existing HP fleets, the better answer may be whichever model your compatibility testing has already proven with your exact laptops, monitors, firmware, and sleep-wake behavior. That is not glamorous, but it is how business docks actually succeed or fail.