Over recent months I’ve been buried under a deluge of Thunderbolt and USB 4 docking station. It’s a massive market right now as more people return to working at an office again and need something that will connect their MacBook or Microsoft Surface to the corporate network while also running external displays and connecting to various peripherals.
The latest docking station to appear on my desk comes from Ugreen, one of my favorite accessory brands. The Ugreen Revodok Max 213 docking station. This beast of a dock is housed in a relatively large case and is positively bristling with just about every port you could want to turn your laptop into a fully-fledged workstation.
This 13-in-1 docking station is compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4, making it ideal for Macs and PCs. It can provide up to 90W of power for running and charging a laptop thanks to the next-generation 180W GaN power supply that ships with the device.
So, let’s look at what the Revodock has to offer, starting with its video capabilities. The Revodock can drive a single PC display at 8K resolution with a 30Hz refresh rate. Alternatively, it’s possible to drive two external displays using the USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 port and the DisplayPort DP1.4. I’m not sure why Ugreen opted for DisplayPort over the more useful HDMI, but it’s just a matter of getting a DisplayPort to HDMI cable if your screen doesn’t offer anything other than HDMI connections.
When it comes to driving external displays on a Mac, the Revodok can run a single 4K display at a 60Hz refresh rate, or two 4K displays at 60Hz using the Thunderbolt 4 port and DisplayPort connections. The dock will only support a single display on laptops with full-function USB C.
The Revodok has two Thunderbolt 4 downstream ports as well as an upstream port for connecting to the host computer. There is a single 10Gbps USB-C port with a Power Delivery of 20W. Then there are two 10Gbps USB-C ports without PD and a single 5Gbps USB-C ports. As if that weren’t enough connections, there are also a couple of USB-A ports with speeds of 10Gbps.
Next, we come to the Ethernet connectivity of the Ugreen Revodok. With this device, there’s a 2.5GbE port for connection to the latest high-speed networks or Internet connections. For memory cards, there are slots of SD and microSD format cards plus there’s a 3.5mm audio port for taking headphones or a headset.
With so many connections, the Ugreen Revodok is a real powerhouse and offers more high-speed ports than many docking stations. The Thunderbolt connection to the host computer has a 40Gbps bandwidth but that must be shared between all the ports so that budget will be shared out depending on how many peripherals or displays you have plugged in. Remember, all the data to and from the host computer must be squeezed down a single cable. Fortunately, Ugreen supplies a high-spec Thunderbolt cable with the docking station.
One thing I like about this dock is that it can be used horizontally or vertically. If you’re short of space on your desk, just put the Revodock in skyscraper mode and save yourself some space. The second feature I like about this docking station is the connection to the host computer is at the rear of the case, which keeps things nice and tidy. On the front, you have access to two USB A ports, two USB-C, the audio jack and the memory card slots. The permanent connections to peripherals like printers or webcams can be connected via the rear ports, keeping everything neat.
Verdict: The Ugreen Revodok Max 213 docking station is quite an expensive product but that’s because it has a premium spec and is superbly well made. This is a solid piece of kit that not only looks good but functions well. I like the large, round power button which makes it easy to shut down peripherals if necessary. The power supply is nice and compact, unlike some docking stations that have power bricks the size of a shoebox. There’s very little to criticize about this superb dock. My only negative comment is that I would have preferred to see an HDMI port rather than DisplayPort but that’s no big deal. With Thunderbolt 4/USB4 compatibility and Ethernet 2.5GbE, this is an advanced docking station that will please power users working between office and home.
Pricing & Availability: The Ugreen Revodok Max 213 docking station costs $399.99 / £399.99 / €399.99.
More info: ugreen.com
Tech Specs:
- Power supply: 180W.
- Laptop charging speed: 90W.
- Number of ports: 13.
- Downstream Thunderbolt ports: 2.
- Max displays: 2.
- Max display resolution: 8K@30Hz.
- DisplayPort 1 × DP1.4.
- USB-C ports: 1 × 10Gbps (PD20W), 2 × 10Gbps, 1 × 5Gbps.
- USB-A ports: 2 × 10Gbps.
- Ethernet port: 2.5GbE.
- Card reader: TF/SD Card Reader.
- Audio port: 3.5mm.
