Plugable USB-C 4K Dual Monitor Docking Station (UD-6950PDH) Review

Best Price Today: Plugable USB-C 4K Dual Monitor Docking Station (UD-6950PDH)

$199.95

Plugable has radically redesigned its popular UD-6950PDH docking station, which is now attracting the attention of owners of M1 and M2 (and to a lesser extent M3) Macs. With this dock, Macs with single M1 and M2 processors (non-Pro or Max) can connect two additional displays, whereas in default mode, these Macs are limited to a single external display.

As we explain in our article on how to connect two or more displays to an M1 and M2 Mac, this bonus feature requires the user to install a DisplayLink software driver to bypass Apple’s frustrating limitation.

While regular M3 (and soon M4) MacBooks can connect to two external displays, the laptop’s display must be turned off and the laptop’s lid closed. A DisplayLink dock allows the M3 MacBook to remain open with the two additional displays connected.

Specifications and Features

The Plugable USB-C 4K Dual Monitor Docking Station (UD-6950PDH) features an impressive 13 ports along with its DisplayLink M1/M2 screen backup feature.

• USB-C upstream connector to laptop (100W PD 3.0)
• 1x USB-C (5 Gbit/s, 7.5 W)
• 1x USB-A (5 Gbit/s, 7.5 W)
• 3x USB-A (5 Gbit/s, 4.5 W)
• 2 x DisplayPort 1.2 ports
• 2 HDMI 1.4 ports
• Gigabit Ethernet
• SD card reader (UHS-II, 312 MB/s)
• MicroSD card reader (UHS-I, 104 MB/s)
• 3.5mm audio
• 134W power supply

There are plenty of ports here, but you won’t get data transfers faster than 5Gbps, as that’s the maximum speed of all USB ports, including the USB-C upstream to the laptop.

Most Macs these days come with 40Gbps Thunderbolt. If you need the ultimate data transfer speeds, you should consider another of our best Thunderbolt docks for Mac. 10Gbps is the USB-C standard these days, but if you want 40Gbps in a dock that also offers DisplayLink functionality, check out the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Dock with DisplayLink.

The Plugable dock comes with a 1m (3.3ft) USB-C cable that can theoretically handle 10Gbps, but the most you’ll get from the dock is 5Gbps. The 5Gbps upstream port that you use to connect to the laptop is conveniently located at one end of the dock, rather than at the front as some docking station manufacturers insist on doing.

There’s only one downstream USB-C port (to a device other than the host laptop) but four old-school USB-A ports. We’d prefer more USB-C ports than USB-A, which is starting to feel a bit old-school. Plugable isn’t the only one that still offers plenty of USB-A ports, and I suspect it knows more about its audience than I do, but I look forward to the day when USB-A is no longer an option.

That singular USB-C port and one of the USB-A ports offer 7.5W of device charging power, which, while better than the other ports’ meager 4.5W output, still isn’t much use if you want to charge even a phone from the dock. 7.5W is fine for low-power storage devices (and equivalent to a MagSafe-compatible wireless charger), but the dock loses points for not having at least one downstream USB output of 20W or more.

An external SSD might only need about 3W of power, so the USB sticks here will be able to handle that load, but you might need 7.5W on some storage devices you connect, especially if they’re writing data. External hard drives are more power hungry, so even 7.5W might be a bit light.

However, the power delivered by PD 3.0 from the dock to the laptop is impressive at 100W. The maximum output power is determined by the 134W power supply, but the lightly powered USB ports mean it won’t be bothered even when fully loaded.

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Above the USB ports is Gigabit Ethernet for fast, stable wired network access, as well as two storage card readers.

While it’s flexible in offering both SD and MicroSD card readers, it’s odd that the SD reader is UHS-II fast (312MB/s) while the MicroSD is limited to 104MB/s. While we’ve seen docks with either UHS-I or UHS-II, we’ve never seen this speed disparity between readers on the same dock before. MicroSD cards are often cheaper than SD cards, so having that format at the slower speed is somewhat disappointing. That said, unless you need super-fast data transfer from the card, this shouldn’t bother you too much.

Aside from speed, these card readers open up a world of ultra-affordable portable storage with SD cards that offer up to 2TB in a tiny form factor. At the time of writing, Amazon is selling a 1.5TB SanDisk MicroSD card for $110. A 512GB version is under $50. Note that memory card prices are quite volatile, so keep looking for the best deals over time.

Also on the front is a combined 3.5mm audio jack port, which replaces the separate speaker and mic inputs found on the original UD-6950. It’s a nice upgrade, but one that’s par for the course in modern docking stations.

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Power display via DisplayLink

On the back of the dock are what will interest M1 and M2 MacBook owners: two DisplayPort ports and two HDMI ports for connecting video to external displays.

While these ports aren’t the latest (DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4), they still support up to 4K at a 60Hz refresh rate, which is the standard a docking station should aspire to. If you want 5K or 6K, look elsewhere.

As mentioned at the beginning of this review, Apple has unfortunately limited its M1 and M2 MacBooks to only one possible external display. Single M3 MacBooks can support two, but only if the laptop is closed with its display hidden. With a DisplayLink-compatible dock, M1/M2/M3 MacBooks can take advantage of displays even with the laptop’s screen visible.

You can use both HDMI or DisplayPort or a mix of both, depending on your monitor’s needs. Two video ports will still be left empty, but the flexibility is welcome.

As with all DisplayLink docks, High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) is not supported on macOS when this dock is connected. HDCP content (such as Netflix, Disney, Prime, Apple TV, etc.) will not play on the MacBook’s displays or built-in display when the dock is connected. You can simply disconnect the dock to use these streaming services on the laptop display, but they will not play on the external display when the dock is connected.

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Design

I’m not really sure why Plugable is calling this new docking station a redesigned version of the UD-6950. It’s a completely different design and construction, and it could just as easily have been given a new name. It doesn’t matter, of course, I’m just curious about this sort of thing, and I often get lost in a mess of similarly named but quite different products.

While the old UD-6950 was a capable but plastic vertical dock with DisplayPort but no HDMI, and the UD-6950H was a similarly non-metallic horizontal dock with HDMI (and DisplayPort), the new UD-6950PDH is a sleeker horizontal space gray aluminum alloy chassis that will look much more comfortable next to an Apple MacBook.

We like that the dock has a power button for quick and easy powering on of the dock, which helps save energy when the dock is not in use. In addition to reducing power consumption, this can extend the life of connected devices. On docks without a power button, you should unplug the USB-C or Thunderbolt cable from the dock when leaving it unattended for an extended period of time to save energy and preserve the health of the device’s battery.

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Price

The Plugable UD-6950PDH is available in the US for $199.95 and in Canada for CA$287.95. This is a reasonable price for a docking station with plenty of useful ports and plenty of flexibility in terms of video ports.

No availability outside of North America has yet been announced.

For more DisplayLink docks, see our table under our M1 and M2 MacBook Multi-Display Feature Workaround Steps.

Verdict

This is a sleek and flexible DisplayLink dock with plenty of USB ports (albeit not very powerful), a Gigabit Ethernet port, and two card readers. If data transfer speed isn’t a big factor in their purchasing decision, M1, M2, and M3 MacBook owners will appreciate the DisplayLink feature, which puts the world of dual external displays at their fingertips in a sleek, Mac-friendly enclosure.