Ugreen Revodok Max 208 Thunderbolt 4 Dock Review

Best Prices Today: Ugreen Revodok Max 208 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

$279.99

The Ugreen Revodok Max 208 calls itself a dock, but might be better described as a Thunderbolt 4 hub with additional Ethernet, or perhaps a mini Thunderbolt dock.

It will certainly work well as a flexible docking station, but it’s closer in nature to most of the hubs we’ve tested and reviewed, but with one key difference: the ability to connect your laptop to a wired network without needing of an adapter. Check out our roundup of the best Thunderbolt docks and the best Macworld docks for Mac for alternatives, and we explore the options later in this review.

Since its other ports are all USB or Thunderbolt, when connecting an external display you’ll need an adapter if the monitor doesn’t support a direct USB-C connection.

Specifications and Features

The Ugreen Revodok Max 208 has 8 ports, which isn’t a lot for something that bills itself as a full-fledged docking station, but is still surprisingly flexible.

• Upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40 Gbps, 85 W)
• Three Thunderbolt 4 downstream ports (40 Gbps, 15 W)
• Three USB-A ports (10 Gbps)
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 140W power supply

Eight ports isn’t a lot for a dock but a lot for a Thunderbolt 4 hub. That might just be enough for many users, because those three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports are fast, powerful, and flexible.

A Thunderbolt 4 port delivers fast data transfer, 15W of power, and can be used to connect directly to USB-C monitors, storage devices, and adapters for just about everything else, and can connect in series of Thunderbolt 4 devices.

You can use up to two of these Thunderbolt 4 ports to connect external displays.

Your options are two 4K displays at 60Hz (Mac or Windows) or a single 8K display at 30Hz for Windows only. Don’t blame Ugreen, as it’s Apple’s own limitations that mean you can’t run 8K on a dock connected to a Mac.

Simple M1 and M2 Macs (those without a Pro or Max processor) are limited to a single external display, although there are workarounds using third-party DisplayLink software: read our tips on how to connect two or more displays to a Mac M1 or M2. .

On the front of the dock are three fast USB-A ports (10Gbps) for connections to older devices, USB drives, and perhaps a mouse and keyboard if you don’t have one. no wireless input devices or if you don’t use the laptop’s keyboard and trackpad.

These USB ports have no charging capability, so storage devices will require their own power as none will be output from the dock itself, unlike the 15W Thunderbolt ports.

The particularity of this hub/dock is the Gigabit Ethernet port. We haven’t seen this on any Thunderbolt hubs, although it’s a mainstay of docking stations. If you want the fastest network speeds, a wired network is almost always faster and significantly more stable than Wi-Fi.

As a docking station, however, it seems light on other features, like a card reader for adding affordable portable storage and an audio jack for speakers, headphones, or a microphone.

Their absence might turn you away from Revodok Max 208, but if you don’t need them, then why pay for them?

Many of us own wireless speakers and headphones and use the laptop’s webcam as a mic. If you’re fine with your laptop’s storage or you’re adding a fast SSD via Thunderbolt and the cloud covers all your backup, then a card reader is useful but not essential.

Design

Compact, the Ugreen Revodok Max 208 is a little larger than a Thunderbolt hub.

Made from aluminum with a pleated area, the Revodok Max 208 should stay cool.

Thunderbolt ports are arranged on the back of the docking station along with the Ethernet port. On the front, you will have easy access to the three USB-A ports and the power button.

We like the dock’s power button, which makes it easy to shut down power to your docked laptop all day and night without having to unplug the Thunderbolt connection when you’re away from it for a decent amount of time .

Price

At $279.99, the Ugreen Revodok Max 208 isn’t as cheap as a Thunderbolt 4 hub, which starts at around $150 but doesn’t have an Ethernet port.

Alternative Docks and Thunderbolt Hubs

The best and closest comparison in terms of specs is the $199 Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element hub, which has four TB4 ports and four 10Gbps USB-A ports, one more USB-A than the Ugreen at $279. You can add an Ethernet adapter to the Element Hub’s additional USB-A port for less than $20, such as using Ugreen’s own USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet adapter.

Where the Revodok Max 208 beats the Element Hub is on powering the laptop. Although the Caldigit has a similar overall power supply, it can charge the host laptop at just 60W, compared to the Revodok’s 85W, which is closer to what a 14-inch or larger laptop would need.

As such, we recommend the Revodok Mac 208 over the Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub if your laptop is 14 inches or larger. Otherwise, save some money and add an Ethernet adapter to the Caldigit if you want a wired Internet connection.

Priced at the same $199 as the Caldigit are the Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub and the Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Slim Hub Pro, both of which have the same four TB4 ports but a single 10Gbps USB-A and offer 96 W of power to the laptop. , so better choices for a 16-inch or larger laptop. If you don’t need a lot of USB-A ports, these are good options, although it’s still hard to see beyond the Caldigit hub for port value.

There are even cheaper Thunderbolt 4 hubs, such as the $130 OWC Thunderbolt Hub, which also hosts four Thunderbolt 4 ports but only one USB-A. It also loses to the Ugreen in terms of power for the laptop (60 W versus 85 W).

Since it bills itself as a dock, we should really compare it to a rival Thunderbolt 4 dock, and here the Kensington SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 Dock offers a compelling alternative. It also has four USB-A TB4 ports and three USB-A 10 Gbps ports, but also an additional 7.5 W but slow 480 Mbps USB-A port, Gigabit Ethernet, a reader fast UHS-II SD card and a 3.5mm audio jack. It also has a more powerful 180W power supply and can channel 90W of that to the laptop.

The SD5700T has a much higher retail price of $350, but is often found for $299 and sometimes for less than $200 online. Check out our Kensington SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 Dock review for the best prices.

Verdict

At first glance, the Ugreen Revodok Max 208 seems underpowered for a full-featured docking station, lacking card readers and an audio jack. But its three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports are powerful and adaptable, three USB-A ports handy if you have lots of older devices or USB drives, and built-in Ethernet is useful for direct network connections.

If you can find the Kensington SD5700T cheaper, we’d recommend a more comprehensive dock, but as a Thunderbolt 4 super hub or mini dock, the Revodok Max 208 offers multiport flexibility.