Ugreen Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 4 Dock Review scaled

Any links to online stores should be assumed to be affiliates. The company or PR agency provides all or most review samples. They have no control over my content, and I provide my honest opinion.

I have previously reviewed the superb Ugreen Revodok Pro 209, which I have continued to use with my Geekom Mini IT13 Mini PC for the past few months.

More recently, I reviewed the Revodok Pro Series 313 13-in-1 & 210 10-in-1 USB-C docks, which are both excellent and what I use when I travel.

Ugreen is also releasing several Revodok Max models, which improves the connectivity with Thunderbolt 4 giving you up to 40Gbps throughput vs 10Gbs you get with the USB on the Pro models.

Specification

ugreen revodok max 213 docking station specification
  • 1x DisplayPort 1.4
  • 1x Upstream Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps)
  • 2x Downstream Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps)
  • 1x USB C 3.2 port (10Gbps)
  • 2x USB A 3.2 port (10Gbps)
  • 2x USB A 3.0 port (5Gbps)
  • 1x SD 4.0 Card Reader
  • 1x TF 4.0 Card Reader
  • 1x 3.5mm Audio Port
  • 1x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
  • 1x DC port (21V/8.57A)

Design and Ports

ugreen revodok max 213 docking station 2

The Ugreen Revodok Max 213 is a large dock with a dedicated power supply requiring a power pack with a DC barrel. So, it is not a particularly portable dock and is best used to convert a laptop (or mini PC) into a multi-monitor system.

On the front of the dock, you have a power button, USB-C 3.2 (10Gbps, 20W PD), two 10Gbps USB-A 3.2 ports, SD/MicroSD slots, and a 3.5mm audio port.

On the rear, you have the 180W DC input, 2.5GbE port, wo 5GBps USB-A 3.0 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 port capable of 8K@30Hz, two Thunderbolt 4 ports that also support 8K@30Hz, and finally, a 90W TB4 port that connects to the host.

ugreen revodok max 213 docking station cooling

Ugreen advertises this as having an upgraded cooling system with cooling silica gel and pleated aluminium sections for increased surface area, and the entire shell is a cooling aluminium. During my time with it, it gets warm to touch but not hot.

Display Output

The Revodok Max 213 only has a single display output port with DP1.4. But, it supports two displays if you use Thunderbolt/USB-C.

I find it a little bit odd that the flagship product has limited display outputs. The Revodok Max 313, which will launch soon, supports three displays and has HDMI2.1 and DP1.4 ports. The Revodok Pro 209, which I have been using for the past few months, supports two displays but has 2x HDMI2.0 and 2x DP1.2, giving you a bit more flexibility on how you connect displays.

The two TB4 ports on the rear of the dock will also support 8K@30Hz, and it runs my Samsung U32J59x monitor fine at 4K@60Hz.

USB Ports

Ugreen Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 4 Dock Ports Front

You get 6x USB ports in total, with a good mix of USB standards catering to both new and legacy devices:

  • 2x USB A 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps)
  • 2x USB A 3.0 (5Gbps)
  • 1x USB C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps)
  • 2x Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps)

I’ve tested the USB ports with the Orico Montage MTQ-40G USB4 SSD and was able to achieve the 3119MB/s read and 1632MB/s write, which matches the performance when attached to a USB4 laptop port directly.

2.5Gb Ethernet

Ugreen Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 4 Dock Ports Rear

The inclusion of a 2.5GbE port is one of the standout features for me personally. Even though my mini-PC has 2.5GbE built-in, many laptops and PCs lack it.

Having 2.5GbE on a router is becoming increasingly common, WiFi 7 can comfortably achieve multi-gig performance, and companies like CityFibre are rolling out 2.5Gbps Internet.

I have previously written a guide on the best USB-C Docks with 2.5gbps Ethernet, and the available options were limited. The most cost-efficient solution is to buy a dedicated USB to 2.5GbE adaptor. However, if you want an all-in-one solution, then the £400 CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock was the best option I could find. It has a similar specification to this Revodock, but it has more ports in total.

So I’m pleased Ugreen has included 2.5GbE by default rather than requiring an additional accessory.

Performance is as expected, with it achieving 2500Mbps throughput with iPerf.

SD Slots

You get dual card readers supporting the latest standards, able to take full advantage of recent SD cards and devices:

  • 1x SD 4.0 UHS-II
  • 1x MicroSD 4.0 UHS-II

My SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SD card has a max read speed of 300MB/s. In testing, the averages speeds were:

  • Read: 220-270MB/s
  • Write: 84-110MB/s

So, while the writes fall a bit short of the card’s max speeds, the reads are excellent, and overall performance is great.

Power Delivery

The Revodok Max 213 can deliver up to 100W of power delivery to charge laptops.

I have a Huawei Matebook 14, which only requires 65W of power, and the Revodok quickly powered it.

For the TB ports, I was able to provide 12.5W to my Anker 737 Power Bank

The front USB-C was able to provide 18.6W to the power bank.

Price and Alternative Options

The Ugreen Revodok Max 213 has an RRP of £400, but at the time of writing, they had a pre-sale discount of £80 available, taking it down to £320. It is also available on Amazon, but there are no discounts available yet.

It is worth noting that Ugreen are one of the many brands that launch things at a moderately high price but quickly reduce the price following launch.

The Ugreen Revodok Pro 209 launched for £200 but was quickly discounted to £170 and is currently available for £120.

The Revodok Pro 313 launched for £130 but was immediately discounted to £100.

In comparison, the CalDigit TS4 consistently stays around its RRP of £395.

Anker has the Anker 577 PowerExpand EliteThunderbolt Docking Station priced at £280. This is also a 13-in-1 docking station, but only has gigabit Ethernet.

The Corsair TBT200 has fewer ports and no Display Port/HDMI, but it has 3x TB4 ports and 2.5GbE and is priced at £280.

The OWC Thunderbolt Dock is £262 but only has 11 ports, is limited to gigabit and lacks HDMI ports.

The iVANKY FusionDock Max 1 has an impressive 20 ports and can support four additional displays on the MacBook Pro, plus it has 2.5GbE, but it is very expensive at £500 RRP (£70 voucher available).

Overall

The Ugreen Revodok Max 213 is an incredibly expensive but superb Thunderbolt dock.

Even though it is very expensive, this is true for the competing options. Thunderbolt commands a significant price premium vs USB.

Looking at the alternative options, there is nothing that stands out as a better alternative to the Revodok Max 213.

I’d have liked an additional DP/HDMI port to make connecting a 3rd display more convenient but this is achieved easily enough with the USB-C ports.

Apart from that minor gripe, the Ugreen Revodok Max 213 has worked perfectly for the past few weeks I have been using it and is an easy recommendation if you want a premium Thunderbolt dock.

Ugreen Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 4 Dock Review

Summary

The Ugreen Revodok Max 213 is an incredibly expensive but superb Thunderbolt dock. Looking at the alternative options, there is nothing that stands out as a better alternative to the Revodok Max 213.

Overall
90%
90%
  • Overall - 90%
    90%

Pros

  • Superb range of high-speed Thunderbolt/USB ports
  • 2.5GbE
  • 100W power delivery for laptops

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Additional HDMI/DP ports would have been nice

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *