Expert’s Rating
Pros
- 4x Thunderbolt 4
- 3x 10Gbps USB-A
- 85W PD
- Gigabit Ethernet
- 140W total power
Cons
- Some monitors may require adapters
- No card reader
- No device charging from USB-A ports
Our Verdict
At first sight, the Ugreen Revodok Max 208 looks underpowered for a full 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 a bunch of older devices or memory sticks, and built-in Ethernet useful for direct network connections.
Best Prices Today: Ugreen Revodok Max 208 Thunderbolt 4 Dock
$279.99
The Ugreen Revodok Max 208 calls itself a docking station but could be better described as a Thunderbolt 4 hub with added Ethernet—or maybe a Thunderbolt mini dock.
It will certainly function well as a flexible dock but it’s closer in nature to many of the hubs we have tested and reviewed but with one key difference: the ability to hook your laptop up to a wired network without the need for an adapter. See our roundup of the best Thunderbolt docking stations and Macworld’s best docks for Mac for alternatives, and we explore options later in this review.
As its other ports are all USB or Thunderbolt, when you connect an external display you will need an adapter if the monitor doesn’t support a straight USB-C connection.
Specs and features
The Ugreen Revodok Max 208 has 8 ports—not a lot for something calling itself a full-blown docking station but still surprisingly flexible.
- Upstream Thunderbolt 4 port (40Gbps, 85W)
- Three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps, 15W)
- Three USB-A ports (10Gbps)
- Gigabit Ethernet
- 140W power supply
Eight ports is not a lot for a docking station but a lot for a Thunderbolt 4 hub. It may well be enough for many users, however, as those three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports are fast, powerful and flexible.
A Thunderbolt 4 port offers fast-data transfer, 15W of power delivery and can be used to connect directly to USB-C monitors, storage devices and adapters for just about everything else, and can daisy-chain Thunderbolt 4 devices.
You can use up to two of these Thunderbolt 4 ports to attach external displays.
Your options are two 4K display 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 off a Mac-connected dock.
Plain M1 and M2 Macs (those without a Pro or Max processor) are limited to just one external display, although there are workarounds using third-party DisplayLink software: read our advice on how to connect two or more displays to an M1 or M2 Mac.
At the front of the dock are three fast (10Gbps) USB-A ports for older device connections, memory sticks and maybe a mouse and keyboard if you don’t have wireless input devices or use the laptop’s keyboard and trackpad.
These USB ports don’t have any charging ability, so storage devices will require their own power supply as none will be output from the dock itself, unlike with the 15W Thunderbolt ports.
This hub/dock’s special feature is the Gigabit Ethernet port. We haven’t seen this on any Thunderbolt hub, although it’s a mainstay on docking stations. If you want the speediest network speeds, a wired network is nearly always faster and definitely more stable than relying on Wi-Fi.
As a dock it looks light on other features, however, such as a card reader for adding affordable portable storage, and an audio jack for speakers, headphones or a microphone.
Lacking these might turn you away from the Revodok Max 208, but if you have no need, then why pay for them?
Many of us have wireless speakers and earbuds, and use the laptop’s webcam as a mic. If your laptop’s storage is fine for you or you will be 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 of aluminum with a pleated area, the Revodok Max 208 should keep cool.
The Thunderbolt ports are ranged along the back of the dock with the Ethernet port. At the front, you’ll have easy access to the three USB-A ports and the power button.
We like the dock’s power button, which makes it simple to stop powering your connected laptop all day and night without having to pull out the Thunderbolt connection when you’ll be away from it for a decent duration.
Price
At $279.99, the Ugreen Revodok Max 208 isn’t as cheap as a Thunderbolt 4 hub, which start at around $150 but lack the Ethernet port.
Alternative thunderbolt docks and hubs
The best comparison and closest in specs is the $199 Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub, which boasts four TB4 and four of 10Gbps USB-A ports—one more USB-A than the $279 Ugreen. You could add an Ethernet adapter to the Element Hub’s extra USB-A port for under $20—for example, using Ugreen’s own USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.
Where the Revodok Max 208 beats the Element Hub is on power to the laptop. While the Caldigit has a similar overall power supply, it can charge the host laptop at only 60W, compared to the Revodok’s 85W that is closer to what a 14-inch or larger laptop would require.
As such, we’d recommend the Revodok Mac 208 over the Caldigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub if your laptop is 14 inches or larger. Otherwise, save some cash and add an Ethernet adapter to the Caldigit if you desire wired Internet.
At the same $199 price tag as the Caldigit are the Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 4 Core Hub and Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Slim Hub Pro, both of which have the same four TB4 ports but just one 10Gbps USB-A, and offer 96W of power to the laptop, so better choices for a 16-inch or larger laptop. If you don’t need lots of USB-A ports these are good options, although it’s still difficult to see past 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 too loses out to the Ugreen in terms of power to the laptop (60W vs 85W).
As it calls itself a docking station, we really should compare it to a rival Thunderbolt 4 dock, and here the Kensington SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station offers a compelling alternative. It too has four TB4 and three 10Gbps USB-A ports, but also an extra 7.5W but slow 480Mbps USB-A port, Gigabit Ethernet, a fast UHS-II SD card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It also has a beefier 180W power supply and can channel 90W of that to the laptop.
The SD5700T has a much higher $350 retail price but can often be found selling for $299 and sometimes for less than $200 on line. Check our Kensington SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station review for the best prices.
Verdict
At first sight, the Ugreen Revodok Max 208 looks underpowered for a full 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 a bunch of older devices or memory sticks, and built-in Ethernet is useful for direct network connections.
If you can find the Kensington SD5700T cheaper, we’d recommend that fuller docking station, but as a super Thunderbolt 4 hub or mini dock the Revodok Max 208 offers multi-port flexibility.
