UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station review

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REVIEW – Sometimes, the best product is one you never have to think about. You unbox it, plug it in, and forget it exists. I retired last July and now work as a freelancer for the company I worked at for 23 years. It’s the same job, but without all the corporate nonsense. There’s a story here, I promise. When I left, I bought an M4 Mac Studio to replace the corporate M1 Mac Studio I was using. The Mac has 4 Thunderbolt 5 and 2 USB-C ports. That’s a lot of ports! But unfortunately, it’s still not enough. I have three monitors, six hard drives (all in one SATA enclosure), an external 2TB SSD enclosure (I refuse to pay Apple’s storage prices), a USB amp for my desktop speakers, and not to mention the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station that I’m reviewing here. Now that it’s connected, have I forgotten about it?

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $299.99
Where to buy: UGREEN and Amazon

What is it?

The UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station is just that. It connects many devices via its multi-port connections using a single Thunderbolt 5 port (cable included). No other cables are included. It is an update to the previous Revodok Max Thunderbolt 4 dock.

The case comes with an all-aluminum bronze-colored heatsink that’s vented through its metallic gray all-aluminum outer shell.

There’s a lot of charging tech going on. The Revodok Max can dynamically allocate up to 140W to charge laptops or power multiple devices.

Here’s what you’ll get: 2 USB-A (10Gbps); 2 USB-A (5Gbps); 3 Thunderbolt 5 (connect to peripherals); 1 Thunderbolt 5 (connect to host); Ethernet (2.5Gbps); USB-C (10Gbps); SD and Micro SD (4.0); AUX Audio—for a total of 13 ports.

The ports are also fast. A large 21GB file can be (theoretically) moved in 2 seconds. That makes it ideal for video edits, large multi-gigabit images, or 3D work.

The Revodok Max comes with a power brick that includes a plug. Since it needs external power, it runs faster and can do more than a hub that relies on the host device for power.

What’s included?

UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station
Thunderbolt 5 cable
Power supply cord and brick

Tech specs

Size: 3.77 x 2.36 x 5.88 in.
Weight: 4.4 pounds
Ports:
2 USB-A (10Gbps)
2 USB-A (5Gbps)
3 Thunderbolt 5 (connect to peripherals)
1 Thunderbolt 5 (connect to host)
Ethernet (2.5Gbps)
USB-C (10Gbps)
SD and Micro SD (4.0)
AUX Audio

Design and features

Many docks and hubs one can buy do their job and do it well. Also, many docks and hubs are ugly as sin. Not the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station. It reminds me of a quality piece of stereo gear. Plus, its aluminum chassis says “quality”. It’s heavy and weighted well, with rubber feet on the bottom (vertical) and side (horizontal) for a secure, non-slip placement on a desk.

I admit that many ports on multiport docks are useless to me. For instance, I don’t need SD or Micro SD slots. I don’t need Ethernet—my M4 MacStudio has a fast one built in. I could do with fewer USB-A ports. I prefer USB-C. I don’t need the AUX port; my Mac has one.

Frankly, if the Revodok Max only had USB-C and Thunderbolt 5 ports, I’d be a happy camper. Oh well.

The Revodok Max doesn’t have any display ports except USB-C. It’s missing HDMI and DisplayPort. I know some people might find this a bummer, but I personally wouldn’t use them anyway. So, I’d rather have more Thunderbolt ports instead.

So far, I’ve only used two Thunderbolt 5 ports on my Revodok Max. There’s one left for future use. I first filled up the four Thunderbolt 5 ports on my MacStudio because I trust them more than any external dock, no matter how reliable or fast they might be. The same goes for the USB-C ports. I think it’s better to have them just in case I need them later. By the way, Thunderbolt 5 is backward compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and 3. You can also use the ports as USB-C if you need to, but that’s a bit overkill.

The Revodok Max supports dual 6K@60Hz or a single 8K display (does anyone use 8K?). How many monitors the Revodok Max will power depends on which OS is being used, refresh rate, and what type of chip the computer runs on. It’s complicated. I don’t mind, because my 3 monitors (2-4K and 1-2.5K) are connected directly to the MacStudio. However, if I needed the ports, I could run any two of the monitors from my M4 Mac via the Revodok Max.

I understand that many people will use the ports I ignore. It’s a matter of need. My new Mac has the important ones, so I can bypass the redundant ones (to me) on the Revodok Max.

The two Thunderbolt 5 ports I use are for my 6 hard drives in a SATA enclosure and my 2TB Thunderbolt 5 SSD enclosure. The SATA enclosure has different speeds depending on which hard drive I’m using. Some of the drives are old, some newer. All are much slower than the SSD enclosure I use. The SSD enclosure needs to be full speed because it’s a working drive, not for storage. That’s what traditional hard drives are for (I keep everything). Oh, and I always back up all my drives online in case of a disaster—thanks, BackBlaze!

I haven’t noticed any difference in speed between using the internal 1GB MacStudio drive and the 2TB SSD connected through the Revodok Max’s Thunderbolt 5 port. I don’t test hard drives by timing them, as there are plenty of websites that do that. I prefer to go by my own experience. If I can’t feel a drive being slower or faster, then I don’t really care.

The UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station is just what I need right now. It lets me focus on the things that matter and ignore the rest.

Final thoughts

I’ve been using the Revodok Max for about a month now. I plugged it in the day I got it and haven’t touched it since. I know it’s pricey, but Thunderbolt 5 tech is complicated. Additionally, speed comes at a price, and the Revodok Max is all about achieving maximum speed.

What I like about the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 13-in-1 Docking Station

It’s as fast as it can be.
Thunderbolt 5 ports are the latest tech for future-proofing.
The aluminum heatsink keeps things cool.
Multi-port variations.

What needs to be improved?

Expensive.
I wish Ugreen made a dock with more Thunderbolt ports with fewer dated USB ports and no SD or Ethernet slots, but that’s me.

Price: $299.99
Where to buy: UGREEN and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Ugreen. Ugreen did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.