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Affordable TB5 Dock Arrives: Is It Worth It?
30 May
Summary
- New dock offers Thunderbolt 5 connectivity at an accessible price point.
- Features dual 8K display support and up to 100W laptop charging.
- Requires a Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 port to achieve full performance.
The UGREEN Maxidok 10-in-1 dock is now available, offering Thunderbolt 5 connectivity at a more accessible price point of $250. This compact, aluminum-built dock is designed to enhance laptops and mini PCs with limited ports, providing 100W charging and dual display support up to 8K on Windows or 6K on macOS.
Its headline feature, Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth, promises speeds up to 120Gbps. However, this advanced capability is only fully accessible to users with a Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 v2 port. Those using Thunderbolt 4 machines will experience speeds limited to 40 Gbps, making the dock a forward-looking investment.
The dock includes two Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, a DisplayPort 2.1 output, and a 1GbE LAN port. Notably, it omits an audio jack and a front-facing USB-C port, featuring three USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports instead. Despite these omissions, its build quality and passive cooling system are praised.
At its current pricing, the Maxidok 10-in-1 positions itself as an entry point into Thunderbolt 5 docking. While it offers genuine TB5 bandwidth below premium competitors, its value proposition hinges on the user's existing or planned hardware upgrades to leverage its full capabilities.
