Docking stations are helpful for a ton of reasons. For starters, they can make it easier to quickly and easily connect to all your usual devices, allowing you to simply plug your laptop in with one port, and have your display, webcam, and other peripherals all easily connect. That, in turn, can make for a much cleaner desk. Ugreen’s newest take on the concept is the new Ugreen USB-C Triple Display Docking Station.
This docking station connects to your laptop with a single USB-C cable, and gives you access to a hefty 13 ports and connectors. It’s a great way to expand your laptops connectivity, all while keeping it charged up.
The USB-C Triple Display Docking Station is a great option — but there are some caveats. Here are my thoughts.
Pros
- Great design
- Good port selection
- Supports three monitors
- Compact
Cons
- Expensive
Ugreen USB-C Triple Display Docking Station design
Ugreen has been establishing itself as a maker of accessories that look good and offer a great build quality, and there’s a lot to like about the design of the Ugreen USB-C Triple Display Docking Station. It comes in the same gray metallic look of many of its other accessories, and should look great on any desk.
On the front, you’ll get a few easy-access ports. You’ll get one USB-A port and one USB-C port (both of which are USB 3.1), an SD card slot, a MicroSD card slot, and a headphone jack. These are ports that you might want access to on the day-to-day, so it’s nice to see them with easy access — though an extra USB-C port might have been nice.
The back, of course, is where most of the magic happens. You’ll get two more USB-C ports, though they one of them connects to your laptop, and the other offers power delivery of up to 100W. You’ll also get two USB-A 3.0 ports. And, there’s a DisplayPort, two HDMI ports, and an ethernet port. It’s a good selection, and should be enough for most users — though again, more USB-C is always better.
On the top is a button, which allows you to easily turn the docking station on and off.
M2 Mac support
While new customers who purchase the docking station will get one that supports M2 Macs, existing customers may find that their dock doesn’t work with their new dock, if they have an M2 Mac. That’s actually what happened to me, and I was shipped a new one with updated firmware.
Ugreen says that it will be releasing a video showing customers how to update the firmware of the dock themselves, so they’ll be able to use it with their M2 Mac without having to purchase a new docking station.
USB vs Thunderbolt
Now, it’s important to note a few things about this docking station — namely, the fact that it connects to your laptop through USB 3.1, and not Thunderbolt 4 or USB 4.0. That’s not necessarily a huge issue for many customers, but it does mean that you’ll be limited to 4K displays at 60Hz, or 8K displays at 30Hz. Don’t expect to get the ultra-fast 120Hz refresh rates with this docking station.
With three displays connected, you can connect one 4K display at 60Hz through one HDMI port, one 8K display at 30Hz through the second HDMI port, and 4K display at 60Hz through the DisplayPort.
All that means that this is probably not the best solution for gamers, who want the super-fast speeds. Instead, it’s built for a productivity workflow, where high refresh rates aren’t necessarily as important. Considering the fact that I really only game on consoles, it’s perfectly fine for my needs.
Conclusions
There’s a lot to like about the Ugreen USB-C Triple Display Docking Station. It’s well-designed, offers a solid port selection, and should work great for anyone who’s productivity-focused and who wants a docking station that can pull everything together.
There is one downside to the docking station though. The price — at $330, it’s actually more in competition with more capable Thunderbolt 4 docks and Plugable’s cheaper USB-C dock. It is, however, often on sale — and if you can afford it and it fits your needs, you won’t be disappointed with it.
The competition
Perhaps the biggest competition comes from the Plugable USB-C docking station. I much prefer the design of the Ugreen device, plus it has more USB-C ports. But the Plugable option is a little cheaper, and it lets you choose between HDMI and DisplayPort for each monitor. Ultimately, if you can stretch to the price of the Ugreen USB-C Triple Docking Station and are happy with the display port selection, I think it’s a better buy.
Should I buy the Ugreen USB-C Triple Display Docking Station?
Yes. It’s expensive, but it’s a great docking station.
