UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 4 13-in-1 Docking Station review: Loud, proud, and costly

Modern laptops are more powerful, refined, and capable than ever before, but the pursuit of ever lighter and thinner devices means many Windows laptops rely entirely on USB Type-C ports for input/output. These multipurpose ports can do it all but often need help to do it. That's where a trustworthy Thunderbolt 4 dock comes in — you can take full advantage of USB Type-C to expand your laptop with external monitors, storage devices, accessories, and other peripherals.

The UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Docking Station is just one of many options, but it's a good one to choose. This expensive Thunderbolt 4 docking station boasts plenty of ports and solid performance, and while it is massive in comparison to other docks, that size means reassuring durability and excellent thermal management. You'll also have to pay a lot to add this docking station to your desk, enough that I'd argue UGREEN perhaps was a little too ambitious with the price tag.

Still, the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 is capable and reliable, and that'll be enough for plenty of people.

Revodok Max 213 review: Pricing and specifications

Pricing highlights

• The UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Docking Station retails for $399.99 at Amazon, making it one of the more expensive Thunderbolt 4 docks.
• This is a 13-in-1 docking station with a good variety of ports, although there are similarly priced docking stations with more.
• The Revodok Max 213 also supports up to 90W passthrough charging, with a 180W charger supplying power for the entire dock.

The UGREEN Revodok Max 213 is a 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 docking station, although "13" is a bit of a misnomer. There are actually 12 ports here, with the thirteenth being the Thunderbolt 4 port you connect directly to your laptop. Of course, this is also a powered docking station, with a 180W adapter feeding power to all the individual ports and diverting up to half to charge your device.

You can pick up the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station for $399.99 at Amazon, which immediately makes it one of the more expensive options in the category. You can get solid Thunderbolt docking stations for as little as $200, and UGREEN is competing with acclaimed brands like CalDigit in the $400 price range.

In the box, you get the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 docking station, a 3ft USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 cable, and a 180W DC charging cable with an external power supply.

UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 4 13-in-1 Docking Station | $399.99 at Amazon

If you need an all-in-one solution for multiple monitors and tons of accessories, the Revodok Max 213 is a capable Thunderbolt 4 docking station that can also take a beating. It's expensive, though.

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Revodok Max 213 review: The good

The pros highlights

• The UGREEN Revodok Max 213 features a diverse array of ports, making this a versatile docking station.
• It's also compatible with lots of devices, even those that won't be able to take full advantage of the docking station.
• The Revodok Max 213 is constructed of high-quality aluminum and feels very reliable, and can sit vertically or horizontally on its own.

The first thing you notice about UGREEN's Revodok Max 213 is its imposing size. This is a hulking chunk of aluminum, and you're not likely to miss it squatting on a desk or tabletop. It's large in every dimension and quite heavy, too, but that at least reassures you that this docking station can take a beating. The build quality is great, and I've no doubt the Revodok Max 213 will keep on ticking for years of regular usage.

I'm doubly confident because this docking station also does a great job of staying cool. The roomy metal chassis and UGREEN's cooling solutions (like the dual-sided vents) are clearly taking their jobs seriously. Even if you're attempting to push this docking station to its utmost limits, you shouldn't encounter any major issues. Speaking of limits, let's talk about the Revodok Max 213's ports, which are numerous (but not ridiculously so).

You'll gain 12 additional ports by plugging your laptop into this UGREEN docking station, including Ethernet, four USB Type-A ports, three more USB Type-C ports, DisplayPort, and even specialist ports like a TF card slot. There's one obvious omission here that I'll discuss later, but for the most part, all the bases are covered. This is a powered docking station, too, which means you don't have to worry about power draw affecting the performance of your peripherals (external SSDs, in particular, come to mind).

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180W of power feeds into the Revodok Max 213, and up to 90W of that is dedicated to charging your laptop. The front-facing USB Type-C port boasts up to 20W Power Delivery, the rear Thunderbolt 4 ports support up to 15W each, and the remaining 40W of available power is divided between the docking station itself and the various other ports (the USB Type-A ports are 2.5W, for example). It's exactly what you want to see from a docking station.

Performance-wise, the Revodok Max 213 is reliable. It supports up to dual 4K displays at 60Hz through either Thunderbolt or DisplayPort, and all the ports work exactly as I expected them to, although you can understandably find weaknesses if you look for them. One Thunderbolt 4 port only has so much bandwidth, so you can't exactly expect to run two external monitors and a bunch of accessories and still get the full bandwidth from two additional Thunderbolt 4 ports.

I trusted this docking station to work whenever I needed it, though, and you can quickly and easily turn it off via a simple power button whenever you're done. There's also great cross-gen USB Type-C compatibility here, as the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 also works with Thunderbolt 3, USB4, and even standard USB Type-C ports on devices like iPads. You may be limited in certain ways depending on the bandwidth and capabilities of your device (iPads and older Macs will only support single external displays, for example), but it's good to have options.

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Revodok Max 213 review: The bad

The cons highlights

• This docking station is undeniably large and heavy and will take up a lot of space in your setup.
• There's also a lack of HDMI ports, which only helps to highlight that this docking station is limited to two external monitors.
• Finally, the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 is expensive, and its overall performance may not be quite as good as its biggest competition.

I can rely on the UGREEN Revodok Max 213, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. For example, that durable metal design also takes up a lot of space on your desk, and the tiny rubber feet aren't quite grippy enough to totally keep this heavy docking station from sliding around a little. On top of that, the lack of an HDMI port is an obvious miss, even if there is DisplayPort and two Thunderbolt 4 ports to handle external monitor duties.

Speaking of external monitors, this docking station maxes out at two displays. Yes, those are 4K displays at 60Hz, but there are other docks that can support up to three displays at lower resolutions or refresh rates. Other docking stations may perform slightly better, too, as the Revodok Max 213 performs well in line with Thunderbolt 4 expectations for external display stability, storage transfer speeds, and other tasks... but sometimes falls on the lower end of that spectrum. For example, I never quite reached the promised 90W of charging with the laptops I tested.

None of these criticisms would hold much water if the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Docking Station wasn't so expensive. $400 is a steep price tag, and at that point, you could just as easily pick up the tried-and-true CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 18-in-1 Docking Station for $399.99 at Amazon... and I struggle to think of a reason why you shouldn't.

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Revodok Max 213 review: Final thoughts

You should buy this if ...

✅You want an all-in-one docking station for your laptop

The UGREEN Revodok Max 213 is perfect for those who want to transform their laptop into a complete desktop setup whenever they sit down in their office, with enough ports and performance for multiple displays, expanded storage, and all the peripherals you could need.

✅You prefer a larger, heavier dock

This is the kind of docking station that's meant to live on a desk, and if you'd prefer a larger and heavier design for the added reassurance of longevity and durability, then the Revodok Max 213 may be right up your alley.

You should not buy this if ...

❌You don't want to spend $400 on a docking station

You can obtain a great overall Thunderbolt 4 docking station for as little as $200 nowadays, so not everyone needs to spend so much to get one that fits their needs. Even if you do, there are other compelling options at this price point with a proven track record.

I can absolutely recommend the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station, as it fulfills all the duties I expect from a competent docking station and does so reliably. However, I likely wouldn't purchase this docking station for myself, and there are reasons why you shouldn't either. Mostly, it's about the price. You can pick up the CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station for $399.99 at Amazon — That's the same price as the Revodok Max 213, but you'd get more ports, a more compact design, and CalDigit's excellent pedigree of quality.

Or you could spend a lot less. The OWC Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station is just $249.99 at Amazon, and you're still getting an 11-in-1 docking station with dual 5K display support. Do you even need a true Thunderbolt docking station? Maybe something like the UGREEN Revodok Pro 313 Docking Station still meets your requirements for just $129.99 at Amazon, and it supports triple external monitors.

The point I'm trying to make is that you have plenty of options here. The Revodok Max 213 is a great Thunderbolt 4 docking station that I'd trust to carry my workload on its (very large) bag, and I have extra faith in it lasting for years because of that aforementioned size and its excellent thermal management. On the other hand, you can't ignore that price tag or look at this docking station in a vacuum. For $399.99 at Amazon, the UGREEN Revodok Max 213 is one of the best docking stations you can buy, but it's far from the only one in the running.

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