I like Dockcase's products; they have a distinct design, good connectivity options, and unique attributes — mostly revolving around the large screen that's baked into all of the brand's hubs and docking stations. The brand's recent Smart MagSafe M.2 SSD Enclosure built on this unique design and included an M.2 2230/2242 that can be easily connected to your phone, and I put it to good use with the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Vivo X200 Pro.
Dockcase is now integrating the M.2 SSD connectivity into its USB-C hubs with the Smart USB-C Hub 7-in-1 with M.2 SSD Enclosure. As the name suggests, the 7.-in-1 hub has a built-in M.2 slot, so you can easily add an SSD to the hub and increase its versatility. I like this idea as it makes a regular USB-C hub that much more versatile, and if you like what you're seeing, you can get your hands on the dock for $129 while it's being crowdfunded at Kickstarter.
While I'm wary of recommending crowdfunded projects, Dockcase has a proven history of delivering products, and it uses Kickstarter as a way to gauge demand before starting production, so there shouldn't be any inherent risk in this regard. Also, the hub will cost $179 once it goes on sale at Dockcase's website, so you're essentially saving $50 this way.
Anyway, let's start with the design. The Smart USB-C Hub 7-in-1 has the same design as other Dockcase products, so you get a black rectangular chassis made out of aluminum with a matte texture, and a large screen dominating the top. Build quality is among the best of any USB-C hub I used, and while it is a bit bigger than most hubs, it still has decent portability.
Where the hub stands out is the inclusion of the M.2 slot. It's housed within the enclosure, and you can easily slot in any standard M.2 2230 or M.2 2242 SSD in the dock, and it takes drives up to 2TB. Dockcase bundled a 128GB SK Hynix white-label SSD so I can test the hub, but I switched it out with Corsair's MP600 Mini, and it held up just as well.
What I like about the hub is that there's a small fan built into the enclosure, and it does a great job managing the thermals of the M.2 drive. The bottom of the hub is ventilated to allow hot air to exit the chassis, and I didn't see any issues with the drive or the enclosure getting too hot.
Coming to connectivity, you get a USB-C port, USB-A connector, SD card reader, HDMI port, TF card reader, and a secondary USB-C connector that can be used to charge PD devices at up to 100W. The seventh port is used to connect the hub to a Windows or macOS machine via USB-C.
The built-in screen has a touch interface, and you can easily see all devices plugged into the hub and change settings. It shows the status of the built-in SSD — including real-time transfers and storage left — and you can also view PD charging info. There's the ability to adjust the speed of the fan; it's on auto out of the box, but you can set it up to always be at 70% to 100% via the settings. The fan makes an audible noise, but it doesn't get too loud.
Overall, the Smart USB-C Hub 7-in-1 with M.2 SSD Enclosure does a good job as a USB-C hub, and the built-in M.2 slot makes it easy to add an SSD to the hub. It is a good option if you want to extend USB ports alongside the storage of your notebook (or phone) via a unified device, and at $129, it is a decent value.
