UGREEN Revodok Max 213 review: The only Thunderbolt 4 docking station you'll ever need

UGREEN is launching more products than Xiaomi these days, and the Chinese accessory maker is aggressively branching out into new categories. It debuted a 13-in-1 docking station at the start of 2023, and it had plenty to offer — dual HDMI ports, 100W PD charging, and all the USB ports you need.

UGREEN is building on that with the introduction of the Revodok Max 213. The key addition here is the introduction of Thunderbolt 4, and that makes the docking station much more versatile. It also has a metallic chassis that looks much better, and you get even more ports. Thunderbolt 4 connectivity gives you a usable bandwidth of 40Gbps, and the dock is able to drive dual 4K monitors at 60Hz or a single 8K monitor.

Retailing for $399, the Revodok Max 213 is one of the costlier options in this category, but it isn't short on features.

UGREEN Revodok Max 213: Pricing and release date

UGREEN launched the Revodok Max 213 back in December 2023, and the docking station is now available globally. It retails for $399 on Amazon as well as UGREEN's website, and the brand is offering a 20% discount when you use the code dl25054, bringing the price down to a much more reasonable $319.

UGREEN Revodok Max 213: Design

The Revodok Max 213 has the same design as other UGREEN products, so you get a matte grey chassis that doesn't grab too much attention. The design is understated, and the clean lines make it look much more elegant than the plastic-clad Revodok Pro 13-in-1 docking station. 

But the best feature is that the docking station can be used vertically or horizontally; there are rubber feet at the bottom and on one side, and it makes the Revodok Max 213 that much more versatile. It also ensures that the dock doesn't move around in either orientation.

I also like that there's a power button — just like the Revodok Pro — and this makes it easy to switch off power to connected devices in one go. There's Thunderbolt branding on the side, and the docking station uses a slotted design to deliver passive airflow. Overheating isn't an issue whatsoever, and UGREEN did all the right things on the design front.

UGREEN Revodok Max 213: Connectivity

There's a lot on offer with the Revodok Max 213, so let's start with the Thunderbolt ports. You get an upstream Thunderbolt 4 port with 40Gbps bandwidth that also has 90W USB PD charging, so you can connect a notebook and charge it at the same time. The dock has two downstream Thunderbolt ports — which utilize the combined 40Gbps throughput — and you can daisy-chain these ports to connect up to six devices in total.

There's a DisplayPort 1.4 port that goes up to 8K at 30Hz or 4K at 60Hz. I would have liked an HDMI port, but you don't get one here — you'll have to make do with the Thunderbolt and DisplayPort connectors. What you get instead is a 2.5GbE Ethernet port, and if you have a multi-Gigabit internet connection, you can take advantage of that.

UGREEN bundles two USB-A 3.0 ports at the back, and these go up to 5Gbps each. There are two USB-A ports at the front as well, but they utilize the USB 3.2 standard and go up to 10Gbps. Rounding out the USB ports, there's a single USB-C connector up front that has 10Gbps bandwidth and charges at up to 20W. In addition to USB connectivity, you get an SD card reader, MicroSD card reader, and 3.5mm jack.

The Revodok Max 213 is powered via a 180W brick, and this is where UGREEN's proficiency with GaN chargers comes in handy — the charging brick is significantly smaller than what you get with any other dock.

UGREEN Revodok Max 213: Performance

The Revodok Max 213 utilizes the full bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4, and I didn't see any issues whatsoever when connected to a Windows machine with Thunderbolt connectivity. It did a terrific job transferring data and driving a 4K monitor, and while I didn't need to use the charging potential of the dock as much, the USB PD 90W charging claims hold up in real-world use.

The only caveat is that the dock won't be able to drive an 8K monitor if you're using a MacBook with the M1/M2/M3 silicon. There's no limitation with Windows, and the dock is able to drive an 8K monitor over Thunderbolt 4 or DisplayPort without any hassle. I don't have an 8K monitor at hand, but I didn't see any problems using the dock with a 4K monitor.

If you need to charge via the other ports, the Thunderbolt 4 ports go up to 15W each, and the USB-A ports at the back have the ability to charge devices at up to 7.5W. The only downside is that you get just a single USB-C port — located at the front — and I think UGREEN should have added at least one more. That said, the USB-C port also leverages USB PD tech and goes up to 20W, and I was easily able to charge devices like the Pixel 8 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

UGREEN Revodok Max 213: The competition

The CalDigit TS4 continues to be one of the best Thunderbolt 4 docking stations, offering 18 ports in total. You get more USB-A and USB-C ports, 2.5GbE connectivity, and it charges at up to 98W. It costs the same as the Revodok Max 213, and it is a good overall option to consider.

UGREEN Revodok Max 213: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if:

• You want a dock that looks good and is built to last
• You need plenty of Thunderbolt 4 ports
• You need a dock that charges at 90W

You shouldn't buy this if:

• You need a dock with HDMI connectivity
• You want the best value
• You need more than one USB-C port

The Revodok Max 213 looks better than just about any other dock today, and while that isn't a consideration, it's clear that UGREEN put a lot of thought into the design. There are zero issues with the build quality as well, and the metal chassis means the docking station is guaranteed to last.

While I would have liked some more USB-C ports and HDMI connectivity, the Revodok Max 213 has a decent set of ports in general, and if you have a Thunderbolt-enabled notebook, it has plenty to offer. You even get 90W charging out of the upstream Thunderbolt port, and that negates the need to connect any other cable to your notebook.

You're not getting the best value here, but if you need a high-quality Thunderbolt 4 dock that does a terrific job in daily use, you can't go wrong with the Revodok Max 213.