Ugreen Revodok Max 313 Review: A Practical Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station For Pros

Quick Links Pricing and availability Specs What I like What I don’t like Should you buy the Revodok Max 313? There’s a lot to consider when picking out a Thunderbolt … Read more

Taylor Bell

Taylor Bell

Published on May 02, 2024

Ugreen Revodok Max 313 Review: A Practical Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station For Pros

Quick Links

  • Pricing and availability
  • Specs
  • What I like
  • What I don’t like
  • Should you buy the Revodok Max 313?

There’s a lot to consider when picking out a Thunderbolt or USB-C docking station, because it’s easy to end up with a dock that either doesn’t meet your needs or one that is simply overkill. Some people really do need powerful Thunderbolt 4 docking stations carrying price tags in the hundreds of dollars, and for that audience, the Ugreen Revodok Max 313 is a compelling option. It gives you 13 total ports in exchange for one Thunderbolt 4 port, and boasts impressive features like support for three 4K external monitors.

This is the third docking station in Ugreen’s Revodok Max lineup that I’ve tested, but it’s the first that I can comfortably recommend to professionals and business users. There are a lot of Revodok Max 313 features that make it feel like an enterprise product, and they’re subtle. These include a slightly-recessed 3.5mm jack that will be compatible with thicker, professional-grade audio cables and a protruded power button. Beyond these quality-of-life features, this great Thunderbolt dock also has the best front I/O selection of any Revodok Max docking station. Overall, the Revodok Max 313 is a stellar option for real pros, as long as they’re willing to pay a lot for the expansive feature set.

About this review: Ugreen sent me a Revodok Max 313 for review. The company had no input in this article, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Ugreen-Revodok-Max-313

Ugreen Revodok Max 313

13-in-1 Thunderbolt dock

An enterprise-grade Thunderbolt 4 docking station

$290 $400 Save $110

Ugreen’s Revodok Max 313 is a powerful docking station that seems designed for professions, with a sleek and functional appearance. It’s flat, so it can be placed on just about any desk setup or mounted somewhere. More importantly, the Revodok Max has a power button that’s easy to reach and includes a 130W GaN power supply. The 13-in-1 docking station can turn a single Thunderbolt 4 port into a triple-monitor workstation.

Pros

  • Supports a single 8K display or up to three 4K external monitors
  • Offers plenty of ports for peripherals, accessories, and more
  • Excellent port selection on the front of this docking station

Cons

  • Very expensive at full price
  • No DisplayLink support for base-model Apple Silicon Macs
  • Proprietary (and bulky) external power supply

Pricing and availability

Ugreen recently launched the Revodok Max 313 as the latest entrant to the company’s Revodok lineup of USB-C docking stations and hubs. New this time around is triple-monitor support for resolutions of up to 4K each, all with just a single Thunderbolt cable. The Revodok Max 313 retails for $400 at full price, making it the exact same price as the Revodok Max 213. However, it’s heavily discounted at Amazon right now, and is priced at $290 at the time of writing. If you are interested in the Revodok Max 313, we recommend jumping on this deal while you can.

Specs

Ugreen Revodok Max 313
Ports
1x Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps, 15W), 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Gigabit Ethernet, 1x SD & TF 4.0, 1x USB C 3.2 (10Gbps, 18W), 1x USB C 3.2 (10Gbps), 1x USB A 3.2 (10Gbps), 2x USB A 3.0, 1x 3.5mm audio, 1x 140W DC power port

USB Power Delivery
60W

Power supply included
Yes, external

Max display res.
Single 8K or triple 4K

Price
$400

What I like

There is an excellent variety of useful ports on the front

There are numerous docking stations out there that offer a plethora of ports. However, the tricky part about designing a great dock is finding the right mix of ports on the front and back of the device. Of course, there are benefits to both front and rear connectivity. Cables that are connected permanently are best hidden when plugged into the back of a docking station, while front ports are useful for quickly swapping out devices. Ugreen gets everything right in this regard, offering the best front I/O of any dock I’ve tested. There are three USB 3.2 ports (one Type-A port and two Type-C ports), and one of those Type-C ports supports power delivery.

Ugreen gets everything right in this regard, offering the best front I/O of any dock I’ve tested.

There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack, an SD card slot, and a microSD card slot — all on the front of the Revodok Max 313. The only ports you don’t get on the front of the docking station are DisplayPort, HDMI, Thunderbolt 4 and Ethernet, and that’s fine because these ports will likely be populated permanently.

Cables plugged into a Revodok Max on a desk.

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It powers your entire desk setup with one cable

The Revodok Max 313 powering a desk setup.

The reason people are willing to pay upwards of $400 for a dock like the Revodok Max 313 is that it can power an entire desk setup by itself. For my tests, I used one Thunderbolt 4 cable to connect my M2 Mac Mini to a workstation that included a 34-inch ultrawide monitor, peripherals, Ethernet, and more. Creating a setup such as this one means that you can swap in and out computers as needed with just a single cable. For example, I was able to use an M2 MacBook Air with this setup instead of my Mac Mini simply by moving the Thunderbolt cable over.

Essentially, this 13-in-1 docking station is a versatile pick that should fit just about any workflow.

For this workflow, I was able to use a Thunderbolt 4 cable to connect my Mac Mini to the Revodok Max 313, and another Thunderbolt 4 cable to connect the Revodok Max 313 to the ultrawide monitor. There were no HDMI or DisplayPort cables required, which is a perk of going with a Thunderbolt dock instead of a regular USB-C docking station. However, I also tried using both HDMI and DisplayPort connections with a Windows PC, and both worked flawlessly as well. Essentially, this 13-in-1 docking station is a versatile pick that should fit just about any workflow.

1:51

The macOS Home Screen on the Dell UltraSharp 34 Thunderbolt monitor.

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What I don’t like

A few caveats won’t make it perfect for everyone — and it’s expensive

There is one key way that the Revodok Max 313’s one-size-fits-all approach fails, and that is while being used with base-model Apple Silicon Macs. For those unfamiliar, Apple only supports one or two external displays with base-model Macs with an M-series chip. So, my entry-level M2 Mac Mini wouldn’t have been able to power a third external monitor if I connected one to the Revodok Max 313. This is mostly Apple’s problem, but other docking stations in this price range feature DisplayLink support and overcome the hardware limitations.

This is mostly Apple’s problem, but other docking stations in this price range feature DisplayLink support and overcome the hardware limitations.

That’s the biggest compromise that comes with the Revodok Max 313, but there are other minor ones as well. Ugreen includes a bulky external and proprietary power supply on most of its Revodok Max docking station, and it isn’t great. You can’t easily hide the power supply due to its extremely large size. It won’t fit behind most desks with a back panel without the desk being pulled out obnoxiously far away from the wall. I hide all my cables with a power strip mounted under a standing desk, and the Revodok Max 313’s heavy power supply forced me to secure it with janky zipties. In the future, I’d like to see Ugreen offer docks with built-in power supplies or USB-C power input.

An iMac setup from the side view.

Related

This is how DisplayLink virtualizes external displays on base Macs

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Should you buy the Revodok Max 313?

Cables and accessories plugged into the Revodok Max 313.

You should buy the Revodok Max 313 if:

  • You need to connect to three external 4K monitors with a single Thunderbolt 4 port
  • Versatile front I/O connectivity is a priority for you in a docking station
  • You don’t mind spending hundreds on a Thunderbolt docking station for versatility and quality

You should NOT buy the Revodok Max 313 if:

  • You have a base-model Apple Silicon Mac and want to connect to multiple displays
  • You don’t like the bulky and proprietary power supply
  • You aren’t willing to spend as much as $400 on a Thunderbolt 4 dock

This is the second Ugreen Revodok Max docking station I’ve reviewed with a retail price of $400. The last one I tested, the Revodok Max 213, didn’t really offer enough to make it worth that price for most people. Now, the Revodok Max 313 changes the narrative. It’s still expensive, and you probably need to be a professional to justify spending this kind of money on a Thunderbolt 4 dock. However, with an excellent selection of ports, a thin and industrial design, and support for triple monitors, I can definitively recommend the Revodok Max 313 to those who need a docking station in this price range. It checks all the boxes that matter with only a few compromises.

Ugreen-Revodok-Max-313

Ugreen Revodok Max 313

13-in-1 Thunderbolt dock

An enterprise-grade Thunderbolt 4 docking station

$290 $400 Save $110

If you’re a professional looking for a docking station that can keep up with demanding needs, the Ugreen Revodok Max 313 is a great choice. In many ways, it’s a better option for pros than the other Revodok Max docks. If you can stomach the high price tag, you won’t be disappointed.

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