The Baseus UnionJoy Professional 17-Port 4-Display screen Multifunctional HUB Docking Station (sure, that’s its identify) is a chief instance of high quality current outdoors of bigger manufacturers like Plugable or Anker. To many, Baseus may not be instantly synonymous with high quality docking stations and hubs, however that might be set to alter.
The UnionJoy Professional is an effective way to spearhead that effort, providing plentiful ports and a large supply of energy in a classy chassis. Good for each Home windows laptops and MacBooks, the UnionJoy Professional is a formidable docking station with a lot to supply. However is it one of many greatest docking stations available on the market at present? Let’s discover out.
Baseus UnionJoy Professional Docking Station value and availability
Slicing proper to the chase, the Baseus UnionJoy Professional 17-Port 4-Display screen Mult— oh neglect it, Baseus’ dock is out there immediately from the Baseus web site for $199.99.
If we have a look at docks throughout the similar value vary, we’ve the UGreen’s $199 UGreen 9-in-1 USB-C Docking Station and the $199 Plugable Twin HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD) as contenders.
Whereas all three docks have their very own sturdy factors, Baseus’ dock comes out on high for port choice, which permits for a better variety of gadgets and shows to be linked at anybody time. Then again, Plugable’s UD-4VPD comes out on high for velocity and efficiency, primarily as a consequence of its USB4 compatibility.
Baseus’ dock trades outright efficiency for versatility, and it typically holds up, making its $200 price ticket a good one by most requirements.
Baseus UnionJoy Professional Docking Station design
The Baseus UnionJoy Professional is genuinely eye-catching, mixing curved edges with flat back and front panels for a supremely trendy look and vibe. There’s a way of favor that’s onerous to pin down, Baseus’ dock would look equally at dwelling on the desk of an govt — elegantly perched on a mahogany floor as a Newton’s Cradle click-clacks away close by.
Sadly, I’m not that subtle, although the UnionJoy Professional’s aluminum casing nonetheless seemed fairly rattling good on my low cost faux-oak desk subsequent to a dangerously decrepit Microsoft Floor Laptop computer Go 2. It actually helped elevate the appear and feel of my workspace, you understand? Simply being round it made me wish to over-annunciate, begin carrying smoking jackets, and develop a pencil mustache — it’s elegant!
Even the halo of blue mild that encircles the UnionJoy Professional’s grooved energy button feels good and stylish. It’s extra minuscule monolith than machine, majestically managing a mishmash of moorings by your mandate. That was fairly spectacular, wasn’t it? You don’t see that in a docking station evaluate fairly often.
For a dock that manages to cram 17 ports into its body, it is also impressively trim measuring 5.83 x 3.46 x 1.93 inches in dimension. That’s corresponding to the fairly slim CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 (5.55 x 4.46 x 1.65 inches), however each dwarf compared to different docks that provide fewer ports in each vertical and horizontal footprint.
That will point out which you could place the Baseus UnionJoy Professional on its facet, however its affixed legs might be left poking out and an absence of any rubber grips will depart it skating round your desktop on its stomach such as you’ve simply sucker-punched a cyclopean penguin.
Baseus UnionJoy Professional Docking Station ports and connectivity
The UnionJoy Professional’s 17-port declare is considerably deceptive, on condition that a kind of ports will hook up with the 130W energy provide and one other to the host machine by way of USB-C. Nonetheless, that is par for the course with nearly all trendy docking stations, so I can’t precisely fault Baseus for following the business requirements — even when it’s a little deceptive. Fortunately, the remaining 15 ports are completely nothing to scoff at.
The entrance of the dock (past its energy button) options:
- 3 x Kind-A USB 3.0 (5Gbps) ports
- 1 x Kind-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps, 20W Energy Supply)
- 1 x Kind-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps, Information solely)
- 1 x SD Card reader
- 1 x MicroSD Card reader
- 1 x 3.5mm audio out jack
Spinning the dock round, the UnionJoy Professional’s port choices proceed with:
- (Host) 1 x Kind-C USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps, as much as 100W of Energy Supply)
- (Energy) 1 x DC-in (20V, 6.5A)
- 2 x Kind-A USB 2.0 (480Mbps)
- 2 x HDMI 2.0 (helps shows as much as 4K @ 60Hz)
- 1 x VGA (helps shows as much as 1080p @ 60Hz)
- 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 (helps shows as much as 8K @ 30Hz)
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
Apart from the UnionJoy Professional’s determination to go together with an audio out as a substitute of a combined audio combo 3.5mm jack (leaving wired headset customers in a fluster), there aren’t any main gripes available with port choices. Whereas slower, the variability is first rate — with a strong quantity of legacy USB help for peripherals.
Baseus UnionJoy Professional Docking Station efficiency
Baseus’ docking station requires a easy plug-and-play setup that may get to work straight away with out putting in software program or downloading drivers. Join it to an obtainable USB-C/USB4/Thunderbolt port, and also you’ll have rapid entry to all 15 of the docking stations remaining ports with out trouble.
I took Baseus’ dock for a week-long UnionJoyride and might fortunately report that it will not crumble like a poorly made pie crust beneath stress. Every of the ports have been readily accessible when wanted, and every thing functioned completely and as marketed.
My typical setup consists of a 39W laptop computer, a wi-fi keyboard and mouse, an exterior mic, an exterior 4K show, and an iPad I exploit to satiate the wants of my lizard mind for quickfire YouTube Shorts content material — the UnionJoy Professional powered by all of it.
By means of VGA, HDMI, or DisplayPort connections, exterior shows run easily with none lag or stuttering hiccups — even whereas the dock is operating at close to full capability.
Whereas the UnionJoy Professional is able to operating as much as 4 shows without delay (with three in 4K @ 60Hz and one in 1080p @ 60Hz), I needed to accept two at most in 4K. Not due to the restrictions of Baseus’ machine, however extra because of the reality I’m not filthy wealthy — and that my ramshackle desk would seemingly collapse beneath the load of all 16 of these Ok’s.
Unsurprisingly, in a lot the identical method the UnionJoy Professional dealt with one show, Baseus’ dock didn’t break a sweat when juggling two. It additionally didn’t endure from a lot thermal build-up whereas beneath heavy load. Even after a protracted day, the UnionJoy Professional silently chugged alongside with out inflicting any fuss, or with out turning right into a 1.3 pound chunk of thermite able to scorch its method by each floor under it like Xenomorph ichor.
Talking of, I linked a extra highly effective laptop computer to the UnionJoy Professional to see the way it dealt with a bigger energy draw whereas gaming. I received knee-deep in shell casings and acid blood throughout just a few hours of Aliens: Darkish Descent, and whereas this laptop computer is tailor-made for a 140W cost, the UnionJoy Professional’s 100W of Energy Supply adequately stored issues flowing with out a hitch.
Nonetheless, admittedly, extra commanding, power-hungry configurations (Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070+, AMD Radeon RX 6800M+) will start to wrestle with retaining issues topped up with simply 100W of juice at hand.
Backside line
The Baseus UnionJoy Professional 17-Port 4-Display screen Multifunctional HUB Docking Station received’t simply snatch your breath away making an attempt to recite its identify, it’ll additionally impress with its energy provide and port enlargement — all obtainable at an inexpensive value.
It received’t rival the speeds of Thunderbolt docks, however its versatility is plain. Should you’ve received loads of peripherals pursuing a spot to plug into and are perpetually pained by a poverty of ports then choose… Nope. Ran out of P’s. It’s a terrific dock, be at liberty to test it out additional.
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