We've seen the need for USB docks and hubs grow drastically over the last decade as devices embrace the Type-C port instead of a variety of dedicated ports. Dockcase is one company that's trying to make USB-C hubs that stand out from the rest, and it's doing so by including a screen on many of its products. To date, many of the Dockcase accessories we've reviewed have fallen short in one way or another. That changes with the Dockcase Studio, which has a level of polish we haven't really seen from a Dockcase hub yet. It's still launching as a Kickstarter project, and has a high MSRP of $199. But there's a lot to like about the Dockcase Studio, especially if you're a creator working with photos and videos.

Starting with the basics, the Dockcase Studio is an 8-in-1 USB-C hub with a focus on creative workflows. This adapter includes CFExpress Type A, CFExpress Type B, SD, and TF card readers — making it compatible with flash storage used in all kinds of camera equipment. It's a photographer or videographer's dream to have all those slots in one USB-C hub. However, it's the touchscreen and the insight it provides that might make the Dockcase Studio worth buying despite its high price tag. This hub can tell you the temperature of your card slots, the model of your monitor, and your power delivery speeds at a glance.

Now that the state of USB is a mess, there's more reason than ever to have a dock or hub with a screen. All the problems with modern cables and ports can be solved with something like the Dockcase Studio, which tells you exactly what your devices and cords are capable of.

About this review: Dockcase provided a Studio 8-in-1 USB-C hub for the purposes of this review. The company had no input in this article, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Pricing, specs, and availability

Dockcase has already released a few USB hubs and accessories, so it isn't a brand-new startup. However, like some of the company's other products, the Dockcase Studio is launching as a Kickstarter campaign. You can back the project now, and there are still Dockcase Studio units available at the early bird rate of $159. When the USB-C hub becomes available more widely, it'll cost $199 at full price. Though it's only available from Kickstarter for now, it could come to Dockcase's website or Amazon in the future.

What I like

This hub is clearly designed with creators in mind

Too many hubs and docking stations just take a single USB-C port and turn it into more USB ports. What's unique about the Dockcase Studio is that it features ports curated for creative workflows, like photography and video production. Four of the Dockcase Studio's ports are just for reading cards commonly used with camera gear, from CFExpress cards to SD and TF cards. There is also a USB-A port, multiple USB-C ports, and an HDMI port. Having all these ports and card readers in one place will be a game-changer for creatives living the dongle life.

I primarily tested the Dockcase Studio with my M4 iPad Pro, because it's a great tablet for creative work, and it includes just one USB-C port. On the go, the Dockcase Studio allowed me to connect any kind of media card to my iPad Pro. Back at home, I connected the Dockcase Studio to a monitor via the HDMI port to extend my iPad Pro's screen real estate. The hub worked flawlessly with the iPad Pro and iPadOS 18, which can be picky with what accessories work on the platform.

The Dockcase Studio does work on a variety of platforms, including macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android. However, there are some peculiar limitations that will dictate what features work on which devices. For example, here's what Dockcase says about HDMI compatibility:

4K@120Hz requires the USB-C interface of the Windows computer to use one of the following graphics cards as the video output source: 1. NVIDIA RTX 20 Series or newer graphics card; 2. AMD RX5000M Series or newer graphics card; 3. AMD Radeon 600M Series or newer graphics card.

So, it's worth combing through the spec sheet to see if the specific features you're looking for will work with all the devices in your creative workflow.

It's an excellent diagnostic tool

The reason the Dockcase Studio might be worth the high asking price is not because of the ports it offers, or even the screen itself. It's because the hub provides insightful diagnostic information that can actually help improve your workflow. The best example of this is with the HDMI port. When you plug in a monitor, you'll see the resolution and fresh rate on the Dockcase Studio's home screen. Tapping the display square on the screen brings up a detail menu with all kinds of useful information, from the manufacturer's name, manufacture date, model number, and more.

There are a ton of situations where this kind of functionality might be useful. Maybe you're having a problem with your monitor and want to search for support articles for your specific model without having to search for the model number. Perhaps you want to know which resolutions or interfaces are supported. Again, this ties into the Dockcase Studio's position as a creator device. As someone who works with a variety of monitors and other accessories, this information is incredibly useful for diagnostic and testing purposes.

It extends beyond display identifiers, too. The Dockcase Studio can tell you how much power a cable or device is supplying, which can help you figure out what charging speeds they support. Another use case is reading the temperature of each port or slot's chip on the motherboard, and might help ensure your media cards won't be damaged by overheating. This temperature-sensing technology was already present on the Dockcase Pocket Photography Edition, but it's paired with other great diagnostic features on the Dockcase Studio.

What I don't like

The price is only right if you can really make use of the touchscreen

The big problem with the Dockcase Studio is the price. You can get a comparable USB-C hub for far less than the $199 retail price of the Dockcase Studio. Even the $159 early bird pricing for the USB-C hub is more than triple the price of competing products, like Ugreen's Revodok Pro 109. For this product to make sense, you need to have a workflow that requires a variety of media slots and a touchscreen interface.

It's not a bad product, but it might have a bad price. I think it is worthwhile for the right person; however, it's certainly nice. If you were excited about all the diagnostic info the Dockcase Studio shows, it might be for you. If you were confused about why that all matters, you probably don't need it.

Should you buy the Dockcase Studio?

You should buy the Dockcase Studio if:

• You need a USB-C hub with a variety of card readers
• You want a hub with a screen that can display diagnostic information
• You're willing to spend a premium to get both of those features in the same product

You should NOT buy the Dockcase Studio if:

• You'd rather wait for a public release than back a Kickstarter project
• You don't have a photo/video workflow that will take advantage of the creator ports
• The price is simply too high, especially at MSRP

Not everyone needs a touchscreen on their USB-C hub, and the Dockcase Studio is certainly a niche product. However, after a few weeks of testing this accessory, I see the appeal. Sometimes it feels like there's no rhyme or reason as to how fast a device charges, what kinds of file transfer speeds are supported by a device or cable, and what resolutions are supported on a display. The Dockcase Studio is all about giving you that information at a glance, so you can make informed decisions. For creatives making money with their craft, having a USB-C hub that tells you which cables to use for the fastest speeds can actually save time and money.