Whenever I review a new great laptop or Mac, there's one thing I always find myself doing. Because I have a large 32-inch monitor, I close the lid, place the laptop under my monitor, and connect it via DisplayPort. Then, I need to connect my keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals separately with multiple dongles. However, I haven't needed to use as many dongles in my setup, and I can still place my laptop under my monitor at an ergonomic angle thanks to the Satechi Dual Dock Stand.

This USB docking station from the popular brand does exactly what the name suggests. It helps elevate your laptop and provides all the ports you'll need (minus SD card readers), freeing your desk of messy cables and dongles. It also looks pretty sleek and works with all sorts of devices thanks to the adjustable dual USB-C connectors. It even has space for an M.2 SSD on the bottom to add more storage to your laptop. It does a bit of everything and more.

About this review: Satechi sent us the Dual Dock Stand for the purposes of this review, and it had no input into its contents.

Satechi Dual Dock Stand: Price and availability

The Satechi Dual Dock Stand launched on Amazon and Satechi's website for $150. However, from Nov. 12-19, 2023, you can save 30% on the dock by using the code XDA30 during checkout, so you can bring home the Satechi Dual Dock Stand for just $105.

Design

Made for your laptop

Like many of its other docking stations, the Satechi Dual Dock Stand feels premium. It's a wedge-shaped dock made of high-quality aluminum with plastic on the top where you place the laptop, and it sports an excellent dual-tone space gray and black finish that can match any MacBook or Windows laptop. You'll find ventilation holes on the front and tiny rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from moving around on a desk. Satechi didn't provide me with official dimensions ahead of the dock's launch, but I found it was about 12 inches long and about a quarter of an inch thick, so it won't take up much space on your desk.

Usually, I'd frown upon seeing plastic on a dock, but the choice of plastic for the top of the dock helps it feel cool to the touch. I never felt the dock getting too warm when hooked up to my display and other accessories. It's also a durable, strong plastic that doesn't creep or bend, so it held the weight of my Surface Laptop Studio quite well.

Resting your laptop on the dock is easy, too. I just had to slot my device into the plastic ridge at the top. It helped elevate it off my desk so my device could cool more efficiently when used in clamshell mode, and it sat at a comfortable, elevated angle when I wanted to type on it.

To the left of the dock will be your USB-C cable. It's a dual USB-C connector, and you must attach both ends to your laptop for this dock to function properly. You can also slide the housing on the cable back to separate the connectors to account for the spacing on your laptop. It worked fine with my Surface Pro 8, a Surface Laptop Studio, and an Acer laptop, all of which have dual USB-C ports. The cables are only about five inches long, though, so if your laptop has USB-C ports on either end, you'll be out of luck.

On the underside is a small plastic door that houses the SSD enclosure. This can be a bit tricky to use, though. It can only fit M.2 2242, 2260, or 2280 SSDs. It comes with a screwdriver, a screw, and a thermal pad, but the screwdriver is laughably small, and the screw is very hard to get into place. I used a magnetized screwdriver to make it easier.

Ports and connectivity

Helping expand your device's connectivity

The Satechi Dual Dock Stand offers plenty of ports, all of which are amazing minus how you'll only get USB-C speeds. There's a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB-A ports (rated for 5Gbps and 10Gbps), a DisplayPort 1.4 port, two HDMI 2.0 ports, two USB-C data ports (5Gbps and 10Gbps), and a power delivery port of up to 75W. You also have a power LED and an on-off switch. This dock doesn't have SD card slots, which is something I usually look for, but considering it has an SSD enclosure, I can forgive Satechi for the omission.

I used this dock primarily with a Windows PC and Framework Chromebook, but Macs are supported, too. To get the dual monitor support on Windows devices, you'll have to use both HDMI ports or the DisplayPort and HDMI port on the opposite side (you can't use the DisplayPort and the adjacent HDMI port for display output). The resolution will be capped at 4K with a 60Hz refresh rate when you want to connect two. But when connected to just the DisplayPort, I got the full 120Hz refresh rate from my monitor. Only one external display is supported on Apple Silicon-powered Macs, so you won't get the same experience.

Note that you won't get a power supply here, but it's completely optional anyway since the dock is getting enough power from your laptop to power both the ports and any attached SSD drive slotted in the enclosure. The charger port is for keeping your laptop juiced up when docked, but this didn't apply to me since my Surface Laptop Studio uses Surface Connect for charging.

I connected an M.2 2280 SSD to the bottom and used it for extra storage. I normally use a separate enclosure, but thanks to the dock, I didn't have to use it anymore. Speeds on the SSD came in at 10Gbps when transferring files.

I've been using the Satechi Dual Dock Stand in my setup for the past few months, and the overall experience has been a joy. This docking station held up stronger than I had hoped, so it's found a home under my monitor. Whether I'm plugging and unplugging USB drives for quick data transfers or making the most of that integrated M.2 SSD for storing my precious photos from my reviews, I've had a smooth time.

Should you buy the Satechi Dual Dock Stand?

You should buy the Satechi Dual Dock Stand if:

• You want a docking station that doubles as a laptop stand
• You want a docking station that has an integrated SSD enclosure
• You don't mind missing out on Thunderbolt speeds

You shouldn't buy the Satechi Dual Dock Stand if:

• You need a docking station that has SD card storage
• You own a silicon-powered Mac and want to connect to multiple displays

The Satechi Dual Dock Stand is the best docking station I've used with my Surface. The SSD enclosure is super convenient, letting me back up photos from my Surface to a safe space without needing an extra accessory. I can connect my laptop to a 4K monitor and all my peripherals. Best of all, since this is a stand and a dock, I can house my Surface more conveniently for better cooling and typing. It's a great all-in-one solution; it's just missing a few little additions that would've made it a perfect dock.