Thunderbolt docks can expand the I/O selection at your desk, hook up a laptop to a workstation setup, and serve plenty of other needs. Earlier this year, I reviewed the most expensive Thunderbolt dock to ever cross my desk: the $400 Ugreen Revodok Max 213. Now, Ugreen has come out with the Revodok Max 213's little brother, also known as the Revodok Max 208. It has slightly fewer ports, a slightly smaller design, and a slightly more reasonable price tag. However, it's still not a Thunderbolt dock I can recommend to everyone. The Revodok Max 208 has plenty of versatile ports, but lacks a variety of ports. And if you need to connect adapters to your docking station, what's the point?

About this review: Ugreen sent me a Revodok Max 208 for review. The company did not have input in this article, and did not see its contents before publishing.

Pricing and availability

The Revodok Max 208 is the latest Thunderbolt dock in Ugreen's Revodok lineup. It retails for $280 at Amazon, and isn't available anywhere else yet. You can occasionally find it on sale, with the Revodok Max 208 discounted to just $200 at the time of writing. The Revodok Max 208 features three USB-A ports, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, an RJ45 jack, DC power input, and a host Thunderbolt port.

Specs

What I like

There are plenty of high-speed ports on the Revodok Max 208

The port selection leaves a lot to be desired, but the quality of ports that Ugreen included on the Revodok Max 208 is not an issue in the slightest. With three high-speed Thunderbolt 4 ports and another three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, you can adapt the Revodok Max's I/O into pretty much anything. That includes powering a single 8K display or dual 4K displays, provided your monitor accepts Thunderbolt or you have the right cables and adapters. Aside from the USB and Thunderbolt ports, there is just one other port of note, and that's the Gigabit Ethernet port.

If you specifically need Thunderbolt and USB, the Revodok Max 208 will provide more of those ports than most docks out there. It'll also do so while using just one Thunderbolt host cable and adding 85W of power delivery. If variety is most important to you, the Revodok Max 208 isn't the right docking station, and we'll dive into that deeper in a bit. In fact, Ugreen's own Revodok Pro 12-in-1 docking station is a much more well-rounded hub than the Revodok Max 208, for around the same price.

It's fairly small for a Thunderbolt dock and has a premium design

Another thing the Revodok Max 208 has going for it is a compact and premium design. This docking station is heavy, but that's because it is made out of sturdy metal. Everything from the ports, to the buttons, to the aluminum casing and ventilation holes is well-designed and good-looking. Many docks try to disguise their size by either going for a flat and long form factor, or a build that is short lengthwise but thick and tall. By comparison, the Revodok Max 208 is both short and flat, so it's easy to fit into a desk setup.

As far as size is considered, the one strike against the Revodok Max 208 is that it has an external power supply. We reviewed a dock from OWC recently that featured an integrated power supply, and it was a game-changer.

What I don't like

There simply isn't enough variety for a dock this expensive

The Revodok Max 208 lacks many ports that I'm used to seeing on docking stations at this price range, and the list is quite long. There aren't any display output ports aside from Thunderbolt, whereas at least one HDMI or DisplayPort is typically expected from this kind of dock. You won't find a headphone jack, SD card slot, or microSD card slot here either. There isn't even a USB-C port on the front of the dock, which I find incredibly perplexing in 2024 when basically everything is moving away from USB-A.

In order for me to fit the Revodok Max 208 into my workflow, I'd have to either carefully purchase the right cables or buy specific adapters, such as USB-C to HDMI. I'd need a USB-C to SD card reader as well, and I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up needing DisplayPort at some point. To me, purchasing an expensive dock like the Revodok Max 208 is supposed to alleviate these compatibility headaches. Just take a look at the I/O available on the Revodok Max 208 compared to the bigger Revodok Max 213, and you'll start to see what I mean.

For the above reasons, the Revodok Max 208 only makes sense for a small group of people who specifically need USB and Thunderbolt expansion. Moreover, people who only need Thunderbolt and USB expansion (save for Ethernet). I'd bet that most people will need a more diverse selection of ports, namely video out ports and a headphone jack, even if they don't realize it yet.

Should you buy the Ugreen Revodok Max 208?

You should buy the Ugreen Revodok Max 208 if:

• You need fast USB-A and Thunderbolt 4 ports
• You're willing to spend more for a premium and compact design
• You want 85W power delivery and Gigabit Ethernet support

You should buy the Ugreen Revodok Max 208 if:

• You need a greater variety of ports on a docking station
• You don't need Thunderbolt support and would do fine with a USB dock
• You're on a tight or medium-sized budget

The Ugreen Revodok Max 208 is a capable Thunderbolt dock, as long as USB and Thunderbolt are all you need. For people that want a wider selection of ports, there are plenty of great docking stations that will suit their needs better. Personally, I'd pick the Revodok Max 213 or the Revodok Pro 312 from Ugreen's own catalog before choosing the Revodok Max 208. However, it's impossible to discredit the Revodok Max 208's high-speed ports, power delivery support, and compact form factor.