Plugable TBT4-UDX1 review: A premium docking station with some drawbacks

Generally speaking, I've always had good experiences with Plugable's docking stations and USB-C hubs, and the company has some great options in its lineup. The latest addition is the Plugable TBT4-UDX1, a USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 docking station aimed at the higher-end market.

Overall, the Plugable TBT4-UDX1 is a solid docking station, though I feel it's a little pricey compared to the company's other best offerings, making it a bit harder to recommend. That said, it does include downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports, and if you need them, it's probably the best option in the company's lineup.

About this review: Plugable sent us the TBT4-UDX1 for the purposes of this review. The company had no input into its contents.

Pricing and availability

The Plugable TBT4-UDX1 docking station was announced and launched on Oct. 3. It's now widely available at retailers like Amazon, Newegg, Walmart, and other resellers. You'll have to pay up to $290 if you want to add the Plugable TBT4-UDX1 to your arsenal, which makes this a decidedly premium product for a dock. It's actually one of Plugable's priciest offerings.

What I like

A tough design

I recently reviewed another one of Plugable's docks, and my primary complaint was that the design didn't feel all that premium. Thankfully, that's not an issue here. The Plugable TBT4-UDX1 comes with a metal shell that protects the entire device from impact, with only plastic rear and front panels. An all-metal design would be even cooler, but this still looks great, and it feels substantial in the hand as a result.

Something else I always like to mention in my dock reviews is when they include a power button. This is another option that lets you turn off the dock and its connected peripherals without having to unplug any cables, and I love that. It just makes it easier to set up.

A good supply of ports

The Plugable TBT4-UDX1 excels with its port selection for your laptop. It embraces both the latest standards and the more traditional ones, so it works for everyone. What I mean by that is that this dock does include two Thunderbolt 4 downstream ports, which you can use as a display output, but it also comes with one HDMI port in case your monitor doesn't have a USB Type-C input, which is pretty likely for a lot of people. To make things even better, you get a USB Type-C to HDMI adapter in the box, so if none of your monitors supports USB Type-C, you can still get dual 4K displays. My only complaint here is that there's no option for DisplayPort, which tends to have more bandwidth than the contemporary generation of HDMI.

The Plugable TBT4-UDX1 embraces both the latest standards and the more traditional ones, so it works for everyone.

Of course, those Thunderbolt ports can also be used for high-speed Thunderbolt peripherals like SSDs, or you can use any regular USB-C accessory with them, which is nice. You also get a total of four USB Type-A ports, with the one on the front delivering 7.5W of power for slightly faster charging. There's also a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port here, so you can use super fast wired connections, though I personally don't.

In addition to the aforementioned USB Type-A port, the front also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, an SD card reader, and the Thunderbolt 4 port that connects to the host computer. Overall, the port selection is very good here, and you can connect plenty of peripherals. I think one more USB port would have helped justify the price tag a bit more, but this is still a great selection.

A future-proof cable

Like most high-end docks currently on the market, the Plugable TBT4-UDX1 can deliver up to 100W (certified for 96W) of power to a laptop, which means you can charge any ultrabook and even some more powerful laptops quickly without the original charger. That's definitely great to have, but what's even better is that the cable included here is even more powerful than that.

This is a Thunderbolt 4 cable that can deliver up to 240W of power

Indeed, this is a Thunderbolt 4 cable that can deliver up to 240W of power, complying with the latest USB Power Delivery standard. This kind of cable just started showing up last year, and buying one by itself from Plugable will cost you $30, so having this in the box is a very nice treat and a good way to future-proof yourself for when laptops actually support these charging speeds.

What I don't like

Its usefulness goes way down without Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt is a pretty special technology, with 40Gbps of bandwidth and support for things like dual 4K displays using a single port. But it shares the same connector as USB Type-C, and you can usually use these kinds of docks with a standard USB-C port, though the capabilities will be more limited.

I couldn't get the Plugable TBT4-UDX1 to power two monitors at once

What I've never seen before, though, is a dock that simply doesn't allow me to connect to a second display if I'm using a non-Thunderbolt USB port. Despite trying with multiple monitors, I couldn't get the Plugable TBT4-UDX1 to power two monitors at once, even if they were only Full HD resolution. The computer would recognize something being plugged in, but there was no sign of it being a monitor whatsoever. I've used my AMD laptop with a Thunderbolt dock in the past and always managed to get two displays going, but this one just doesn't work, and it makes this dock a definite pass if you ever want to use it with anything other than a Thunderbolt 4 laptop.

Occasional display issues

One weird thing I noticed during testing is that sometimes, the connected display would just stop being recognized for a fraction of a second and flicker, sending me back to the Windows login screen. It happens very fast and doesn't impact my work, but it's definitely odd behavior that might be inconvenient if you're in the middle of intense work.

It's a little expensive

One big problem I have with this dock is the price, which is, in my opinion, too close to the Plugable TBT4-UDZ, which is still my favorite docking station. It supports up to four 4K displays at 60Hz, it has both DisplayPort and HDMI, more USB ports, and a microSD card reader, on top of everything this one offers. All of that costs just $10 more, and for me, that makes a lot more sense.

But I don't have a lot of USB-C monitors or Thunderbolt accessories, and I'm sure many people do. Getting two downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports here probably adds quite a bit to the cost, and if you have a super fast Thunderbolt SSD or a USB-C monitor, you'll probably want them. You're already spending more to invest in a Thunderbolt ecosystem, so the price tag may not be an object for you.

Should you buy the Plugable TBT4-UDX1?

You should buy the Plugable TBT4-UDX1 if:

• You need to connect a lot of peripherals to your PC
• You have a mix of Thunderbolt and legacy accessories
• You want a dock that looks and feels premium

You shouldn't buy the Plugable TBT4-UDX1 if:

• You only have HDMI or DisplayPort monitors
• You plan to use it with a PC that doesn't have Thunderbolt
• Occasional screen flickering is a dealbreaker for you

The Plugable TBT4-UDX1 does a good job catering to different usage scenarios. The combination of two Thunderbolt downstream ports with classic ports like USB Type-A, HDMI, and even the included USB-C to HDMI adapter means it can work for the vast majority of setups, whether you have cutting-edge Thunderbolt accessories or ones that use legacy ports. It's an almost perfect middle ground in that regard, and if you're slowly adopting Thunderbolt, this is a great way to ensure everything works well.

However, if you're not in that middle ground, you can probably find better options elsewhere. For those without any Thunderbolt accessories, I'd say Plugable's own TBT4-UDZ is a better pick. If you want a lot of Thunderbolt accessories, solid options like the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma may be for you. Also, depending on who you are, that display flickering issue may be a major problem.