UGREEN Snap Deal Docking Station Review

Computers never seem to have enough ports, especially for multi-monitor setups. The UGREEN Snap Deal Docking Station helps you turn a single USB-C port into the ultimate workstation for monitors, hard drives, peripherals, and more. I had the pleasure of testing this out for myself.

This is a sponsored article and was made possible by UGREEN. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.

Overview of Features

The UGREEN Snap Deal Docking Station is a small yet extremely powerful docking station that lets you turn a single USB-C port on your Mac or Windows computer into numerous ports for a variety of devices.

The 12-in-1 station lets you connect up to three monitors to drastically increase productivity or create an incredible gaming setup. There’s support for both 4K and 8K video, though your computer’s USB-C port and your monitor(s) must support it as well.

It’s compatible with Windows 7 and later, along with Mac Mojave 10.14 and higher, Catalina 10.15, Big Sur 11, and Monterey 12. For video, Mac only supports 4K at 60Hz in a three-monitor setup.

If you ever struggle with finding enough ports, the following should cover most every need:

• 2 USB-A – up to 5Gbps
• Display Port – up to 4K at 60Hz
• 2 HDMI – 4K at 60Hz and 8K at 30Hz
• USB-C (power) – up to 100W
• Ethernet – 1,000 Mbps
• SD card – 104 Mbps
• USB-C 3.1 – up to 10Gbps
• USB-A 3.1 – up to 10Gbps
• 3.5mm audio
• USB-C (host connection)

If you’re connecting numerous high-powered devices, it’s recommended to connect the docking station to a power supply if you encounter any problems. During my tests, I had no issues simply connecting to my Windows PC.

Exploring the Docking Station

The matte silver of the UGREEN Snap Deal Docking Station fits in well with most desktop setups. It also tucks out of the way well.

There’s not much in the box, but all you need to get started is included: the docking station, user guide, driver CD, and USB-C cable.

If you don’t have a CD/DVD drive, don’t worry, as you can download the driver separately. You will need the driver, however, to support multiple monitors properly.

The docking station is surprisingly small and features ports on both the front and back. If you’re not sure which ports do what, the user guide explains everything well.

There are also rubberized feet to prevent the docking station from slipping. Finally, there’s a small power button on the top to quickly kill the power when you’re not using it.

Getting Started

The knee-jerk reaction is to just plug it in and see what happens, but the guide states to install the driver first. The download site is listed in the user guide if you can’t use the included CD.

Installing only took a few minutes, then I was able to attach the UGREEN Snap Deal Docking Station to my Windows 11 PC. For full disclosure, my USB-C port didn’t support a second external monitor using the HDMI 2 port on the docking station. However, the port does work fine.

I started things off simply, just to test that it worked. I plugged in a flash drive in the front USB-A port and transferred some music files. The transfer happened in a fraction of the time it usually takes with the simple USB hub I usually use. So, speed – check.

Multitasking at Its Finest

Now, for the fun part. I hooked up two external monitors using the HDMI ports. I was also able to use the USB-C ports to power both monitors. It was at this point that I discovered my PC’s limitation. However, the UGREEN Snap Deal Docking Station kept both monitors powered on. I could only see the monitor plugged into the HDMI 1 port, though. At this time, I didn’t have any monitors with a DP cable.

While both monitors were connected, I also connected a pair of wired earbuds, played music from my connected flash drive, and plugged in my phone to transfer some pictures for my review. By the way, the transfers were lightning fast.

I also connected the USB dongle for my wireless keyboard and mouse. This usually sits in my only USB-A port. Everything worked flawlessly.

I also connected two external hard drives to transfer data between them. While they’re usually fast on my PC, the transfer rate was roughly 25 percent faster with the higher speed ports on the docking station.

During my review, I regularly kept a second monitor, a flash drive, an external hard drive, and my USB dongle connected. I can’t say how nice it was to get full speeds without having to disconnect and reconnect devices over and over again. It really is a multitasking dream.

I would like to point out that if you’re using three external monitors, you can only have the following screen combinations:

• Windows: AABB ABCD AACC ABBC
• Mac: AABB ABCD AACC ABBC ABBB AAAA

Final Thoughts

The UGREEN Snap Deal Docking Station looks great and ensures you never again have to pick and choose which device(s) to use with your computer. Keep monitors, hard drives, and peripherals all connected in one place. Need to take your laptop on the go? Just disconnect a single cable and you’re free. It’s easy to use and simple to set up. It’s the perfect way to expand your workstation without any compromises.

I think the only quibble I might have is that I wish there were a USB-C to USB-A cable as well, as many Windows computers don’t have USB-C ports. But, it’s only a minor quibble, to be honest.

You can normally pick up the UGREEN Snap Deal Docking Station for $357.99, but you can buy it now for just $214.79, a 40% savings.