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, recently 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 is the latest USB docking station from the popular brand, and it 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, so you can add more storage to your laptop.
Satechi Dual Dock Stand
Best docking station and stand
The Satechi Dual Dock Stand is one of the most unique docking stations you can buy. It’s designed to elevate your laptop to a more ergonomic angle. It can also provide extra ports and storage with an M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure. It looks pretty fancy and feels solid, too.
- Ports
- 1 gigabit Ethernet, USB-A 5Gbps, USB-A 10Gbps, DisplayPort, 2x HDMI, USB-C 5Gbps, USB-C 10Gbps, 75W USB-C PD
- USB Power Delivery
- 75W
- Power supply included
- No
- Max display res.
- 4K @ 60Hz dual display, 4K @ 120Hz single display
- Price
- $150
- Supported HDD sizes
- M.2 2242, 2260, 2280 SSD
Pros
- Doubles as a laptop stand
- Has built-in M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure
- Feels great and has adjustable cables
- Can connect to dual displays
Cons
- No SD card slots
- Power supply not included (though it’s optional)
Satechi Dual Dock Stand: Price and availability
The Satechi Dual Dock Stand launched today on Satechi’s website for $150. However, early shoppers can get 20% off the accessory with the code NVME20 through Aug. 24.
Design
Made for your laptop
Like a lot 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 that the dock was 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 my Surface on this dock was easy. 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. It also sat at a good, 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 need to 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, although only USB-C speeds. You’ll only get USB-C speeds. From the left to right, 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 resolutions 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. On Apple Silicon-powered Macs, you won’t get the same experience, as only one external display is supported.
Note that you won’t get a power supply here, but it’s actually completely optional, as 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 I used this dock with a Surface, which 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.
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
I only used the Satechi Dual Dock Stand for a few days, but it’s the best docking station for my Surface yet. The SSD enclosure was super convenient, letting me back up photos from my Surface to a safe space without needing an extra accessory. I could connect my laptop to a 4K monitor and all my peripherals. Best of all, since this is a stand and a dock, I was able to 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.
Satechi Dual Dock Stand
Best docking station and stand
The Satechi Dual Dock Stand is one of the most unique docking stations you can buy. It’s designed to elevate your laptop to a more ergonomic angle. It can also provide extra ports and storage with an M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure. It looks pretty fancy and feels solid, too.