TobenONE UDS060 review: This compact 11-in-1 USB-C dock is one of the smallest I've ever tested

TechRadar Verdict

I liked the controller much more than the dock it was attached. This is a clever concept, and for those with a video or photo editing workflow, it's genuinely useful. But as a dock, it's kneecapped by the bandwidth of a 5Gbps uplink.

Pros

• +Inexpensive
• +Buttons and dial integrated
• +Dual independent 4K at 60Hz on Windows
• +Tiny footprint

Cons

• -No PSU included
• -Plastic construction

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• 30 second review
• Price & availability
• Specs
• Design
• Features
• Performance
• Final verdict
• Report card
• Should I buy it?
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TobenONE UDS060: 30-second review

Most budget docking stations look and behave almost identically. A handful of USB ports, an HDMI output, and maybe Ethernet if you are lucky. The TobenONE UDS060 tries something different. Alongside the usual 11-in-1 connectivity, it adds four physical shortcut keys and a rotary volume knob, both of which can be reprogrammed through a companion app.

On paper, that combination of practical connectivity and genuine customisation is unusual at this price.

The ports on the dock include the usual USB suspects, an audio jack, a LAN port and dual HDMI outputs for connecting monitors. That’s the same as many inexpensive USB-C docks, but what makes this one different is the programmable button and dial technology.

Those might be justification to buy this, but there are at least two significant reasons not to purchase it. The first is that it doesn’t come with a PSU, forcing you to either use your laptop supply or purchase another to power the dock. And the second is that this is a USB-C dock that uses, at best, a 10Gbps connection to the computer, and then shares that across all the ports on the dock. That limits all the USB ports to 5Gbps, or less if you use more than two of them. While it will work with USB4 and Thunderbolt, those connections don’t increase the bandwidth available to the dock ports.

While it might not be the best docking station I’ve tested, it’s certainly one of the most unusual. And if TobenOne ever made and uprated model, it could be a game-changer for some creative people.

TobenONE UDS060: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $89/£69/€81
• When is it out? Available now
• Where can you get it? Direct from TobenONE

Docking stations can be expensive items, but the TobenONE UDS060 is relatively affordable at $89 for US customers, £69 for those in the UK, and €80.95 for those in the EU.

It's also available Amazon.com, currently priced at $88.

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