As the market has started shifted with more people working from home, the demands for docking stations have been skyrocketing. With that demand, there are several emerging companies looking to fill this growing market segment. VAVA has released a few new docking stations, with today’s focus being the 12-in-1 Dual 4K Docking Station. This dock offers two HDMI outputs, 65 watts of notebook charging capacity, onboard wired Ethernet, card readers, an audio jack and a mixture of USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports.
As the market has started shifted with more people working from home, the demands for docking stations have been skyrocketing. With that demand, there are several emerging companies looking to fill this growing market segment. VAVA has released a few new docking stations, with today’s focus being the 12-in-1 Dual 4K Docking Station. This dock offers two HDMI outputs, 65 watts of notebook charging capacity, onboard wired Ethernet, card readers, an audio jack and a mixture of USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports.
The market of USB-C docking stations can be split up into a few popular categories. The first which this VAVA 12-in-1 docking station fits into, covers the space that users need to connect just one cable to their notebook at work or home to cover charging, display and external accessories. The next segment includes full docking stations with built-in external storage, followed by the more portable “hub” designs that can work only when connected to a device providing power. The former designs offer AC-adapters and replace the manufacturers charger when the notebook is connected through it.
The VAVA 12-in-1 Dual 4K Docking Station has an MSRP of $99 and a street price of about $80 depending on promotions.
VAVA 12-in-1 Dual 4K Docking Station Specifications:
- Compact & durable laptop companion with versatile connectivity
- Dual 4K 60Hz HDMI ports (for supported systems)
- Dual 5Gb/s USB 3.0 ports, dual USB 2.0 port and a 3.5mm audio jack
- Quick charging for phone and laptop
- 18w PD USB-C Charging Port
- 65w USB-C Connector For Notebook
- Up to 1000 Mbps with RJ45 Ethernet port
- Speedy SD/TF card reader
Build and Design
The VAVA 12-in-1 Dual 4K Docking Station offers a sleek and compact design, which lays horizontally behind a notebook and out of the way. This is a bit different from other docking stations that are a taller design, or have larger footprints on your desk. They are about 1.5″ deep, a tapered height averaging about a half and inch thick, and a length just over 9 inches. The rounded nose, which you can have face your notebook, is an unbroken side, with no ports visible.
The main USB-C attachment cord sticks out of the side with a 15″ lead while the opposing side has a single 3.5″ audio jack for headphones/speakers and a microphone. The back of the docking station is where all of the connections are limited. Left to right includes a USB 2.0 port, two USB 3.0 ports, an SD and TF card reader, a 1GbE network jack, another USB 2.0 port, twin 4K HDMI ports, a USB-C PD out port (18 watt) and the main 20V DC-input jack.
Connecting the docking station to one of our Windows based notebooks, the docks are quickly discovered and installed automatically. The Ethernet port is recognized as a Realtek USB GbE controller and the notebook quickly starts to pull current through the USB-C connection. Using our previous generation MacBook Air, all of the devices and power capabilities were quickly recognized and the network connection became active at gigabit speeds. A bigger workstation-grade system will probably complain about needing a larger AC-adapter, which is fairly common with most of those shipping with 90, 120 watt or even larger factory power supplies. Most will still charge though, but may not perform at their highest while connected.
Conclusion
Overall the VAVA 12-in-1 Docking Station has a lot to like, including its very slim form factor. While most docking stations we’ve looked at come in a more bulky shape, this ranks as one of the smallest and slimmest powered models. For workers looking to get connected at home and the office on a continuous basis, this will have all the main ports covered, including two 4K monitors for systems that are capable of driving them. In our use the VAVA 12-in-1 Docking Station was completely plug n play, which many of the newest generations of docking stations are. In both Windows 10 and Mac OS the devices were quickly recognized and both of out notebooks started charging.
VAVA 12-in-1 Docking Station on Amazon
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