Monoprice 12-in-1 USB-C Dock (VGA) review: Not worth it

Price When Reviewed

$44.99

Best Prices Today: Monoprice 12-in-1 USB-C to Dual-HDMI + VGA Triple Display Docking Station

The Monoprice 12-in-1 USB-C to Dual-HDMI+VGA Triple Display Docking Station is a mouthful of phrases. But the message right here is that this hub is for somebody with a legacy show that they’re simply not prepared to half with, whereas providing a path to extra trendy {hardware}. Unfortunately, after testing, I discovered that this hub simply doesn’t ship on what it guarantees.

It’s an odd mixture: On one hand, the dock helps a 4K show at as much as 60Hz. On the opposite, there’s help for the traditional VGA specification, which harkens again to the 480p days. And, after all, there are a selection of ports in between. Like Satechi’s Surface Pro hub, Monoprice’s hub is a distinct segment providing. We’ll think about it for our checklist of the best USB-C hubs and dongles regardless.

Monoprice says that this docking station will help as much as one 4K show working at 30Hz, and one other at 1080p, at 60Hz. If just one 4K show is related, it is going to run at 60Hz. You can concurrently join a 4K show at 30Hz, plus a 4K show (however at 1080p, 30Hz) in addition to the VGA monitor, in line with Monoprice. As Monoprice despatched us a really similar USB-C hub/dock for review final yr, I anticipated the efficiency and capabilities to be comparable.

Let’s dive into it. Monoprice calls this a “docking station,” nevertheless it’s a reasonably customary dongle with a 6-inch USB-C cable constructed into the system itself. There’s a 3.5mm headphone/mic jack on the cable finish of the dongle. On the opposite finish is a gigabit Ethernet port and the VGA port. Along one facet are two 5Gbps USB-A ports, plus an SD/microSD card reader (with card help as much as 512GB and rated learn/write speeds of 104MB/s and 80MB/s, which suggests UHS-I U3 speeds.) On the opposite facet are two undisclosed HDMI ports and a USB-C (PD 3.0) energy consumption for a USB-C charger that may help 100W of enter energy.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

There are additionally two 480Mbps USB-A ports, one on both facet, with a small icon (a keyboard and mouse) to indicate that they’re for legacy gadgets. I relatively like that strategy. Don’t anticipate any of the ports to ship a substantial amount of energy, although, even with a charger related to the enter port: The quickest USB ports are rated at 4.5W, and the opposite ports even much less.

Again, that is basically a USB-C dongle; it measures 4.8 x 2.1 x 0.7 inches, which slips simply right into a backpack or laptop computer bag. The weight is a few third of a pound. At $45 or so, it’s about double the value of different dongles, which may run about $25. But it’s a properly made hub/dock, manufactured from aluminum.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

Monoprice 12-in-1 USB-C to Dual-HDMI+VGA Triple Display Docking Station efficiency

Monoprice’s docking station is awkward solely in the truth that it helps a reasonably cutting-edge 4K60 show but additionally an historical VGA monitor. There’s one other wrinkle: Laptops which might be too outdated lack a number of the multimonitor capabilities that this dock permits — so something older than a 10th-gen Core ought to be a foul wager. If you will have an older VGA show, likelihood is your laptop computer isn’t leading edge, both.

The hub’s port spacing is simply tremendous, however I’m much less positive in regards to the VGA/Ethernet association. Given the area {that a} VGA connector requires — bear in mind, there are sometimes retaining screws on the facet — it’d simply crowd out the Ethernet jack subsequent to it. I’m going to belief Monoprice bought it proper right here, however I can’t assure it with all VGA cables. I’ve to confess that I don’t have a VGA show to check — we’ve moved on to extra superior connectors. Of course, if match is an issue, Wi-Fi is an possibility.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

The Monoprice 12-in-1 hub delivered the anticipated energy ranges.

This hub additionally requires a little bit of fiddling. The hub’s handbook says that the “HDMI 1” port helps a single exterior 4K show at 60Hz, however doesn’t explicitly label it on the dock/hub itself. (It’s the one additional away from the skin of the port.) If you connect with the improper port, you’ll get a extra fatiguing 30Hz (4K30) refresh fee as an alternative. And for those who join each HDMI ports, one will ship a 4K30 image, and the opposite will ship 1080p at 60Hz. Can this dongle help one HDMI show after which the VGA monitor? Yes it will probably, at these refresh charges.

I couldn’t get constant efficiency out of the Monoprice hub, nevertheless. One check laptop computer (a 13th-gen Intel Core-based Samsung Galaxy Book Ultra) powered a single 4K show at 60Hz, as soon as. Another, an Asus laptop computer with a 14th-gen Intel Core Ultra inside, solely powered that show at 30Hz.

Was I loopy? I attempted once more, and the hub produced solely a 30Hz sign once more with different ports. I swapped cables and ports, simply to examine. Finally, I attempted the older Monoprice hub — similar however for a DisplayPort port as an alternative of a VGA port, with the identical cable, the identical port, and the identical show. The older Monoprice hub delivered 60Hz on my 4K show, and the most recent hub we assessment right here produced simply 30Hz. That did it for me.

Furthermore, the most recent 12-in-1 hub (VGA) dropped about 40 p.c of all 4K frames streamed over the web, producing stutters and hitches everywhere. The older hub — once more, on a single 4K show, and on Wi-Fi — mainly dropped none in any respect.

Monoprice’s hub is in any other case well-designed. But the disparity between accommodating the older VGA {hardware} with a comparatively new pocket book strikes me as barely unusual. Add to that the odd efficiency glitches, plus the considerably premium worth, and I can’t advocate this hub in any respect.