RAZER USB C DOCK review

The Razer USB-C Dock is a versatile device designed to expand your laptop’s connectivity with a single USB-C connection. This is particularly useful for laptops with limited port options, such as those with only one USB-C port. It enables you to connect multiple accessories and peripherals, making it ideal for presentations, running classes, or studio work where you need to see your content on a larger screen.

The dock’s design is simple and compact. It’s a small, square box that easily slips into a backpack or even a jacket pocket, making it convenient for travel. Compatible with both Mac and PC systems, the dock is essentially plug-and-play: plug it in, connect your accessories, memory cards, or network, and they’ll be instantly recognised, allowing you to start working almost immediately. The USB connection ensures fast and reliable data transfer.

Around the edges of the dock, there’s a wide selection of ports. You have ultra-fast USB Type-C ports, complemented by traditional USB Type-A connectors, which allow you to connect older accessories. A standout feature is the full-sized HDMI port, which facilitates direct connection to a monitor, projector, or TV without issue. This opens up many options, making it perfect for presentations or extending your workspace.

Additionally, the dock includes two memory slots that support popular SD and microSD card formats, which are still widely used in cameras, action cameras, and smartphones. This feature is particularly handy for photographers and videographers who need quick access to their media files.

Often, simplicity is key, and that’s certainly true with the Razer USB-C Dock. Essentially a small black box with a single USB-C cable sticking out of one end, it’s incredibly easy to use. You simply connect the USB-C cable to your computer, then plug in your desired device or accessory into one of the various ports on the dock. Everything else is handled by the computer as normal, ensuring a plug-and-play experience. During our tests, all devices and accessories were recognised instantly, with no issues or unrecognised devices.

When it comes to build quality, Razer has used a high-quality design featuring nicely rounded edges for a sleek aesthetic. The outer casing is made of metal, giving it a durable and premium feel. Although Razer is better known for its gaming products, this dock has a more understated and stylish look that fits well in a professional setting. The design and build quality meet the high standards required by photographers and videographers, ensuring it can withstand the demands of regular use.

When it comes to features, this small box is all about connectivity and functionality. Here’s a breakdown of what the Razer USB-C Dock offers:

USB Ports: The dock includes a USB 3.2 Type-C connector, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and two USB 3.2 Type-A ports. This variety ensures compatibility with both modern and older accessories.
Audio: A 3.5mm audio combo jack, powered by Razer’s 7.1 surround sound technology, provides high-quality audio output for headphones or speakers.
Memory Card Slots: It features SD and microSD card slots, which are still supported by most cameras, action cameras, and smartphones. This makes transferring files straightforward and efficient.
Power Delivery: The USB Type-C power delivery (PD) port supports 20V USB PD 3.0 charging, up to 100W, which translates to 85W for laptop charging. This is particularly useful for laptops with limited ports, allowing you to charge your laptop while using the dock.
Video Output: The full-sized HDMI port supports 4K at 60Hz, which is compatible with most modern monitors and ensures high-resolution video output.
Ethernet: A Gigabit Ethernet port provides reliable wired internet connectivity, which is essential for stable internet access during data transfers and streaming.

Since this dock uses USB rather than Thunderbolt, it’s important to note the potential limitations. The USB 3.2 ports are Gen 2, not 2×2, which is something to consider if you have a faster USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 SSD.

When it comes to display, the HDMI port enables 4K at 60Hz, supporting most of the latest monitors.

One of the standout features for many laptop users is power delivery. This dock can deliver power to your laptop through the USB Type-C port, supporting up to 100W PD power in, translating to 85W of laptop charging power.

Obviously, charging and transferring data through the hub can get hot. The all-metal design helps to disperse heat, ensuring there’s no thermal throttling of your data transfers, which is crucial when you’re using this for video editing or image transfer.

It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac so that you can use it with your Windows PC or Mac laptop without any issues. In our tests, we used the dock with countless accessories, and there were no problems with any of them.

Overall, the features of the Razer USB-C Dock are all about port options and connectivity. The volume of ports this small dock manages to fit around its body is impressive. It seems that Razer really thought about how this dock would be used and considered the implications of having multiple devices connected to a single port.

Docks, however small, can be incredibly useful. They expand what you can do with your computer by enabling you to connect multiple devices and enhancing the functionality of your machine. The Razer USB-C Dock is a prime example of this. Its simplicity of use, requiring just a single cable and no need for AC power, makes it extremely portable. It slips easily into the side pocket of your backpack or camera bag without adding bulk.

Using the dock is straightforward—it’s essentially plug-and-play. Rather than plugging a hard drive, SD card, or monitor directly into your laptop, you can plug them into the hub, which handles data transfer. Of course, there is a slight payoff; using multiple ports on your laptop can cause some slowdown when transferring files from an SD card to an SSD, for instance. All that data needs to flow through one single cable, and despite being USB Type-C, you might notice a slight slowdown, which was reflected in our benchmark tests.

However, the sheer volume of ports available is a significant advantage. You realise that downloading multiple files from multiple devices simultaneously requires some trade-off, and this USB hub is no exception. The transfer potential is impressive, especially considering this is a USB Type-C device and not a Thunderbolt device. Some transfer speeds are slower than when plugging directly into a Thunderbolt port, but this is expected.

In real use, the dock performed well with a Lexar Armor 700 drive attached. Editing video in Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve with 4K footage shot on a Canon EOS R5 C was smooth and fluid. There were no noticeable frame drops or delays waiting for the drive to catch up. The performance was similar to when the drive was connected directly to the computer. Similarly, copying files from an SD card to the Lexar SSD was fast, although there was a noticeable slowdown compared to using the built-in card ports of the MacBook Pro, something that highlighted that a little more investigation would be needed when multiple demands were made on data transfer through the hub.

Connecting the dock to an HDMI monitor was simple. It worked flawlessly with a monitor, projector, and even a TV for a presentation. In all instances, the MacBook Pro instantly recognised the display, functioning as if it were connected directly rather than through the hub.

During use, the dock got slightly warm but never overly hot. The metal case effectively dispersed the heat, even under heavy load, with plenty of data and display information travelling through it.

This dock is a great solution for everyday work on your computer—whether image editing, light video work, or general productivity tasks that don’t require the high speeds of Thunderbolt 4. You can leave it connected to your monitor, network, and accessories, ready for when you return home. This setup saves time as you don’t have to plug in all your devices repeatedly. Just slot the USB cable into your laptop, and you’re good to go. For a home or studio solution that’s lightweight and relatively inexpensive, this USB-C dock is excellent.

Overall, the performance was impressive. There was a slowdown when using SSD drives and SD cards through the hub compared to directly plugging them into the MacBook Pro, but this was expected, and you can see the effects of the slow down in the results below. However, the performance reached was still impressive and more than enough to satisfy most videographers and photographers due to the absolute convenience it brings.

Benchmarking tests reinforced what was observed during real-world testing. The performance varied depending on the technology and data transfer speeds of the connected devices. Here are the benchmark results for a clearer idea:

Lexar Armor 700 (SSD)

Direct: Read: 937MB/s, Write: 792MB/s

Through Hub Type-C: Read: 873MB/s, Write: 818MB/s

Through Hub USB 3.2: Read: 896MB/s, Write: 374MB/s

Through Hub USB 2.0: Read: 38MB/s, Write: 33MB/s

Lexar Silver Pro 512MB/s UHS-II (SD Card)

Direct: Read: 228MB/s, Write: 134MB/s

Through Hub: Read: 70MB/s, Write: 48MB/s

Lexar 1066x 128GB UHS-I (SD Card)

Direct: Read: 86MB/s, Write: 75MB/s

Through Hub: Read: 89MB/s, Write: 72MB/s

Samsung Pro Ultimate 512GB UHS-I (MicroSD Card)

Direct: Read: 89MB/s, Write: 79MB/s

Through Hub: Read: 90MB/s, Write: 74MB/s

Dual data transfer test – this sees transfers to an SD card and SSD at the same time through the Dock:

Lexar 1066x 128GB UHS-I (SD Card)

Through Hub: Read: 54MB/s, Write: 37MB/s

Lexar Armor 700 (SSD)

Through Hub: Read: 35.6MB/s, Write: 91.8MB/s

Overall, these results show how impressive the dock is with very little slowdown in transfer speeds. When it came to the SSD, which was already throttled in speed by the MacBook Pro’s Thunderbolt 4 to USB 3.2 Gen2x2, going through the hub made very little difference to the performance compared to when attached directly. Similarly, with the SD and microSD cards, the SD card reader’s limitation to UHS-I speeds was the primary bottleneck, not the dock itself.

The Razer USB-C Dock performs well, making it a superb solution for videographers and photographers looking for a neat and simple way to expand their laptop’s port offering.

The Razer USB-C Dock is a lightweight and extremely simple solution for expanding your computer’s port offerings. It enables you to easily connect multiple accessories, displays, and networking devices. This makes it a fantastic option for anyone travelling for presentations or workshops, allowing you to plug into any system quickly and effortlessly.

While the USB Type-C connector may slow down Thunderbolt devices, it will be more than fast enough for most users. If you do need extra speed, simply use one port on your computer. The Razer USB-C Dock frees up your ports and allows you to leave your essential accessories plugged into it on your desktop. This means you won’t have to repeatedly plug and unplug your devices when you get home or need to take your laptop with you. Just plug the USB dock into your computer when you get back, and you’re ready to go—a massive time saver.

This dock is a great solution for anyone looking for a lightweight, portable docking option. It’s also excellent for home use, allowing you to leave all your peripherals connected and simply plug in your computer when needed. If you need more ports, the Razer USB-C Dock is a fantastic choice.