Ugreen launches Maxidock Thunderbolt 5 docking station range in the UK

Ugreen has opened pre-orders for its new Maxidock Thunderbolt 5 range, a line of three docking stations aimed at laptop users who need a single hub for multi-display setups, high-speed storage, and device charging. The range is built around the Thunderbolt 5 standard, which supports bandwidth of up to 120Gbps and display outputs up to 8K resolution.

Sales begin on 24 March 2026 through the Ugreen website and Amazon. UK pricing starts at £249.99 for the 10-in-1 model and rises to £419.99 for the flagship 17-in-1 version. A third model designed specifically for the Apple Mac mini M4 is scheduled for release in early May 2026, though pricing for that unit has not yet been confirmed.

Three models in the range

The Maxidock range consists of three distinct products, each targeting a different use case. All three share the Thunderbolt 5 interface and support 8K single-display output, but they differ in port count, power delivery, and additional features.

The 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station is the most fully featured option in the range. It includes 17 ports in total, covering data transfer, video output, networking, storage expansion, and charging. Headline features include a built-in M.2 SSD expansion slot with 80Gbps throughput, a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, and three 3.5mm audio connections. It can deliver up to 140W of power to a connected laptop and has a total power budget of 240W via a GaN power adapter. The flagship unit is priced at £419.99.

The 10-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station is a more streamlined option with a reduced port selection and lower power budget. It supports up to 100W of laptop charging, includes a 1.0 Gigabit Ethernet port, and uses an SD/TF 3.0 card reader rated at 170MB/s rather than the SD 4.0 slot found on the flagship. There is no M.2 expansion slot or audio output on this model. It is priced at £249.99.

The 10-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Mac mini Dock is designed to sit flush with the Mac mini M4 chassis and is exclusively targeted at macOS users. It includes a built-in M.2 SSD expansion slot (like the 17-in-1), an SD/TF 4.0 card reader, and a hybrid cooling system that combines an aluminium heatsink with an intelligent fan. Upstream power delivery to the Mac mini is limited to 65W. This model does not include an Ethernet port, and pricing has not yet been announced.

Thunderbolt 5: what the standard offers

Thunderbolt 5 is Intel’s current-generation connection standard and doubles the bandwidth available in Thunderbolt 4, moving from 40Gbps to 80Gbps bidirectional, with a boost mode that can reach 120Gbps in one direction when needed for high-bandwidth display output. This makes it suited to driving very high-resolution displays and transferring large files quickly.

The standard also brings improved power delivery, supporting up to 240W over a single cable when paired with a compatible power adapter. For users with high-performance laptops, particularly those with discrete graphics, this headroom is relevant since many current models require 140W or more just for charging under load.

Thunderbolt 5 is currently found in laptops using Intel’s Core Ultra 200 series processors (Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake), as well as Apple’s M4 family of chips. The standard is backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and USB4, though at reduced bandwidth.

Display support

All three Maxidock models support a single display at up to 8K at 60Hz. In dual-display configurations, the behaviour differs depending on the operating system. On Windows, both the 17-in-1 and 10-in-1 models can drive two displays at 8K@60Hz simultaneously. On macOS, the maximum dual-display output drops to 6K@60Hz per screen for both models, which aligns with how Apple handles Thunderbolt display bandwidth allocation.

The Mac mini dock is limited to macOS configurations only and supports the same 8K single or dual 6K@60Hz output. Ugreen states that native dual extended displays work without requiring third-party display drivers on macOS.

Storage expansion

Both the 17-in-1 and the Mac mini dock include an M.2 SSD expansion slot rated at 80Gbps. This is a notable addition for users who work with large files, as it allows a fast NVMe drive to be connected directly through the dock at a speed that is considerably faster than typical USB-based external storage. The 10-in-1 desktop dock does not include this feature.

The card reader provision also differs between models. The 17-in-1 and Mac mini dock both include an SD/TF 4.0 slot, which Ugreen rates at up to 312MB/s. The 10-in-1 dock steps down to an SD/TF 3.0 slot rated at 170MB/s, which may be a consideration for photographers or video editors regularly offloading high-speed cards.

Full specifications at a glance

Cooling

The Mac mini dock includes a hybrid cooling system described by Ugreen as combining a passive aluminium heatsink with intelligent fan control. The two deskbound models do not mention any active cooling provision, which is worth noting given that Thunderbolt 5 hubs can generate meaningful heat, particularly when handling high-speed data transfers and charging simultaneously.

Pricing and availability

Pre-orders for the 17-in-1 and 10-in-1 docking stations are open now on the Ugreen website. Both models go on general sale on 24 March 2026 through Ugreen directly and via Amazon.

• Ugreen Maxidock 17-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station: £419.99
• Ugreen Maxidock 10-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Docking Station: £249.99
• Ugreen Maxidock 10-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Mac mini Dock: pricing TBC, launching early May 2026

At £419.99, the flagship 17-in-1 sits at the upper end of the Thunderbolt docking station market, though Thunderbolt 5 hubs in general carry a premium over their Thunderbolt 4 equivalents. The 10-in-1 at £249.99 is a more accessible entry point for users who do not need the M.2 slot, 2.5G Ethernet, or audio outputs found on the larger model.