Plugable’s expansive new 13-port USB-C desktop dock adds dual 4K displays

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Plugable's expansive new 13-port USB-C desktop dock adds dual 4K displays
With the Plugable UD-6950PDH on your desktop, your Mac can have 13 more ports and two more 4K monitors.
Photo: Plugable

The Plugable UD-6950PDH is a just-launched USB-C dock that lets Mac users add a wide variety of accessories via a whopping 13 ports. And that includes a pair of 4K monitors even on Macs that not designed to handle that many.

On top of that, the dock offers 100W of power for charging high-end MacBooks.

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Plugable UD-6950PDH: Kludgy name for a capable USB-C dock

MacBooks with an M1 or M2 processor support just a single external monitor. Fortunately, there’s a workaround using DisplayLink tech, and Plugable’s new dock uses it to enable otherwise-limited Macs to add two 4K 60Hz displays.

For greater flexibility, the UD-6950PDH sports two DisplayPort ports and two HDMI ports in pairs. Plug one monitor of either type into each pair. Just be aware, DisplayLink software is required for M1/M2 computers to access two external monitors.

And the dock is just getting started. “In addition to the extra displays, this USB-C docking station comes packed with enough ports for all the peripherals a user might need,” promises Plugable.

The dock features five USB-A ports with transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps for users to add a keyboard, mouse, phone charger, etc. There are also separate audio-in and audio-out ports for headphones and a microphone. A Gigabit Ethernet port and SD and microSD card readers round out the selection.

Plugable UD-6950PDH ports
The UD-6950PDH’s total of 13 ports comes even when the DisplayPort/HDMI pairs are counted as a single port.
Photo: Plugable

All these additional ports come with a single connection to a USB-C port on the host Mac. The only USB-C port is the “upstream” one because there’s not bandwidth for more.

The Plugable UD-6950PDH launched Tuesday from a variety of online retailers. The list price is $259, but Amazon is offering a $15-off launch coupon.

Buy from: Amazon

For a docking station that adds even more external monitors to your Mac, check the Plugable UD-ULTC4K.

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