Plugable USB-C Stand Dock review: Helping make your tablet more useful

One of the cool parts of owning a great tablet like the iPad Pro or Surface Pro 9 is the versatility. Attach the Type Cover keyboard to the Surface Pro 9 and you get a laptop-like experience. Or with an iPad, you can prop the iPad Pro into the Magic Keyboard, so you get a device great for more casual computing. What's not so great about these devices, though, is the port selection. Tablets (and phones) don't have a lot of ports like a traditional laptop might, so this complicates using them for work.

With my Surface Pro 9, for example, I have an Anker dongle at my desk with two USB-A ports and an HDMI port that connects my Surface to my monitor and my keyboards. Then, with the kickstand propped out, my Surface also often sits right below my monitor at an unnatural angle. This caused me many headaches — until I was offered the chance to review the Plugable USB-C Stand Dock.

This little dock transformed the way I work with my Surface Pro 9, elevating the screen to a natural angle, and also giving me easy ways to connect my keyboard and mouse. It's a really great docking station, even if there are some small issues, like the hinges being a little too tight, and it not being as portable as I had hoped.

About this review: Plugable supplied a USB-C Stand Dock for review and had no input on the content of this article.

Plugable USB-C Stand Dock: Pricing and availability

• You can buy the Plugable USB-C Stand Dock right now through Amazon
• Stock seems to be limited right now

The Plugable USB-C Stand Dock is available through Amazon for $69. It does seem like supplies are limited at the moment, though, as we're seeing that delivery will take up to three weeks. Note that this dock is similar in function to a more premium USB-C dongle. It doesn't have a Thunderbolt certification which is the reason why you'd find it cheaper than most Thunderbolt docks like the CalDigit TS4.

Design: This dock feels like an Apple product

• The Plugable USB-C Stand Dock is made out of aluminum and feels premium
• You get a USB-C cable in the box
• There are rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from moving around
• It's not as portable as it seems

My first thought when I unboxed the Plugable USB-C Stand Dock was about how great it felt. This isn't your cheap plastic docking station. It almost feels like an Apple product.

The device is made of aluminum, from the front supporting arm for the stand portion to the bottom base. The only pieces of plastic I found are on the sides of the hinges and the bottom sides of the base. There are also rubber feet on the bottom, which keep the dock from sliding around when my Surface was slotted into it. Rubber cushions are inserted into the inside grips of the front of the stand, too, to prevent it from scratching your tablet. Heck, it's so premium that you even get a USB-C cable in the box!

While the stand folds flat, it's not exactly portable. The hinges on this dock are pretty tight, so opening and closing the arms after putting it in a bag takes a lot of extra muscle. This is purposeful since the tight hinges stop a tablet from toppling over, but I would have liked to see Allen key screws on the side to help adjust the tension for lighter devices, like a phone. Many popular tablet grips and stands have this feature.

This dock is also pretty big. It combines a docking station and a stand, but the product is much bigger than I thought it would be. It measures 9.13 x 6.02 x 2.01 inches and weighs about 1.23 pounds. For comparison, if you combine the weight of a standard plastic tablet holder/stand from Amazon (0.91 pounds) and an Anker dongle (0.21 pounds) that's only 1.12 pounds. That plastic tablet holder is also more compact, measuring 5.55 x 3.94 x 1.14 inches.

I still like the product overall, though, as the tablet holder/stand on the front can pivot up and down to endless angles. I found this useful for getting the webcam to the right angle for video conferencing when my Surface was docked. It also helped me fit my Surface Pro 9 next to my display at a more natural angle within my eyesight instead of constantly looking down at it.

It's just intuitive. It combines two things that you need when using a tablet for work. Because it's a bit heavy, you'll just want to keep it on your desk for the most part.

Ports: Almost everything you might need

• Offers eight ports in total, but only six are usable for peripherals
• You can connect a single display up to 4K at 30Hz
• You can get 91W pass-through charging

This dock features enough ports to get you a full desktop experience. Counting the USB-C to host and USB-C input for power, you get one HDMI, two USB 3.0 (5Gbps), SD and microSD ports, and an audio jack. So out of the eight advertised, only six ports are technically usable because the two USB-C ports are used for the host connection and charging.

This might be plenty for most people connecting a basic keyboard and mouse, but I definitely needed more. All the ports were occupied when I added this dock to my Surface Pro 9 setup. The two USB-A ports were for my keyboard and mouse, the HDMI port went to my monitor, and the pass-through charging port was used to power my device. I enjoyed the SD card slot when transferring photos I took during Galaxy Unpacked 2023 off my camera to my Surface, but I still wanted more ports beyond these basics.

For one, an extra USB-A port in place of the 3.5 mm headphone jack would have been nice, seeing as there's room for it. I still needed to use a dongle with my Surface Pro 9 when I had to connect a USB drive to my Surface because both USB-A ports went to my keyboard and mouse. And I wouldn't be able to use an ultrawide monitor that could support beyond 60Hz since the limit is 4K at 30 Hz.

The stand was my favorite aspect since it helps elevate your screen off your desk, connected to a monitor or not. This dock can easily turn your tablet or Windows convertible into a simple, quick workstation. You get all the basics you'll need, especially if you want to add a keyboard and mouse. It's perfect for those who don't plan to connect to a display and use an iPad solo with Stage Manager or a Samsung tablet with DeX.

Should you buy the Plugable USB-C Stand Dock?

You should buy the Plugable USB-C Stand Dock if:

• You want to use your tablet with your monitor more naturally
• You own an iPad, Surface, or Samsung tablet
• You want a premium-feeling dock

You shouldn't buy the Plugable USB-C Stand Dock if:

• Your monitor goes beyond 4K @ 30Hz
• You use more than two USB-A accessories with your tablet

All around, the Plugable USB-C Stand Dock is a great dock. It elevates your tablet to a more natural viewing angle when you hook it up to a display for work and gets you extra ports. Just keep in mind that those ports will fill up quickly, and the dock isn't exactly portable. Still, I love the Plugable USB-C Stand Dock, and it's now proudly a part of my desk setup with the rest of my accessories.