The ALOGIC USB-C Dock Wave is a curious device – in a good way. It is a USB-C dock/dongle/hub with Power Pass-through, Power Bank and a Wireless Charger. It is my new travel friend.
We think the ALOGIC USB-C Dock Wave is perfect for travellers who want a USB-C dock with 4K HDMI, 2 x USB-A, microSD and a USB-C port for power passthrough. Oh, and it has a 5,000mAh battery and a 5W Qi charger.
We put the ALOGIC USB-C Dock Wave through its paces and were delighted that it not only handled Mac, Windows and Android but Chrome books and Samsung DeX.
ALOGIC USB-C Dock Wave | ALL-IN-ONE / USB-C Hub with Power Delivery, Power Bank and Wireless Charger (ULDWAV-SGR)
Website here
Price: $179 at JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman
Aristotle, the Philosopher, said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, and that is the best way to describe this. But we need to analyse each part then we can look at the whole.
Qi Charger 5W – Pass
A Qi 5W charger will charge iPhone8 (7.5W) or Samsung Galaxy/Note or later (15W or more) – it is just a bit, well a lot slower. I have 5W Qi pads (for my Samsung Note10) beside my bed as it does not matter if it takes eight hours. For the most part, is topping up my days use ready for tomorrow anyway.
So as long as you have the time, this is a perfect pad to keep the phone on when you are not using it. And Qi is far kinder than fast charging to the batteries as well. It will also charge AirPods.
Test: It delivered 5V/.952A (4.71W) to a Samsung Note10 showing excellent QI efficiency – Pass.
USB-C ‘dongle’ – Pass with a caveat
It has
- 4K@30Hz port (that will run 1080@60Hz)
- 2 x USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 5Gbps ports with a shared 5V/2.4A output. This is useful for keyboard, mouse, flash drive, even portable hard disks.
- Shared microSD or SD card slot
- USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 to charge the power bank and supports PD 2.0 5/9/15/20V to a maximum of 3A (60W). Note that it does not support power or data downstream p you cannot plug a USB-C device into it.
- An integrated upstream USB-C cable to attach to a computer or smartphone
Now for the catch of all USB-C docks – they consume power to provide the dock function. This is generally up to 15W so while the dock can pass-though 60W power it can have a little as 45W to use.
Note: It may work for a device drawing 60W but depends on the power draw of the connected devices connected to the dock.
The Caveat – it would have been nice for the USB-C port to support down-stream data/power use but I suspect that is an issue with all USB-C docks.
DeX – Amazing – Exceed
If you are a Samsung Galaxy S or Note user, it fully supports DeX over USB-C and passthrough power or QI charging.
It also supports Android OTG so it may also project another brands screen. This is a significant benefit over several other USB-C docks.
Battery – Pass
It has a 5,000mAh battery using 3.7V Lithium-Ion 18650 cells in parallel – that is an 18.5W supply or 3,700mAh at 5V.
So, the real recharge capacity is about sufficient for a 3000-4000mAh smartphone. It may give you about a 45% charge of a 45Wh notebook battery.
Still, the power bank performs as promised – 5V/3.7A (18.5W) on tap.
Build – Exceed
125 (L) x 70 (W) x 20.5 (H) mm x 220g. Made from ABS (Top Cover) and TPE SR cable. It will withstand a drop.
It has a four-indicator power LED (25% increments) as well as a Qi LED.
GadgetGuy’s take – ALOGIC USB-C Dock Wave is a great performer, especially for a traveller
We review a lot of USB-C devices and docks, but this is the most holistic – it has it all – almost.
My only minor issues are
- The integrated USB-C 19.5cm cable can be a bit short and lacks any storage ‘dock’ in the device – minor.
- The USB-C port is for power-in charging and passthrough only.
We recommend it for any person that can use a USB-C dock with up to 60W power passthrough and who wants a 5W Qi charge pad as well. Note that it uses your USB-C charger – not supplied.
You can read about ALOGIC’s new breed of PD 3.0, USB-C, 27000mAh power bank here – it’s a biggun!
