The ATEN USB-C 4K mini-dock adds HDMI and USB-A ports to a USB-C device. It is light and ultra-portable.
We like ATEN gear – very well made and works first time, every time. The ATEN USB-C 4K mini dock is precisely what it says with 60W power passthrough to use with most Ultrabooks, MacBooks, Android, iOS/iPadOS, DeX and games consoles like Nintendo Switch (one of its biggest plusses).
ATEN USB-C 4K Mini-dock 60W power passthrough (UH3235)
Website here
Price: $110 from mwave and other computer retailers
Warranty: 2 years
This is a minuscule 93 x 70 x 1.5mm x 55g box – pocket size and about half the width of a pack of fags!
It has a faux gold metal (metallised plastic) enclosure. Simply connect a USB-C to USB-C cable (.5m supplied to ensure 5Gbps) and you have an HDMI 1.4b 4K@30Hz port, USB-A 3.1, gen 1 (with 5V/1A charge) and USB-A 2.0 (5V/300mA). HDMI also supports 1080p@60Hz.
It supports up to PD 3.0 (read more here) 60W and the unit allocates about 7.5W to the ports, and the remained to the computing device. Note that some devices are ‘keyed’ to the original charger – as long as you use it, this device will work. Chargers must support PD 2.0 or later and be at least 25W.
Tests
We tested the unit with a USB-C Acer ConceptD 17” laptop.
- 4K@30Hz – Pass
- 1080p@60Hz – Pass
- 5GBps from USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 – pass (we tested with a Sandisk Extreme Pro Gen 2, and it maxed out)
- 5V/1A from USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 – pass
- 60W PD charge passthrough (we tested with a Moshi ProGeo 65W charger) – Pass
- Samsung DeX and charge tested with a Galaxy Note10+ – Pass
- iPhone 11 Max Pro charge and screen – Pass
GadgetGuy’s take – ATEN USB-C 4K Mini-dock is a perfect 4K dongle
It is small, light and provides much-needed expansion for USB-C computing devices. If you have a Samsung Galaxy DeX support is a nice bonus.
