Baseus UnionJoy Pro Docking Station review: A ‘Joy’ to behold

The Baseus UnionJoy Pro 17-Port Four-Screen Multifunctional HUB Docking Station (yes, that is its name) is a prime example of quality existing outside of larger brands like Plugable or Anker. To many, Baseus might not be immediately synonymous with quality docking stations and hubs, but that could be set to change.

The UnionJoy Pro is a great way to spearhead that effort, offering plentiful ports and a sizable source of power in a chic chassis. Good for both Windows laptops and MacBooks, the UnionJoy Pro is an impressive docking station with much to offer. But is it one of the best docking stations on the market today? Let’s find out. 

Baseus UnionJoy Pro Docking Station price and availability

Cutting right to the chase, the Baseus UnionJoy Pro 17-Port Four-Screen Mult— oh forget it, Baseus’ dock is available directly from the Baseus website for $199.99.

If we look at docks within the same price range, we have the UGreen’s $199 UGreen 9-in-1 USB-C Docking Station and the $199 Plugable Dual HDMI Docking Station (UD-4VPD) as contenders.

While all three docks have their own strong points, Baseus’ dock comes out on top for port selection, which allows for a higher number of devices and displays to be connected at any one time. On the other hand, Plugable’s UD-4VPD comes out on top for speed and performance, primarily due to its USB4 compatibility.

Baseus’ dock trades outright performance for versatility, and it generally holds up, making its $200 price tag a fair one by most standards.

Baseus UnionJoy Pro Docking Station design

The Baseus UnionJoy Pro is genuinely eye-catching, blending curved edges with flat front and back panels for a supremely modern look and vibe. There’s a sense of style that’s hard to pin down, Baseus’ dock would look equally at home on the desk of an executive — elegantly perched on a mahogany surface as a Newton’s Cradle click-clacks away nearby.

Sadly, I’m not that sophisticated, though the UnionJoy Pro’s aluminum casing still looked pretty damn good on my cheap faux-oak desk next to a dangerously decrepit Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. It really helped elevate the look and feel of my workspace, you know? Just being around it made me want to over-annunciate, start wearing smoking jackets, and grow a pencil mustache — it’s classy!

Even the halo of blue light that encircles the UnionJoy Pro’s grooved power button feels smart and chic. It’s more minuscule monolith than machine, majestically managing a mishmash of moorings by your mandate. That was quite impressive, wasn’t it? You don’t see that in a docking station review very often.

For a dock that manages to cram 17 ports into its frame, it’s also impressively trim measuring 5.83 x 3.46 x 1.93 inches in size. That’s comparable to the rather slim CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4 (5.55 x 4.46 x 1.65 inches), but both dwarf in comparison to other docks that offer fewer ports in both vertical and horizontal footprint.

That would indicate that you can place the Baseus UnionJoy Pro on its side, but its affixed legs will be left poking out and a lack of any rubber grips will leave it skating around your desktop on its belly like you’ve just sucker-punched a cyclopean penguin.

Baseus UnionJoy Pro Docking Station ports and connectivity

The UnionJoy Pro’s 17-port claim is somewhat misleading, given that one of those ports will connect to the 130W power supply and another to the host machine via USB-C. However, this is par for the course with almost all modern docking stations, so I can’t exactly fault Baseus for following the industry standards — even if it is a little misleading. Thankfully, the remaining 15 ports are absolutely nothing to scoff at.

The front of the dock (beyond its power button) features:

• 3 x Type-A USB 3.0 (5Gbps) ports
• 1 x Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps, 20W Power Delivery)
• 1 x Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps, Data only)
• 1 x SD Card reader
• 1 x MicroSD Card reader
• 1 x 3.5mm audio out jack

Spinning the dock around, the UnionJoy Pro’s port offerings continue with:

• (Host) 1 x Type-C USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps, up to 100W of Power Delivery)
• (Power) 1 x DC-in (20V, 6.5A)
• 2 x Type-A USB 2.0 (480Mbps)
• 2 x HDMI 2.0 (supports displays up to 4K @ 60Hz)
• 1 x VGA (supports displays up to 1080p @ 60Hz)
• 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 (supports displays up to 8K @ 30Hz)
• 1 x Gigabit Ethernet

Aside from the UnionJoy Pro’s decision to go with an audio out instead of a mixed audio combo 3.5mm jack (leaving wired headset users in a fluster), there are no major gripes to be had with port offerings. While slower, the variety is decent — with a solid amount of legacy USB support for peripherals.

Baseus UnionJoy Pro Docking Station performance

Baseus’ docking station requires a simple plug-and-play setup that can get to work right away without installing software or downloading drivers. Connect it to an available USB-C/USB4/Thunderbolt port, and you’ll have immediate access to all 15 of the docking stations remaining ports without hassle.

I took Baseus’ dock for a week-long UnionJoyride and can happily report that it won’t crumble like a poorly made pie crust under pressure. Each of the ports were readily accessible when needed, and everything functioned perfectly and as advertised.

My typical setup consists of a 39W laptop, a wireless keyboard and mouse, an external mic, an external 4K display, and an iPad I use to satiate the needs of my lizard brain for quickfire YouTube Shorts content — the UnionJoy Pro powered through it all.

Through VGA, HDMI, or DisplayPort connections, external displays run smoothly without any lag or stuttering hiccups — even while the dock is running at near full capacity.

While the UnionJoy Pro is capable of running up to four displays at once (with three in 4K @ 60Hz and one in 1080p @ 60Hz), I had to settle for two at most in 4K. Not because of the limitations of Baseus’ device, but more due to the fact I’m not filthy rich — and that my ramshackle desk would likely collapse under the weight of all 16 of those K’s.

Unsurprisingly, in much the same way the UnionJoy Pro handled one display, Baseus’ dock didn’t break a sweat when juggling two. It also didn’t suffer from much thermal build-up while under heavy load. Even after a long day, the UnionJoy Pro silently chugged along without causing any fuss, or without turning into a 1.3 pound chunk of thermite ready to scorch its way through every surface below it like Xenomorph ichor.

Speaking of, I connected a more powerful laptop to the UnionJoy Pro to see how it handled a larger power draw while gaming. I got knee-deep in shell casings and acid blood during a few hours of Aliens: Dark Descent, and while this laptop is tailored for a 140W charge, the UnionJoy Pro’s 100W of Power Delivery adequately kept things flowing without a hitch.

However, admittedly, more commanding, power-hungry configurations (Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070+, AMD Radeon RX 6800M+) will begin to struggle with keeping things topped up with just 100W of juice at hand.

Bottom line

The Baseus UnionJoy Pro 17-Port Four-Screen Multifunctional HUB Docking Station won’t just snatch your breath away trying to recite its name, it’ll also impress with its power supply and port expansion — all available at a reasonable price.

It won’t rival the speeds of Thunderbolt docks, but its versatility is undeniable. If you’ve got plenty of peripherals pursuing a place to plug into and are perpetually pained by a poverty of ports then pick… Nope. Ran out of P’s. It’s a great dock, feel free to check it out further.