CES 2022: Plugable Introduces UD-6950PDZ Triple 4K HDMI / DisplayPort Docking Station

Plugable is introducing two new products at the 2022 CES – the UD-6950PDZ docking station, and the USB4-HUB3A USB4 hub. The docking station is technically the more interesting one, enabling three different 4K display outputs with a choice of either a HDMI connection or DisplayPort one on each.

The docking station has a Type-C port for uplink, providing up to 60W for host charging. It is bundled with a 110W power brick. On the downstream side, the UD-6950PDZ has 6 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports (four in the rear, and two in front), a combo audio jack in front, and a gigabit Ethernet port. The key differentiating aspect of the product is that the docking station supports multiple display outputs even if the host system supports only one on the uplink Type-C port (The Apple M1-based systems are examples). The product uses a DisplayLink chipset (likely to the be the DL6950) internally along with the Alternate Mode stream to enable a total of three simultaneous display outputs. The docking station is priced at $249 and will be available for purchase later this quarter.

The USB4-HUB3A is a Goshen Ridge product following up on the footsteps of the TBT4-HUB3C introduced last year. It translates a single USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 port on the host system into three additional USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 10 Gbps Type-A port.

The new USB4-HUB3A carries over all the features and add-ons of the TBT4-HUB3C including the USBC-HDMI adapter cable and the 60W host charging feature. The sole difference is the addition of the USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port in the front. The hub is priced at $189 and is available for purchase today.

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