Ugreen Mac mini SSD Dock review: More storage, more ports

Price When Reviewed

$89.99

Best Prices Today: Ugreen Mac mini 11-in-1 Docking Station with SSD Expansion

Apple’s Mac mini M4 is remarkably compact, but one thing it definitely isn’t is easy or affordable to upgrade. Once you’ve chosen your storage at checkout, you’re locked into it – and Apple’s SSD upgrade prices quickly become eye-watering, rising to thousands of dollars for higher capacities.

That’s why the Ugreen 11-in-1 Docking Station with SSD Expansion is more compelling as a storage upgrade than as a dock. Its biggest selling point isn’t the extra USB ports or card readers, but the built-in M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure that lets you add up to 8TB of fast storage using a standard SSD at a fraction of Apple’s upgrade prices. It transforms the Mac mini into a system with storage you can expand whenever your needs change.

The additional ports are almost a bonus. The dock restores USB-A connectivity and adds SD and microSD card readers, all while matching the Mac mini’s footprint so neatly that it looks like part of the computer rather than an accessory.

Apple’s Mac mini is such an elegant design that placing it on top of a conventional dock feels aesthetically criminal, while also taking up unnecessary desk space. The Mac mini itself offers the essentials – two USB-C ports on the front, three Thunderbolt ports on the back, Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI – but little else.

There’s no USB-A, and while many users won’t miss it, photographers and videographers may miss having built-in SD and microSD card readers. Ugreen’s Mac mini-matching dock solves both shortcomings while discreetly hiding an SSD enclosure underneath, making it the neatest and most affordable way to expand a Mac mini’s storage without compromising its compact design.

Simon Jary

Specs and features: What ports and features does it add?

• One upstream built-in USB-C cable (10Gbps)
• 1x USB-C (power input)
• 2x USB-C (10Gbps)
• 3x USB-A (10Gbps)
• 2x USB-A (5Gbps)
• M.2 SSD Enclosure (up to 8TB capacity)
• UHS-I SD card reader (104MBps)
• UHS-I microSD card reader (104MBps)
• USB-C power supply required

Ugreen calls this an 11-port dock, but there’s really only 10 to play with as the eleventh is required to connect upstream to the Mac mini.

None of these USB ports can output power to external devices, which is a missed opportunity, as hubs and docks are often convenient for charging other devices such as iPhones, iPads and even MacBooks. However, as the USB-C and Thunderbolt ports on the Mac mini itself can charge at 15W this is less of an issue, although iPhone fast charging requires at least 18W.

Two of the dock’s USB-C ports are for attaching devices such as storage drives at 10Gbps.

Ugreen does sell a $299 Thunderbolt 5 Mac mini M4 dock that pushes data transfer bandwidth to 80Gbps. We’ll review that when we’ve got confirmation that it will be available in the U.S. We’ve seen it in the U.K. but strangely not on the other side of the pond.

A third brings power into the dock itself, which provides power in for the SSD when connected to an external USB-C charger. Alternatively, the dock can draw power from your Mac mini.

Simon Jary

The dock has five USB-A ports, which is surely overkill these days. Who has five legacy USB-A devices? If you are forever swapping in and out older thumb drives, then this might be useful. Otherwise, we’d have preferred more USB-C ports, and one with decent charging potential.

None of the USB ports can be used to connect a monitor. The Mac mini itself can simultaneously support up to three displays—two up to 6K over Thunderbolt and one up to 5K Thunderbolt or a 4K over HDMI—so this is not really an issue. However, if one of the USB-C ports was powerful enough to connect to a display, it might free up one of the Mac mini’s Thunderbolts.

The company also sells a model with a DisplayPort instead of two of the USB-C ports if you want to use it to add a monitor with that connection.

Simon Jary

Is the SSD expansion worth it?

Adding internal storage to the Mac mini is inflexible and expensive. It must be customized at the point of purchase, and then it’s set. You can add external storage via the Thunderbolt ports but that is a messy solution when you consider the mini’s compact footprint and good looks.

It’s also ruinously expensive compared to storage you can buy outside of the Apple Store. The base Mac mini M4 comes with 256GB of internal SSD storage. Doubling this via Apple to 512GB will cost you $200, $500 to 1TB, $1,000 to 2TB, $1,800 to 4TB, and $3,800 to 8TB.

A dock such as this is much cheaper and more flexible.

Underneath the dock is a screw-off panel that reveals an SSD slot that can take M.2 NVMe SSDs of types 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280. Maximum capacity is 8TB. Installing an SSD card is pretty easy unless you have giant hands. It comes with a thermal gel strip to help manage temperatures that might otherwise lead to speed throttling.

Where Apple would charge you nearly $4,000 for 8TB, you can buy an SSD card with the same for under $1,500 or more for the very fastest speeds. An extra 1TB might cost you around $180, and 2TB for under $300. Storage prices are volatile, so may be higher or lower when you purchase.

The flexibility lies in the fact that you can upgrade this to a higher-capacity SSD when required. Note that there is no SSD pre-installed and you’ll need to buy this as an extra.

The two card readers at the front of the dock support ultra-portable SD and MicroSD cards. You could just use these for backup storage, but at 104MBps UHS-I they are probably too slow to work directly from while the dock’s internal SSD supports up to 10Gbps.

Simon Jary

How well does it fit the Mac mini M4?

The dock is designed and engineered to match the Mac mini M4, and blends seamlessly while adding the port and slot functionality. It sits underneath the mini.

It connects to the Mac mini via its integrated short 4cm cable, keeping your desk neat and not detracting from the mini’s compact footprint.

If you find the Mac mini’s power button tricky to reach, the dock’s clever cutout means you can turn it on without lifting it. Anti-slip silicone pads on the bottom add stability on the desk.

Simon Jary

Is it good value?

The Ugreen Mac mini 11-in-1 Docking Station with SSD Expansion is priced at $89.99 / £89.99, although there were some discounts available at the time of writing.

It’s also available from Amazon and Amazon U.K. Check our price comparison table in this review for live pricing.

For alternative solutions, see our reviews of the best Mac docking stations.

Should you buy the Ugreen Mac mini 11-in-1 Docking Station?

The principal reason to consider this dock is its built-in SSD enclosure that enables you to flexibly and more affordably add up to 8TB of fast internal storage to your Mac mini setup.

The storage card readers are also potentially useful to mini owners as Apple added one of these only to the pro-level Mac Studio. Five legacy USB-A ports is overkill but the two downstream 10Gbps USB-C ports will prove useful.