Logitech Logi Dock review: So good, they almost named it twice

The Logitech Logi Dock is either a dock with conferencing capabilities or a conferencing tool with dock functionality. Honestly, it’s hard to say either way. What I know for sure is that Logitech’s docking station makes for a fine desktop companion, especially for those with limited space.

Logitech’s prowess in delivering fantastic peripherals and accessories almost goes without saying at this point. Be it a mouse, keyboard, or deep-sea diving gamepad, Logitech has you covered. The Logi Dock is no exception, offering a fantastic dock with built-in audio and conferencing tools alongside a fair amount of ports.

If you’re in the market for a dock to suit your business needs, I’ll cut right to the chase and let you know that the Logi Dock is one of the best docking stations to serve that purpose. Even if you’re just looking for an all-in-one solution for port expansion, better audio, and serious power delivery, then Logitech’s dock is also well worth a second look.

However, if you’re looking for something small and portable, you might find one of the best USB Type-C hubs more to your liking as the Logitech is most certainly a homebody – and well worth a permanent spot in your setup.

LOGITECH LOGI DOCK PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

There’s nothing more reassuring about your judgment on a product than when you feel a pang of guilt inside when having to start things off by mentioning its price. Talking about the Logi Dock’s price so soon does feel like I’m poisoning the well, but it’s important to point this out now so nobody’s hopes are dashed further into the review.

The Logi Dock is available in graphite or white from Logitech’s website for a staggering $449.99. However, you can shave a considerable sum off of things by shopping around at places like Best Buy ($319), Newegg ($312), and Amazon ($324).

At its original MSRP, the Logi Dock finds itself in the same price range as Targus’ $442.99 USB-C Universal Quad 4K Docking Station – a device that features a wider variety of ports, but doesn’t feature any of the Logi Dock’s conferencing capabilities nor its built-in speakers or Bluetooth connectivity.

That being said, both devices are beaten in terms of port selection, price, and performance by one of our favorite (and somewhat cheaper at $399) docks, the CalDigit Thunderbolt Station 4. Once again, while offering better docking station functionality, this dock doesn’t include the conferencing support nor built-in speakers found in the Logi Dock.

LOGITECH LOGI DOCK DESIGN

Logitech’s device isn’t just the best-looking dock I’ve seen — it’s the most attractive laptop or desktop accessory I’ve ever laid hands on. At a glance, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the Logi Dock as a chunky small-scale soundbar because, in a way, I suppose that’s exactly what it is.

The Logi Dock’s lid is composed of a slightly beveled, textured plastic and is adorned by five touch-sensitive buttons that can enable or disable your mic or webcam during conference calls, volume up and down buttons, and a central button used to quickly accept, or put an end to calls. There are also six perforations in the lid that house each of the Logi Dock’s six, noise-canceling, beamforming mics.

The main body of the dock is shrouded in a surprisingly durable fabric resistant to bobbling or snaring. Not that the dock will see much travel, but you won’t have to worry about catching the material as you move the dock around to connect a new device or reposition it on your desk.

The dock itself is angled upwards to direct its audio better, and includes underside lighting that alerts you to an upcoming call (white) or if your mic is currently muted (red). It’s a nice touch, especially if you want to avoid those awkward moments when it’s your turn to talk during a meeting only to find you’ve been on mute for the first 30 seconds.

At 6.29 inches wide and 5.1 inches deep, the Logi Dock won’t take up much more surface area than most docks, but its height is another story altogether – standing 3.3 inches at its peak Logitech’s dock isn’t blending into the background anytime soon.

However, for all of its chunky dimensions, the dock’s slick presentation and mostly speaker-fronting design don’t make it an eyesore in the slightest. It works as a real centerpiece and can add a sense of premium flair to even the blandest of setups.

LOGITECH LOGI DOCK PORTS AND CONNECTIVITY

The Logi Dock is cable management heaven with all but one of its ports placed squarely on the rear of the device out of sight. However, this means you’ll likely have to fumble around the back of the dock should you want to plug in a new device or USB thumb drive. But I can live with that if my workstation looks cleaner than a nun’s rap sheet as a result.

Spin Logitech’s dock around and you’ll be greeted by DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 ports that can each drive an external monitor at 4K resolutions with HDR @ 60Hz, two USB Type-A 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports that deliver 4.5W and 7.5W of charging, two USB Type-C 3,1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports both serving 4.5W of charge, a USB Type-C port for the host connection with up to 100W of Power Delivery, the 230W AC power port, and a Kensington security slot. Discreetly tucked away on the side of the dock is another USB Type-C port that delivers 7.5W of fast charging.

You’ll also find a Bluetooth 5.1 Sync button on the rear of the Logi Dock that makes it super simple to connect up to seven additional wireless peripherals and devices. If you own a pair of Logitech Zone True Wireless earbuds, you can pair them with the dock, automatically switching your audio to the earbuds whenever you wear them.

For the Logi Dock’s size, I’d expect more in terms of port selection. With a clear focus being placed on conferencing, at the very least, I would’ve expected an Ethernet port to ensure a solid and reliable connection. Nobody appreciates laggy, hacked-apart audio during meetings after all.

That being said, the inclusion of Bluetooth as a connection option does expand the dock’s offerings to a large degree, with most modern wireless mice and keyboards being Bluetooth enabled. This keeps the physical ports free, expanding the dock’s port offerings and capabilities by some margin.

Still, for the price you pay, the lack of Thunderbolt support or even an SD card reader does stick out like a sore thumb.

LOGITECH LOGI DOCK AUDIO

The Logi Dock houses a pair of custom, 55mm neodymium audio drivers in an anti-vibration acoustic enclosure which provide significantly mighty stereophonic sound, with a surprisingly hefty bass emboldened by the dock’s side-mounted passive radiators.

It’s no wonder Logitech went for an anti-vibration enclosure as the bass on the Logi Dock hits so hard that without it you’d have a speaker whose bass could be accurately measured by Richter scale. It’s a little overwhelming at lower volumes and can sound slightly muddy, but crank things up and you’ll be swimming in rich soundscapes ready to be fully immersed in your next Netflix binge.

The thumping bass on offer results in so little vibration that it barely registers. Likely due to the fact that while at peak volume, your hands will no longer be on your laptop or desk – they’ll be cupping your eardrums as you shield your ability to hear from the Logi Dock’s relentless tsunami of distortion-free sound.

The careful balancing of the Logi Dock’s audio drivers isn’t just great for music and entertainment, but during conference calls; you’ll hear voices in crystal clear clarity. The fantastic volume and additional bass helped elevate voices clearly without ever making them sound muddied or muffled.

Once you’ve experienced the powerful audio potential that Logitech’s dock has to offer, its lofty price tag begins to make a little more sense. This isn’t a tacked-on extra or an ill-thought-out gimmick – it’s a genuinely impressive feature that could be torn out and sold as a high-quality product in its own right.

LOGITECH LOGI DOCK PERFORMANCE

My workstation isn’t the biggest, so having the Logi Dock on hand for the last week meant I gained all the benefits of a decent sound setup and the functionality of a dock without sacrificing much space on my desk.

With 100W of Power Delivery on hand to my laptop, I never worried about running out of juice, and with so many of Logi Dock’s ports offering charge and fast charge of their own, I was never concerned about my devices running flat either. The dock’s sizable 230W power supply kept everything ticking smoothly, even at max capacity.

Throughout the week, I used the dock’s ability to sync up with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet to remind me of my upcoming meetings, which I then joined with a single tap of the Logi Dock’s primary button.

The audio that came through during meetings was clear and legible at all times, though I did notice in testing that my own voice would sound thin and tinny at times. Nevertheless, the noise-canceling feature did a great job of isolating my voice from any background racket, and it was still entirely serviceable.

Hooking up an external display to the Logi Dock gave me a much larger canvas to work from, and not once did I notice any lag or stutter – just crisp and smooth images time and time again regardless of whether I used a DisplayPort or HDMI connection.

Mac users may find themselves having to install DisplayLink Manager if they’re looking to expand their screen to a second or third monitor if they want to avoid any persistent issues with black screens while watching Netflix, but it’s otherwise a pretty straightforward and hassle-free setup.

From the moment I set up the Logi Dock, I was convinced that by the end of the week, my primary concern would be with the lack of legacy USB Type-A ports on offer. However, thanks to the Bluetooth Sync button, those two ports were all that I needed after connecting my mouse and keyboard wirelessly.

Instead, my primary issue was with the lack of an SD card reader. Transferring images from my camera to my laptop became a needless hassle without one, and only left me puzzled as to why something as important to many wasn’t included in the dock’s layout.

On reflection, these are minor gripes. The overall performance of the Logi Dock was beyond what I expected. It took on the roles of two very separate devices and, for the most part, proved to be highly capable of doing both.