Review: MagFit Vertical Mac mini Docking Station

Review unit provided by Magfit

Flat docking stations and hubs for the Mac mini are common but vertical ones are rare. This vertical Mac mini docking station from Magfit is priced at US $174.90 at the time of this review.

The main selling points are the numerous ports for connectivity, it doesn't take up much table space and it looks good. The main downside or limitation is there are no USB-C output ports.

These are the items included:

• The stand with two magnetic holders
• 33W GaN charger
• USB-C 100W power cable
• 8K full-sized HDMI cable

The magnetic base and holders are padded with thick rubber to prevent scratches on the Mac mini.

Beneath the stand are four rubber feet with good grip on the table.

When the Mac mini is fitted, all the ports are towards the back.

These are the two USB 3.1 type A ports and a 3.5mm audio jack.

I was able to get 562MB/s read and 617MB/s write speeds with a Samsung T7 SSD, and 654MB/s read and 637MB/s write with a Samsung EVO 970 Plus in a USB 4 NVMe enclosure.

The ports here, L to R, are full-sized HDMI (4K 60Hz), USB 2 type A, Ethernet and USB-C power input

The HDMI port works fine. I wasn't able to test the Ethernet speed though.

This docking station is powered so it will be able handle USB devices that require more power such as spinning external drives. The earlier Mac mini flat docking station wasn't powered and was unable to power the NVMe enclosure.

The ports on this side are full-size SD card slot, micro SD card slot and USB-C input from the Mac mini. Transfer speed for the SD card slot is 90MB/s.

The vertical docking station does take up less space compared to flat docking stations or having the Mac mini flat on the table. Personally, I don't actually mind flat docking stations but many of those products are usually limited by USB 3 speeds or are not powered to handle spinning mechanical drives. And I like to put stuff on top of my Mac mini.

Video review

Conclusion

The Magfit vertical Mac mini docking station is a good looking product with solid build quality. It may be pricey, but it works as advertised with reasonably faster USB 3.1 transfer speeds that are fast enough for editing 4K 60FPS videos. The limitation is there are no USB-C output ports. Another downside is the docking station produces this electric current sound but it's not that loud and blends with ambient noise.

If you're interested to get this product, you can find it on Magfit online store. Use coupon code Teohontech for 10% off.