Another day, another nifty WFH device to streamline work and declutter the home office.
An all-in-one, post-pandemic product, the Logi Dock not only packs in two HDMI ports, five USB-C and USB-A ports and a power port to charge your laptop, but it also comes with a speaker, six microphones and a Bluetooth pairing button. Throw in the five simple touch controls for volume or connecting to a conference or video call as well as simple-to-use software to integrate your calendar, and this elegant solution helps maximize your home office for space and productivity.
When I first saw the Logi Dock at a live event, I felt compelled to give it a try. And now that I finally have it set up on my desktop, I can confidently say that this little black box is worth its premium price tag.
What we liked about it
A decluttering queen
Unlike some, my work-from-home setup is not simple. When my husband takes the desk over, he just plops his laptop on a stand and goes to work. But I need all the accouterments. That includes peripherals like a monitor, a full-size keyboard, a mouse and a stand-alone webcam — not to mention a phone charger and a desk lamp. And this, as you can probably imagine, can come laden with a lot of annoying wires snaking across, and behind, my desk.
Measuring 3.34 inches by 6.3 inches by 5.18 inches, the rectangular Logi Dock may not look like much, but it packs a mighty punch. You can choose from the graphite color I received from Logitech or an off-white, which is what I probably would have bought for myself. Resting on an angled stand, seven fabulous ports (including an HDMI and DisplayPort for dual monitor setups) and one 100W power port are neatly laid out on the back of the device, and I was able to plug in my MacBook, my monitor, my webcam and the USB dongle for my Logi Lift mouse. Another USB-C is on the bottom left-hand side of the dock, which is where I plugged in my iPhone 14 Pro Max. In the end, that left only the Logi Dock’s power cord plugged into the wall.
Then I just set it toward the back of my desk and marveled at how clean and clear everything looked. And because it’s wrapped in fabric, it presents more like a handsome wireless speaker than a geeky dock. A true treat for sore eyes and a formerly cluttered desktop.
A/V club
So, now my desk looks great. But the real magic happens when I need to make or take a call, both voice and video. Logitech does not include a webcam in the dock, and it’s a fair assumption that most of us have our own at this point of the WFH game.
And though you can free up USB ports by directly pairing a wireless Logitech Zone or Logi Bolt webcam, like the Brio 4K Stream, you certainly don’t have to. I had no problem using my Microsoft Modern webcam for all my video calls. Six mics are built in to the dock to enable the remote meeting functions, which encompasses any meeting on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Voice and Google Meet.
Because the mics are beamforming, the dock is meant to help more clearly capture your voice while masking background noise. When I asked folks on the other end of these calls how it sounded, they seemed perfectly happy with the audio quality, though it still couldn’t completely suppress all those NYC noises — like sirens and those infernal honking sessions. Of course, you can also pair your wireless headphones via the Bluetooth button on the back of the box or automatically sync one of the supported headsets, both wireless or USB-C wired.
All I have to do to join a call is tap a button on the top of the box, and ditto if I want to mute myself, adjust the volume or turn my video on or off (the video on/off and mute buttons also light up when you use them so you’ll know what your status is). That also means no more fiddling in-app during the call, which I highly appreciated.
And if you want to listen to tunes or a podcast, you can simply stream your personal audio through the Logi Dock as well. I listened to my Spotify playlists and tuned in to NPR News Now podcasts throughout the day. Though the speaker is omnidirectional, both music and voice sounded good enough, though markedly not as great as what I get on my Sonos speakers.
Calendar integration with Logi Tune
To be able to unlock all the shortcuts built in to the Logi Dock, you’ll want to pair it with the free Logi Tune software. Once it’s downloaded on your computer, you can sync it with your calendar and it will remind you to join meetings by flashing ambient lights on the dock’s underside. As someone who’s been known to lose track of time when I’m writing, having this visual memo was super helpful. Just make sure to go into whatever app you’re using and switch the settings to run through the Logi Dock. This should take only a minute.
You can let Logi Tune live on the right of your screen or keep it closed and allow it to send you alerts. Not only does it let you know you are actively connected to the Logi Dock under the My Devices tab, but you can toggle to check your agenda as well.
What we didn’t like about it
Only supports one calendar
I don’t know about you, but I have a work calendar that lives in Outlook, and a Google calendar for personal stuff. And though I certainly take more meetings from work, I do quite a few Zooms from my Google schedule, including school meetings for my kids, doctor appointments and even some video calls with our family in England. But the Logi Dock makes you choose. It’s not exactly Sophie’s Choice, but when I looked at the Calendar connection in the Settings on Logi Tune, it only gives me offers to let me disconnect my Outlook, not add something else. Which means I have to rely on OG notifications for my personal meetings instead of those groovy blinking lights.
A high price
Unfortunately, the $399 price tag may be the stumbling block for many interested parties when it comes to the Logi Dock. It is the priciest dock on the market, and many people may be content plopping down $80 for the Satechi USB-C hub or $50 for the Totu 9-in-1 hub, our favorite picks for best USB-C hubs.
How it compares
Of course, other serious charging dock contenders aren’t exactly cheap in comparison, and none of them come with a built-in speaker and mics. The Pluggable USB-C 4K docking station may have an SD card reader and support for three monitors, but for $279 it comes with only four USB-C 3.0 ports. The $350 Anker Apex Thunderbolt 4 docking station is a 12-in-1 hub with two HDMI ports and comes with a SD card slot, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, four USB-A ports and just one USB-C port. But, unlike the Logi Dock, it is equipped with an Ethernet port and even a headphone jack.
Bottom line
Working from home can have its ups and downs, but creating a clean, pleasing atmosphere is clutch for most of us sitting at a desk. With a helpful array of ports and inputs, the Logi Dock not only helped me organize and distill the many annoying wires from my peripherals down to just one (yes, one), but it also made hopping on my video calls a cinch.
Between the speaker and six mics, I could play music at my leisure, take a voice call and easily mute and turn my video on and off calls from the constant demands of Zoom and Microsoft Teams, all with the press of a button.
Yes, $300 is pricey, but if a cogent, orderly space is what you’re after, along with the ability to simply control your video calls without fiddling with virtual controls, the Logi Dock is worth every penny.
