HiDock H1 review: A disappointing USB-C dock, but with big potential

HiDock’s H1 USB-C dock represents a titillating departure (or is it an evolution?) far from most contemporary docking stations. About a of the typical connections on this USB-C dock feel nearly admire an afterthought, when compared with this dock’s correct reason: serving as an AI-powered speakerphone of forms, with an connected service for transcribing and summarizing calls. It all feels contemporary and unique.

The direct is this: The accompanying HiNotes transcription app is correct an annoyance or two far from being unquestionably helpful. But HiDock has made the app a earnings play, and many of the H1’s worth unravels as a result. Silent, for $279 there’s a lot right here — so it’s tough to merely brush off this dock out of hand.

Additional reading: Be taught about our roundup of the greatest USB-C dongles and docks to be taught about competing products.

That you just might’t even symbolize the H1’s hardware as “correct” a dock. The HiDock H1 includes two linked devices, all tied to your pc by job of a USB-C cable that’s about 1 meter lengthy (39 inches) and transfers a rated 100W of vitality. The predominant dock involves a tall speaker, with quantity controls, a noise-cancellation slider, and buttons to position and dangle up calls. But there’s also a separate Bluetooth earpiece, tucked into a charging cradle which magnetically connects to the principle dock itself.

Otherwise, the “dock” capabilities are slightly normal. On the rear of the speaker are two HDMI 2.0 ports, two 10Gpbs USB ports (USB-A and USB-C), a 5Gbps USB-A port, 2.5Gbps Ethernet, a vitality port. A 2d 10Gbps USB-C port with 18W charging capabilities, and UHS-II rated microSD and SD card slots could even be found on the side. But again, that’s quite a bit.

With all that, you might well have the argument that this dock deserved a Thunderbolt connection. It doesn’t, though. The H1 gives USB-C with Define Stream Compression (DSC), which means that it is going to also strengthen two shows at 4K resolution. On my default (11th-gen Core) pc, it delivered 4K on one inform at 30Hz, and 1440p on a 2d at 60Hz. On a 2d pc, with a 14th-gen Intel Core internal it, the dock powered two 4K shows at 60Hz apiece as expected. Unfortunately, docks with DSC technology internal maintain the support of contemporary, up-to-date hardware, and pc makers attain a woefully unlucky job of telling you in case your pc will strengthen the typical.

HiDock’s H1, then, is extra accurately compared in opposition to USB-C dongles and docks, nonetheless its mark pushes upwards into the class of Thunderbolt docks.

The dock itself is rather chunkier than you might additionally generally search details from. With the earpiece cradle linked, the length of the dock is ready 8.25 inches, and the depth is 3.5 inches. However the speaker, which points up at an attitude, pushes the waste to 2.75 inches or so. That’s now not a pleasant deal at all, nonetheless it absolutely does imply that the dock could now not fit below a inform. And at 1.15 kilos, that is a desktop tool.

The H1 works pleasing mighty as a standalone audio dock. The mono speaker (7W fat band driver, 5W tweeter) delivers heroic, loud sound, with the quantity dial linked to your pc’s quantity controls. Tapping the quantity dial pauses any audio streams you’ve gotten playing, and lights up a minute LED ring to warn you.

I’m much less impressed by the audio earpiece. First, you’ll must jack up the quantity to maximum to listen to the rest. That you just might even maintain to dial down the background noise-cancellation slider to its heart point and even decrease. (When playing aid Spotify, the audio prick internal and outside in an in every other case restful room till I diminished the slider.) There’s now not tons of fluctuate to the sound, either; the earpiece works greatest for calls, now not music. I also had disaster merely clipping the earpiece to my ear, though I attribute that extra to my need for earbuds. HiDock charges the debate time at eight hours, which I did now not particularly take a look at.

There’s no headphone jack; the built-in speaker and earpiece is the total dock gives in that regard.

The mono speaker (7W fat band driver, 5W tweeter) delivers heroic, loud sound, with the quantity dial linked to your pc’s quantity controls.

I merely could well now not procure the HiDock to file a call or audio that I spoke into it, though, which is one amongst the H1’s selling points. The dock paired with my phone with out direct by job of Bluetooth, and I was as soon as ready to position and then dangle up calls using the dock itself. But there’s a devoted HiDock key on the upper correct that is supposed to originate up recording if held down for 1.5 seconds. There’s a same button on the earpiece that, when held, could restful attain the same part. Neither looked as if it can well work, even when the HiNotes app was as soon as originate and linked.

The AI attitude: HiDock’s HiNotes app

The accompanying HiNotes web app helps you to use the dock to file and transcribe audio, in conjunction with calls, which, on paper, is an especially to hand just.

HiDock promises that the H1 comes with “lifetime transcription,” and that appears to be correct. You’re encouraged to download the HiNotes app on your pc, Chromebook, or Android/iOS phone. Every HiDock comes with a complementary “membership,” the title for the midrange conception. The conventional conception is free, nonetheless you handiest obtain 30 notes. The midrange membership conception gives you an limitless choice of notes — nonetheless, admire the free conception, every display masks is handiest 10 minutes lengthy.

You’ll must pay ($12.99/1,200 minutes, or $119.99 for 12,000 minutes) for a “Pro” subscription that unlocks AI summaries and manual speaker identification. Whenever you add a file, though, the file could even be up to four hours in length. The upshot? You’los angeles final must pay HiDock something to take fat support of the H1’s capabilities.

It will get extra new, alternatively. The HiNotes app is now not a native app nonetheless a web app, both on your phone, computer, and Chromebook. And whereas the desktop apps can organize your recordings, evidently you might additionally handiest file from the mobile app. I believed that you just’d be ready to file a phone call or audio correct by tapping a button on the dock or earpiece, nonetheless that doesn’t seem like the case. The combination correct isn’t as tightly woven as I’d hope.

HiDock gave me some minutes as piece of the Knowledgeable subscription to play spherical with. After I tried transcribing using the “membership” that accompanied the HiDock, HiNotes recorded briefly snippets and phrases. After being upgraded to the professional conception, the transcription auto-formatted into paragraphs. The formatting was as soon as uncommon, too, offering a distinct UI relying on whether I was as soon as viewing the app in portrait or panorama mode, and on a minute or a fat-sized video display. It was as soon as rather disconcerting.

However the standing was as soon as very correct in both cases. I’d maintain loved the recording and the textual command to sync (Microsoft OneNote did this years within the past!) and I had to manually label the speaker each time. Otherwise, though, it was as soon as pleasing impressive.

For me, these nitpicks paled in comparability to the ten-minute limitation. Most of us time desk conference calls in blocks of Half-hour to a fat hour, so a 10-minute audio display masks unquestionably doesn’t prick it. The AI summaries are rather correct though, and aid to have sense of the dialog. Whenever you bought right here to this overview wondering whether I’d prefer HiNotes over an AI-powered service admire Otter.ai, the retort is: no, I wouldn’t.

HiDock H1: Performance

It’s significantly easy to put out of your mind that the H1 is a dock, too! The HiDock H1 was as soon as on the total obtain — though, as infamous above, what resolutions it supports will depend upon your pc. The H1 also every so continually dropped the 4K signal for a 2d or two, ensuing in a unlit display masks nonetheless now not unquestionably disconnecting the inform itself. Otherwise, though, the dock was as soon as obtain.

Merely as a dock, the H1’s efficiency was as soon as rather correct. The dock passed 94W of vitality to the pc (at or end to the all-time excessive) from the compact small 150W vitality brick. Whereas the dock’s metallic chassis stays absolutely cool, the brick heats up rather somewhat, rather alarmingly so. Get the dock, and also you’ll win that every person amongst the warmth is routed to the bottom, which will get rather warmth.

The dock also provided 14.4W out of the USB-C charging port on the side, which would per chance like a flash-payment a smartphone. But again, that is extremely impressive. Even the tons of USB-C port puts out 6.7W, which is extremely correct.

The dock dropped 32 frames out of 10,000 whereas streaming, which was as soon as okay. I didn’t peep any chop or assert whereas streaming, which is mandatory. The dock passed alongside 143MB/s whereas working PCMark’s storage take a look at on my take a look at SSD, on the excessive side of efficiency, though copying a folder fat of tons of files to and from my PC’s desktop across the USB-C cable carried out in a on the total moderate duration of time.

I’m moderately impressed with the HiDock’s efficiency. I will’t convey the worth right here. As a dock, HiDock’s H1 has quite a bit to present, from the dock hardware to the earpiece to the built-in speaker to the HiNotes transcription capabilities. But I will’t aid nonetheless judge that it correct doesn’t are residing up to what it promises: The earpiece is mediocre, and the HiNotes utility is unquestionably designed to lock you into a routine payment to HiDock, even after “procuring” the transcription service that accompanies the dock itself.

The HiDock H1 gives a ton in your money, nonetheless if the total aspects don’t protest as promised, what then? The HiDock H1 wins 3.5 out of 5 stars, balancing between a concerted effort to protest something unique and modern, nonetheless falling short.

Will maintain to restful you aquire the HiDock H1? I’d protect off. I judge that HiDock needs to take a generation or two and restful out the wrinkles. HiDock’s effort is noteworthy of applause, and there’s potential right here. But it’s now not fully carried out in all places in the HiDock H1.

Creator: Tag Hachman, Senior Editor, PCWorld