Razer Handheld Dock Chroma Review – Handy Handheld Accessory

Unboxing the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma

Kicking off the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma review with the unboxing, the packaging comes in your standard Razer affair, clad in its signature green and black color scheme. I honestly thought the box would be bigger as this one is rather small but after going through what’s inside, it made sense why it was kept at this size. Without further ado, this is what we found inside:

• Documentations
• Razer stickers
• The Razer Handheld Dock Chroma itself

Specifications

Connection Type	USB-C
I/Os	USB-C (Input) @ 100W PD 3x USB A Gen 1 (5 Gbps) 1x GbE
Video Output	HDMI 2.0
Adjustable Viewing Angle	2 Stages (45° / 75°)
Razer Chroma RGB	Yes
Material	Aluminium and Plastic

The Good

There are number of reasons why one would consider getting the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma. For starters, it’s built well with a good mix of aluminum and plastic which gives it a premium, durable construction. Furthermore, it has a collapsible design which makes it very convenient to travel with. The icing on the cake here is that you have two adjustable angles to use this with for added versatility; 45° and 75°. Given that it’s designed for handhelds, you’d definitely want its accessories to be just as portable, otherwise it would just become a pain to use.

Next up, it’s compatible with a wide variety of handheld gaming devices. This includes the likes of the ROG Ally, LEGION Go, Steam Deck, and similar handhelds. Interestingly, it’s also compatible with tablets, including the iPad, and even the Nintendo Switch. The key here is to use it with a portable gadget that utilizes USB-C connectivity, and it can easily keep the device charged up as well thanks to 100W passthrough charging support via Power Delivery.

Speaking of power delivery, it has a good array of connectivity options. This includes a Gigabit Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.0 port, a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connector, and three USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports. This basically lets you turn your handheld gaming device into a full-fledged PC with enough ports to output to an external display while also letting you using a mouse, keyboard and a controller. Some people may view HDMI 2.0 as a bad choice, especially since it’s limited to 4K 60Hz but realistically, every handheld available today would struggle to do 4K gaming anyway so it’s not a big deal. In the future, it might be useful to have but by then, I’m sure we’d have newer docks as well.

Lastly, and this one might not be a big deal but it’s certainly is an eye candy, it has RGB lighting via Razer Chroma. It doesn’t add any functionality apart from letting people know that power is going through the dock but seeing colored lights changing and what not while in use is certainly pleasing to see. There’s even a dedicated physical button for users to change the lighting for a more tailored, personalized experience.

Looking for a good gaming mouse to go along with this? Check out our Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K review by clicking right here.

The Bad

Of course, it has its share of drawbacks as well. For starters, while the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma has a good array of connectivity options, it would have been much better if it included a DisplayPort. Sure, you can make use of the USB-C port if you really wanted it but that also means sacrificing its use and lead you to want another dedicated USB-C port as a result. The USB-C port is also particularly important for charging so unless you’re using a powered USB-C port like the ones from the Dell Ultrasharp monitors, it might not be feasible.

Next up, the USB-C connector’s position isn’t exactly ideal, at least universally. While a good number of PC gaming-based handhelds have a USB-C port on top, the iPad’s and Nintendo Switch’s port are at the bottom. While the latter can still be used if you placed it upside down on the dock, using a larger tablet like the iPad Pro might be difficult as the USB-C connector is a bit short. You might be able to place it a little more to one side to ensure reach but the tablet might be sticking too far out as a result.

While this won’t necessarily apply to all handhelds, it’s worth noting as the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma has the potential of blocking the device’s air intake vents. If your handheld has air intake vents on the rear, it might get blocked by the stand regardless of the angle its being set to. For future iterations, I hope that Razer would consider putting in two 120mm fans or a single large 200mm fan on the stand to not only prevent any handheld from choking for air but also to improve cooling performance, which would be a pretty good selling point on its own.

Lastly, while the Razer Handheld Dock Chroma is pretty useful, it might be hard to convince gamers given its price. It’s currently retailing for RM379, which isn’t exactly expensive, but one can get a dock with similar features and functionalities at lower prices. Of course, you can always wait for a discount if you really want this specific dock.

Razer Handheld Dock Chroma Verdict

The Razer Handheld Dock Chroma is a pretty useful accessory, especially since it adds functionalities and convenience to handheld gaming devices and tablets. Is it necessary to have one? No, but it wouldn’t be a bad deal to get one either. Ultimately, it depends on whether you’re willing to spend for Razer’s one or if you’d rather opt for something cheaper online, which may not exactly be ideal in terms of quality control and aftersales support. Also, you should take note of where your handheld’s air intake and exhaust are located as it might get blocked out by the stand, which should definitely steer you away from getting this.

At the end of our Razer Handheld Dock Chroma review, I award this gaming accessory with our Bronze Pokdeward.

Big thanks to Razer Asia Pacific for sending us this dock for the purpose of this review.