The Orico MiniPro Dock Case does turn your Mac mini into a cute mini Mac Pro replica, but it's not just the small size that's limiting.
The current generation of Mac mini has become a favorite among enclosure designers, since it can easily be placed inside a casing and made to look like something else. Sometimes, this can look like other retro computers, and do so with great effect.
In the case of the Orico MiniPro Dock Case, the intention was to create something that borrowed its appearance from something historically associated with performance. In effect, the Orico MiniPro Dock Case is an enclosure that turns the Mac mini into a cheese grater Mac Pro.
A Mac mini and an enclosure like this are certainly going to be cheaper than the real thing. To Orico's credit, the case is designed to be a tiny bit more than decorative.
There's much room for improvement, though.
Orico MiniPro Dock Case review: Physical Design
As you can anticipate, the Orico MiniPro Dock looks a lot like the Mac Pro, albeit scaled down considerably. The front has holes vaguely reminiscent of the real thing, as well as a similar grid on the rear, but with cut-outs to provide access to the Mac mini's ports.
On one side is a flat panel with Orico branding, while the other has a very large circular hole for the base of the Mac mini itself. This provides actual ventilation for the Mac mini while the grids at the front and back are purely decorative.
Orico MiniPro Dock Case review: The opened enclosure
The aluminum enclosure also has a handily placed, smaller hole, so you can poke a finger through to power on the Mac mini itself.
Continuing the Mac Pro aesthetic, there is a pair of shiny handles on the top, while the base has four circular feet.
At 150mm by 180mm (5.9 inches by 7.1 inches) and 56mm (2.2 inches) thick, it's an extremely compact homage to the larger version.
Actually sliding the Mac mini into the case is quite easy. A sliding button on the top unclips the hole-covered side, so you can put the Mac mini in and replace the cover.
The case does include some silicone lining in the corners, holding the Mac mini away from the aluminum case itself. It's a snug fit, but if you're patient, you can wiggle the Mac mini out without a ton of difficulty.
Orico MiniPro Dock Case review: Connectivity
While you do have access to the original ports on the Mac mini itself, there are some others built into the case itself. The front has SD and TF 3.0 memory card reader slots, which are handy for photographers. The quoted transfer speeds of up to 100 megabytes is optimistic, though, as we got about 56 megabytes per second with a very fast SD card.
Around the back, there are a pair of USB-A ports with a maximum speed of 10Gbps, as well as a USB-C port.
Orico MiniPro Dock Case review: Port access at the front and back.
This last USB-C port is used to connect the case to one of the Thunderbolt ports on the enclosed Mac mini. A short data cable is provided.
You could optionally hook it up to a nearby computer if you don't want to actually use a Mac mini with it, which turns it into a fairly large dock with minimal utility.
Orico MiniPro Dock Case review: Storage and speed concerns
The underside of the MiniPro Dock Case houses a space that can be used to house an M.2 NVMe drive. After removing a flap, you can insert the stick, which is accessed through the same USB-C connection as other ports.
Versions of the case are also available with built-in storage at 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB, but you cannot change the storage on these versions. The DIY model can accept up to 8TB.
This does help the dock become more useful, in that you now get a load of storage you can access on the Mac mini without needing a separate enclosure.
Orico MiniPro Dock Case review: The base hides a hatch to install M.2 NVMe storage.
However, the problem here is the actual connection to the Mac mini. It's USB-C, running at a top, total bandwidth of 10Gbps.
The problem, as we have observed with other docks, is that putting an external drive and multiple other connections to use with this little bandwidth can induce a performance problem. You cannot expect to get full-bore bandwidth with storage if you're also accessing other drives connected using USB.
That said, this is a problem more for people who need to access masses of data quickly, such as content creators. Typical home users probably won't hit the same sort of limitation as often, so it probably won't be a giant issue.
Orico MiniPro Dock Case review: Fun, but could've been more Pro
Since the M4 Mac mini launched in the new form factor, the first one in many years, there hasn't been a shortage of docks, enclosures, and other peripherals.
Some are good, some have been pretty bad and hit Wi-Fi strength and speed.
I am happy to report that this one does not impede wireless, just because of its thoughtful design. It is more of a slow SSD enclosure than a dock, per se, but it delivers that, plus legacy fast-enough ports, and more.
Perhaps more importantly, it's fun. It's a tiny Mac Pro enclosure to jam your Mac mini into; it's portable enough as it's bus-powered.
The only ding — and it's a significant one — is the 10 gigabit speed from the dock. If speed isn't an issue, then this is okay, but we'd really prefer a 40gbit or 80gbit version of this for more money, obviously.
All told, though, I like it. It'll be fine for casual use of the SSD. It just won't deliver the blistering speed that the Thunderbolt port that you're giving up will provide.
Orico MiniPro Dock Case pros
- A cute Mac Pro mini-me
- Easily accessible power button
- Built-in storage options
Orico MiniPro Dock Case cons
- Small port selection, but this is expected at this pricepoint, mostly.
- Bandwidth constrained
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Orico, please. Deliver a USB4 model of this dock. Size doesn't matter here, speed does.
Where to buy the Orico MiniPro Dock Case
The Orico MiniPro Dock Case is available from Orico directly, priced at $98.99 for the DIY enclosure, which is the model that we recommend. A 1TB version is $159.99, while 2TB is $259.99.
It's also available on Amazon, on sale for at $103.99 for the DIY model, rising to $269.99 for 2TB.
