We stated this review as Preview, since we only showcased a small portion of the features/abilities of the HLDS UD Station product. This is the first real innovation after so many years from HLDS storage that tries to combine traditional optical storage with today's needs of fast flash memory, the adoption of USB Type-C protocol and the lack of USB ports from many laptops that leads to the use of various USB dongles.

This product so has many ports and in addition a redesigned Android App to further increase its functionality towards users. We have already covered the very good HLDS GP96Y external CD/DVD recorder in depth, and we have even compared it with many other "cheaper" optical drives that being sold at the market with questionable performance/durability.

HLDS took a very good product and upon that build an external case, housing two USB3.2 ports, a Micro SD port, a TypeC connection, an HDMI 1.4 output and more-over a USB2.0 TypeC port for Power delivery. All that with a minimal volume and only 220g weight.

The external of the drive is made out of good PVC that will stand even drops. The design is minimal and for sure it is aimed mainly for MAC users aesthetically. Of course PC users can also use this product without any problems. Remember that nowadays, most laptops only have USB TypeC ports, so after all you will need some kind of dongle to use USB sticks or micro SD cars. Due to the USB 3.2 connection, the reading/writing performance would be great with the HLDS UD Station product. The retail package is minimal and includes a long cable (60cm) that houses both TypeC and TypeC to TypeA converter for your convenient.

The re-designed UD Link App for Android users have been written from scratch and replaces the Disc Link Platinum App that was used with the HLDS GP96Y product. Overall we liked the new App and it’s armed with many features/abilities for end users, now you can store files/images/music either local or in the cloud, which is very convenient. Of course all the well-known features like Audio CD playback/ripping/backup are also present.

DVD-Video playback is also present, even we have to test this among the compatibility with Amazon (FireHD tablets) and Android TV products as well. Keep tuned for an updated final conclusion in the near future.

Positive
+ HLDS completely re-designed UD Link App for Android users
+ Compatibility with the Amazon ecosystem (Amazon Fire tablets)
+ Small dimensions and weight considering the extra features
+ Includes two USB3.2 ports
+ Includes a micro SD/SDXC port
+ Includes an HDMI 1.4 output port
+ Includes a TypeC USB2.0 port for Power Delivery up to 60Watts
+ Retail package includes a long cable (60cm)
+ Used optical drive is GP96Y with very good reading/writing performance
+ Compatible with Android OS (8.0 and above)
+ Firmware updater with Internet connection
+ Quiet operation

Neutral
- .....in progress

Negative
- Retail price of $80 may be found high for low end users
- TrueDVD app now costs $5 for users to view DVD-Video
- used optical drive doesn't report BLER/Jitter measurements
- IOS app would boost further compatibility with Iphone/Ipad community