How to improve external display quality on MacBook Air M4?

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How to improve external display quality on MacBook Air M4?

I have a MacBook Air M4 2025 and I want to use this with a Dell monitor that doesn't have a USB-C port. The official Apple AV Adaptor works but is limited to a resolution of 1080. Is this a limitation of the laptop or of the adaptor?

Specifically, if I buy a third-party USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 cable, will this also be limited to 1080?

many thanks

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: MacBook Air M4 External Display

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15.5

Posted on Jul 23, 2025 11:35 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 24, 2025 12:04 AM in response to hwj27

Good question — and I’ve seen others run into the same limitation.

The 1080p cap you’re seeing is due to the Apple AV Adapter, not your MacBook Air M4. That adapter supports HDMI 1.4, which maxes out at 1080p at 60Hz on many monitors.

Your MacBook Air M4 does support external displays at higher resolutions, especially through DisplayPort.

So yes — if you use a USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 cable (from a good brand), you should be able to get higher resolutions like 1440p or even 4K, depending on what your Dell monitor supports.

Just make sure:

The cable supports DisplayPort 1.4
The monitor has a DisplayPort input (not just VGA or DVI)
Your macOS is updated

Hope that helps!

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