You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
Can the new Macbook pro with the "M1 pro" chip use dual displays with a single thunderbolt connection or via a dock?
Everywhere I read says the M1 chip has a limitation that only allows one display to be connected via the thunderbolt connection. But I thought I read that the new version with the M1 pro chip fixes this limitation. Is this true?
MacBook Pro (2020 and later)
Dear Jeremy,
It is true that the M1 Pro chip allows more external display connections than the M1. This is what Apple says under the specs of the 14 inch MacBook Pro model:
Video Support
Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion
colors and:
Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Pro) or
Up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Max)
Thunderbolt 4 digital video output
Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)
HDMI digital video output
Support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz
DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
To be honest, I am not 100% sure you can use 2 displays over 1 Thunderbolt 4 port, but I do know that the MacBook Pro models have 3 of those Thunderbold ports, so using 1 Thunderbolt 4 ports per display it is sure that you can use 2 external displays.
Hope it helps :)
Dear Jeremy,
It is true that the M1 Pro chip allows more external display connections than the M1. This is what Apple says under the specs of the 14 inch MacBook Pro model:
Video Support
Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion
colors and:
Up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Pro) or
Up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors (M1 Max)
Thunderbolt 4 digital video output
Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)
HDMI digital video output
Support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz
DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
To be honest, I am not 100% sure you can use 2 displays over 1 Thunderbolt 4 port, but I do know that the MacBook Pro models have 3 of those Thunderbold ports, so using 1 Thunderbolt 4 ports per display it is sure that you can use 2 external displays.
Hope it helps :)
Just to clarify, what Jeremy and I want to do is connect a USB C doc to one USB C port on the new MB Pro with a M1 Pro chip and drive 2 HDMI displays in extend mode. Here is a picture of the desired effect. It looks like there are some docks that do this, but they plug in to 2 USB C ports on the Mac. What I want to know is if a single USB C can drive 2 unique video signals.? Bonus of a link to docks that do this...
Just a guess as I've never favored multiple monitors, but I'd imagine the folks selling that gear can also provide you very specific answers. Or should be able to if they want to max out their profit.
@Jeremy, it looks like you can. I have been doing some research and this forum article listed below gives a pretty good view. The summary is that you need a Thunderbolt 4 Hub NOT a USB C hub. Note that the USB C ports on the MBP are really Thunderbolt 4 ports. The bad news is that these hubs run $200-$400. So I am just going to drive 1 monitor from the HDMI port and 1 from the USB C/Thunderbolt via the std cheapo adapter you get on AMZ.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/m1-pro-max-one-cable-solution.2321817/
Hope this helps
A modern display essentially saturates a modern display-only cable. There is no way to chain HDMI displays, they can barely survive with one on a cable. But if there were a cable that had enough bandwidth to support two separate displays at the same time, something with TWO full speed pathways, ...
... that cable is a ThunderBolt cable, PROVIDED, you are connecting it to a genuine Thunderbolt Display or a genuine ThunderBolt Dock. USB-C has only half as much bandwidth, so the first device MUST be genuine ThunderBolt.
Can new Macbook pro with "M1 pro" chip use dual displays
