Portable monitors - Lenovo and MacBook Pro

Question

Level 1

4 points

Portable monitors - Lenovo and MacBook Pro

I have a MacBook Pro 2021 and want to use a Lenovo Portable Monitor (L15).

When I connect connect the monitor via USB-C to both devices and also connect the monitor to the power I get an image.

However if I disconnect the monitor from the power supply and try to draw the power from the MacBook it keeps turning the monitor on / off. Irrespective of the Macbook being plugged in to power or not?

I've tested the monitor with my sons MS Surface Pro (sorry but he has one from school) and that powers the monitor fine without being plugged into the power.

Any ideas? As it would seem that the MacBook is not able to send a constant power through to the monitor?

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.2

Posted on Feb 4, 2023 12:26 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Vilas_S

Community Specialist

Feb 6, 2023 4:14 PM in response to jzgreen

Hello jzgreen,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. There was some information found Lenovo's website that we'd like to share with you. Review their support page here: Lenovo L15 Monitor - Overview

Towards the bottom there is some user guide manuals. That manual states the following information in their troubleshooting section:

-USB-C ports of notebooks or phones can’t support power output or Alt-mode.

-Notebooks or phones have not enough power to support L15.

-Check the USB-C ports of notebooks or phones and make sure they support PD 2.0 and DP 1.2

-Connect L15 with adapter then power on.

The specs for your MacBook Pro doesn't list that it supports PD 2.0 and DP 1.2. Full detail specs can be found here: MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) - Technical Specifications

We hope this information is helpful. Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Cheers.

Reply

Answer 2

jzgreen Author

Level 1

4 points

Feb 9, 2023 2:02 PM in response to Vilas_S

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

Interestingly Lenovo replied to me with

“As per everything that you have mentioned we can conclude that issue is not hardware related to your monitor. Most likely it´s compatibility with Apple products.

Please contact Apple support for more information regarding connecting external monitors and specs .”

Shame they don’t mention this in the first place, to save the confusion. It’s not a very portable monitor if it requires being connected to the power.

Reply

Answer 3

Feb 9, 2023 3:08 PM in response to jzgreen

PD 2.0:

The USB Power Delivery specification revision 2.0 (USB PD Rev. 2.0) has been released as part of the USB 3.1 suite

DisplayPort 1.2 alt mode is supported by all Mac USB-C ports.

The issue is how much Power is required to run that display.

5V or 9V or 15V DC 3A

or 20V DC 5A Max.

that's about 45 to 100 Watts max, WAY more than your Mac is designed to supply

Reply

Portable monitors - Lenovo and MacBook Pro

Similar questions