Can I plug two displays simultaneously into each of the usb4 ports on my macbook pro m1 13" laptop to light up two external desktop display?
I ask because in search results I saw notes suggesting that with some non-apple silicon laptops that even if there are two usb4 ports they only export powering one external display at a time.
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 14.1
Apple-Silicon 2020 M1 13-in MacBook Pro and Air and 2022 Apple-Silicon M2 13-in MacBook Pro and Air and the 2023 MacBook Air 15-in model are extremely-capable entry-level computers. They can support the internal display AND an External display up to the previously unheard of size of the Apple 6K display at billions of colors. But only ONE in addition to the internal display.
This may not match the way older computers forced you to work, since older computers were not able to support a really large external display. But it is NOT a defect. The spec was available long before you could purchase the computer.
The Apple standard for its built-in hardware-accelerated displays, makes them suitable for full-motion video for production/display of cinema-quality video with NO dropped frames, and NO dropouts or partial-blank scan lines due to memory under-runs or other issues. This requires a hardware rasterizer/display-generator for each fully-accelerated display.
If you need more hardware-accelerated displays than the built-in and ONE external display, and an un-accelerated iPad if desired, you probably need a more capable computer.
If you are only doing program listings, spreadsheets, stock quotes and other slow to change data, there are some other solutions, but they require you to make some strong compromises.
Executive summary: More than ONE additional Hardware-accelerated display can NOT be added to the entry-level 13-in or 15-in M1 or M2 or M3 systems.
Apple-Silicon 2020 M1 13-in MacBook Pro and Air and 2022 Apple-Silicon M2 13-in MacBook Pro and Air and the 2023 MacBook Air 15-in model are extremely-capable entry-level computers. They can support the internal display AND an External display up to the previously unheard of size of the Apple 6K display at billions of colors. But only ONE in addition to the internal display.
This may not match the way older computers forced you to work, since older computers were not able to support a really large external display. But it is NOT a defect. The spec was available long before you could purchase the computer.
The Apple standard for its built-in hardware-accelerated displays, makes them suitable for full-motion video for production/display of cinema-quality video with NO dropped frames, and NO dropouts or partial-blank scan lines due to memory under-runs or other issues. This requires a hardware rasterizer/display-generator for each fully-accelerated display.
If you need more hardware-accelerated displays than the built-in and ONE external display, and an un-accelerated iPad if desired, you probably need a more capable computer.
If you are only doing program listings, spreadsheets, stock quotes and other slow to change data, there are some other solutions, but they require you to make some strong compromises.
Executive summary: More than ONE additional Hardware-accelerated display can NOT be added to the entry-level 13-in or 15-in M1 or M2 or M3 systems.
myusrnicl wrote:
Can I plug two displays simultaneously into each of the usb4 ports on my macbook pro m1 13" laptop to light up two external desktop display?
Not according to the Technical Specifications.
MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) - Technical Specifications
myusrnicl wrote:
<snip>
I was pointed to this link, How many displays can be connected to MacBook Pro - Apple Support, that suggests macbook pro with m2 pro or m3 pro or better chips will power two external displays.
Correct. But you asked about the MacBook Pro M1. The article refers to the Silicon Pro or Max chips not the M1 or M2 chip.
Thanks for the response.
I'm surprised the macbook pro with m1 chip doesn't provide an option to power two external displays with the caveat that hardware acceleration is disabled and/or only qhd or uhd resolution on one or both displays.
I also have an $800 dell inspiron 16" 7620 2-in-1 and it allows powering the internal display and two external displays off of its two usb4 ports all at the same time. I'm not an audio/image/video creator so can't speak to what compromises that support comes with. I'm running mainly browser and productivity app and chat/meeting app windows on those displays.
I was pointed to this link, How many displays can be connected to MacBook Pro - Apple Support, that suggests macbook pro with m2 pro or m3 pro or better chips will power two external displays.
plugging two displays simultaneously into each of the usb4 ports on macbook pro m1 13" laptop
