connecting two external monitors to MacBook Pro

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications - Apple Support

"Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colors and:

• Up to two displays with 6016‑by‑3384 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
• Up to four displays with 4096‑by‑2304 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors"

To connect HDMI displays directly to the MacBook Pro, you could use USB-C to HDMI adapters or adapter cables (e.g., Amazon – USB-C to HDMI adapter cables).

Another possibility would be to use a SonnetTech – Thunderbolt Dual 4K HDMI 2.1 Adapter and two HDMI cables. Because the connection from the Mac to the adapter is a Thunderbolt one, your Mac should be willing to send two video signals to it – the same as if it was talking to a Thunderbolt dock. There would only be one cable to plug into the Mac or unplug from the Mac – making docking more convenient, and freeing a USB-C (Thunderbolt) port that you might be able to put to other uses.

To connect two HDMI monitors to a Mac through a single dock, you'd need a Thunderbolt dock. I would suggest one whose description says that it can support two monitors – and whose description does not say that it can support three or more monitors. (A dock with extra video outputs is likely to have some connected in ways that Macs do not support.). Three vendors of Thunderbolt docks who have been in the business of selling high-end Thunderbolt gear to Mac users for a long time are Other World Computing, SonnetTech, and CalDigit.

a) Connected each monitor to a different USB-C port (either with a USB-C to HDMI cable or with different USB-C hubs.

b) Connect both displays to a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 dock.

That will depend on

• Which MacBook Pro you have
• Which displays you want to connect
• Whether you want to connect them through a dock, or to connect them directly to the MacBook Pro

Your tag line says that you have a 16" MacBook Pro running macOS 15.3 (Sequoia), which suggests that you have

• An Intel-based MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) with four USB-C / Thunderbolt ports, or
• A {M1/M2/M3/M4} {Pro/Max} MacBook Pro with three USB-C / Thunderbolt ports and a HDMI port

Any of those would support a wide variety of displays, and at least two external displays, but there would be differences in capabilities depending on the specific model.

“connecting two external monitors to MacBook Pro: What adaptors and cables do I need to connect two external monitors to my MacBook Pro. I do not want to mirror.”

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Based on personal experience...

Getting Multiple External Displays:

The J5 USB-C Dual HDMI Docking Station allows for more than two extra monitors. How so? Well, plug in a display projector the Mac using the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter and then plug the J5 hub with 2 HDMI displays (one 4K), and then you'll have 3 external screens. It all mirrors and extends.

The description of the J5create dock indicates that "Driver installation is required for macOS® and Windows®" and has an illustration indicating that if you are running two HDMI displays off of it,

• One requires a DisplayPort Alt Mode signal – that is, it uses first-class hardware video output
• For the other, "driver installation [is] required" – that is, it uses some second-class "workaround" technology that may have associated compromises.

Your 16" 2019 MacBook Pro can drive FOUR displays in a first-class, hardware-supported way, so I see no reason why you would want to use a workaround just to drive TWO.

Also see:

Extend or mirror your Mac desktop across multiple displays - Apple Support