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From MacBook Pro tech specs:

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

One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz Thunderbolt 3 digital video output

Native DisplayPort output over USB-C VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output supported using adapters (sold separately)




That's disappointing. Dual 4k isn't that uncommon. Sounds like their chip isn't quite as powerful as they're leading on?


You run two 4k screens and the laptop screen itself from an existing 13" laptop?


At practically every desk in Silicon Valley for 4+ years, yes. Two 27" 4K Dell UltraSharps and a choice of 13" or 15" Macbook Pro are standard issue for an engineer.


i work at faang and cannot confirm, sadly. 1 4k or 2 1080p


Yes. Current apple intel specs for the 13 read: "Up to two external 4K displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at millions of colors"


Including the laptop's screen?


You can do that on the intel macbook air.


Shouldn't one 6k display be the same data transfer as two 4k displays?


Yeah I’m hoping it’s just a case of them not having the specs in right. Otherwise it would be a pretty poor downgrade for those that use two monitors. I don’t use the laptop screen either when docked so really no reason it shouldn’t be able to drive them.


Am I reading right that it only supports one display output? I may be reading that incorrectly....


I was under the impression that Native display port would be able to drive 2 external monitors. I do not consider my self to be an authoritative source on this.


DisplayPort 1.4 can chain up to 6 displays at 1080p. It can only chain two 4K@60Hz.

However that requires MST support which afaik is missing from OSX entirely.


It will only drive one 4k display at 60hz, I would imagine it would support multiple lower resolutions with no issues.


That would be weird. Thunderbolt 3 supports 2x 4K60, so this should as well.


I keep seeing comments about lack of MST support but they're ignoring that you can currently already like you say drive dual 4k60. I'm doing it right now.


You probably has monitors with native thunderbolt input? They are not that many such monitor exists. Without MST you are out of luck to do thing with Display Port (via DP, mDP or USB-C), and this is what majority of monitors on market has.


No, they're both DP. Thunderbolt 3 can do dual 4k60 over a single cable (including also providing power, ethernet, audio, etc) https://www.caldigit.com/ts3-plus/


OSX doesn’t support MST.


Perhaps not (I've never tried daisy chaining) but a MacBook Pro can drive two 4K@60Hz monitors over a single Thunderbolt 3 dock cable (I'm doing it right now).


You don't need MST to be able to connect to 2 monitors


Presumably if you're not using the laptops screen it can drive two.


Strange, they list the resolution you can use if you use one external display. What about two monitors? I don't believe you could only have one display connected, that would be ridiculous, but I also don't understand why they only write about one display and not about many?


Possibly because OSX still doesn't support DisplayPort multi-stream and you can't plug multiple monitors into one USB-C port.


What? I can run currently two monitors over thunderbolt 3 with a caldigit dock no problem.


Exactly, a Thunderbolt 3 dock. If you're trying to use an (inexpensive) adaptor that takes advantage of USB-C DP alt modes you will run into this problem.

Ironically, if you boot into Windows you can use these cheap USB-C adaptors with no issues.

https://www.startech.com/en-us/faq/mst-hubs-mac-osx-support


Thanks, didn't realize the laptop only had one port on it.




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