Docking maker Plugable says it has found a way to increase the number of external monitors that support M1 and M2-based Macs. While Apple says Macs with these chips can only support one or two external displays, the new Washington-based Plugable USB to HDMI Adapter claims to enable support for up to four displays.
according to appleThe Mac mini, which has an Apple M1 processor, can support up to two monitors. However, all other M1 and M2-based devices are limited to a single external monitor.
When it emerged to address this limitation, Plugable released a USB-C or USB 3.0 to Quad HDMI adapter (USBC-768H4 . port) on Tuesday, saying it supports up to four displays via HDMI, including the M1 and M2 Mac devices. The adapter requires Windows 10 or macOS 11 and later.
Beljabel Advertising The adapter is able to increase the support of the M1 and M2 monitor because it does not depend on the alternate mode, said the adapter. Instead, the switch takes advantage of a chipset of silicon movementknown for making NAND flash controllers for SSDs, as well as a driver software.
Plugable for Windows users, said the driver update automatically. In the meantime, Mac users have to download Silicon Motion’s InstantView app. According to Silicon Motion, the app supports extended viewing and mirroring in macOS.
“When the dock is connected each time, it will automatically enable the monitor to display the laptop screen without any user interaction,” InstantView website Says. Other products that use InstantView include shipyards from Axl And the Wavelink.
Of course, there are caveats to the Plugable Adapter.
For example, Apple doesn’t officially support this product, and its support page for connecting displays to Macs states that “using docks or serial devices does not increase the number of displays you can connect” to an M1 or M2 Mac. So, we wouldn’t be surprised if you run into any bumps in the road driving four monitors out of one of these Macs.
And don’t expect to create a pixel paradise stacked with high-resolution screens. Each of the four monitors connected via HDMI is limited to a resolution of 1920 x 1080 at a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Even with all the ports used, Mac users will be limited to as many pixels as a single 4K screen.
However, Windows users are getting more. By adding two adapters to a quad HDMI adapter, you can add up to eight monitors to your Windows PC, says Plugable.
We’ve seen products that claim to support adding a 4K display, as well as another display to the M1 Mac, including Anker 563 USB-C Docking Station And the Docks from Beljabel. But 4K will likely be limited to 30 Hz.
It should also be noted that the Plugable dock does not support DisplayLink. The seller dismisses expectations while covering himself by saying that the adapter is not intended for “games, graphics or design work,” without going into specifics of what that means.
Finally, you won’t be able to play HDCP-protected content with the adapter, says Plugable.
Despite its limitations, the Plugable still claims to be a simple way to increase the number of displays, and is attractive to basic multi-monitor setups, especially M1 and M2 users. Quad HDMI adapter going to $120.
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