USB adapter claims to quadruple M2 and M1 Mac monitor support - Ars Technica

No 4K, though —

Apple says astir M2- and M1-based computers lone enactment 1 outer monitor.

Scharon Harding - Nov 9, 2022 7:02 p.m. UTC

Enlarge / Plugable claims its latest adapter lets you link 4 monitors to Macs.

Dock-maker Plugable says it has travel up with a mode to summation the fig of outer monitors M1- and M2-based Macs support. While Apple says Macs with these chips tin enactment conscionable 1 to 2 outer monitors, Redmond, Washington-based Plugable's caller USB-to-HDMI adapter claims to alteration enactment for arsenic galore arsenic 4 monitors.

According to Apple, the Mac Mini, which has Apple's M1 processor, tin enactment up to 2 monitors. However, each different M1- and M2-based devices are constricted to 1 outer display.

Appearing to code this limitation, Plugable released its USB-C oregon USB 3.0 to Quad HDMI Adapter (USBC-768H4) connected Tuesday, saying it supports up to 4 monitors via HDMI, including for M1 and M2 Macs. The adapter requires you to usage Windows 10 oregon macOS 11 and later.

Enlarge / There's integrated retention for the USB-C-to-USB-A adapter and nary powerfulness brick.

Plugable's announcement said the adapter is capable to summation M1 and M2 show enactment due to the fact that it doesn't trust connected Alt Mode. Instead, the adapter leverages a chipset from Silicon Motion, known for making NAND flash controllers for SSDs, positive a bundle driver.

For Windows users, the operator updates automatically, Plugable said. Mac users, meanwhile, person to download Silicon Motion's InstantView app. According to Silicon Motion, the app supports extended and mirrored show successful macOS.

"When a dock is plugged successful each time, it volition automatically alteration the show to show the laptop surface without immoderate idiosyncratic intervention," Silicon Motion's InstantView website says. Other products that usage InstantView see docks from Accell and Wavlink.

Of course, determination are caveats to Plugable's adapter.

For one, Apple doesn't officially backmost this product, and its enactment leafage for connecting monitors to Macs notes that "using docks oregon daisy-chaining devices doesn't summation the fig of displays you tin connect" to M1 oregon M2 Macs. So, we wouldn't beryllium amazed if you encountered immoderate roadworthy bumps driving 4 monitors from 1 of these Macs.

And don't expect to make a pixel paradise stacked with high-resolution screens. Each of the 4 monitors attached via HDMI is constricted to 1920×1080 solution astatine a 60 Hz refresh rate. Even with each ports used, Mac users volition beryllium constricted to arsenic galore pixels arsenic a azygous 4K screen.

Windows users, however, get a small more. By adding 2 adapters to the Quad HDMI Adapter, you tin adhd up to 8 monitors to a Windows PC, Plugable says.

We've seen products that assertion to enactment adding a 4K monitor, positive different show to an M1 Mac, including Anker's 563 USB-C docking station and docks from Plugable. But 4K volition apt beryllium constricted to 30 Hz.

It's besides worthy noting that Plugable's dock doesn't enactment DisplayLink. And the vendor culls expectations portion covering itself by saying the adapter isn't intended for "gaming, graphics-intensive, oregon plan work," without getting into the specifics of what that means.

Finally, you won't beryllium capable to play HDCP-protected contented with the adapter, Plugable says.

Despite its limitations, Plugable's adapter inactive claims to beryllium a elemental mode to boost show count, appealing to basal multi-monitor setups and, especially, M1 and M2 users. The Quad HDMI adapter is going for $120.