The new M1 Macs support up to 6 external displays via a workaround. This discovery was made by a Russian YouTuber Ruslan Tulupov, who was able to connect 6 monitors with the M1 Mac mini and 5 screens with 13-inch Apple Silicon MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
As usual, Apple did not oversell the number of external displays supported by the new M1 Macs. As mentioned on the support page, the new Mac mini supports one 6k and one 4K displays, and the M1 MacBooks support one external display each.
M1 Macs support up to 6 External Screens
Using a bunch of cables with USB-C to USB-A 3.0 adapter and Thunderbolt or USB-C dock, Ruslan Tulupov was able to exceed Apple’s limit of external displays for new M1 Macs. Although his workaround included M1 Mac mini and MacBook Air, it is can be assumed that M1 MacBook Pro will support the same number of external screens like the Apple Silicon MacBook Air model.
External Displays
- 65-inch Samsung 4K TV set
- 40-inch Sony TV
- 24-inch Acer 1080p touch screen
- LG 32-inch
- 2 Dell 4K screens
Accessories
- StarTech USB 3.0 to Single DisplayPort 4K adapter
- StarTech USB 3.0 to Dual DisplayPort 4K adapter
- StarTech USB 3.0 to HDMI 4K adapter
- CalDigit TS3 Thunderbolt 3 dock
Prior to connecting the additional screens, he shared a tutorial video on the installation of DisplayLink software for macOS to manage the monitors.
The performance of the connected display was “awesome” as per the YouTuber who ran YouTube videos and Final Cut Pro on the screens without any drop in frames. Tulupov also noticed that Apple Silicon Mac mini’s fan did not kick during testing which is impressive.
The M1 computer’s performance is accredited to M1 Apple Silicon which has received a ton of positive reviews in terms of speed and battery life. Apple explains,
“Until now, a Mac needed multiple chips to deliver all of its features — including the processor, I/O, security, and memory. With M1, these technologies are combined into a single system on a chip (SoC), delivering a new level of integration for more simplicity, more efficiency, and amazing performance. And with incredibly small transistors measured at an atomic scale, M1 is remarkably complex — packing the largest number of transistors we’ve ever put into a single chip. It’s also the first personal computer chip built using industry‑leading 5‑nanometer process technology.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq_FyjcAULA
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