If your MacBook is equipped with Thunderbolt 4, then you really should buy a TB4 dock if you need more ports than those 14/16in laptops already possess.īuying a Thunderbolt 4 dock is a wise decision based on future-proofing even for owners of TB3 Macs as the standard is backwards compatible with TB3 and USB-C.

Of Apple’s current laptop range, the M1 and M2 MacBook Air and 13in M1 MacBook Pro feature two Thunderbolt 3 (TB3) ports, while the 14in and 16in M1 Pro or M1 Max MacBook Pro models come with three Thunderbolt 4 (TB4 ports.Īpple’s older 12in MacBook features one 5Gbps Gen 1 USB-C port, while the later Intel MacBook Air (2018 and later) and MacBook Pro (from 2016) boast either two or four 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 ports. That extra bandwidth allows not just for faster data transfer but higher frame rates to external displays, plus some other smart benefits. The connectors all look the same, but there are significant differences, particularly on speed-with USB-C maxing out at 10Gbps (usually 5Gbps) compared to the 40Gbps of Thunderbolt 3 and 4. We tested a bunch to find the best Thunderbolt 3 and 4 and USB-C docks available to owners of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. When the MacBook Pro is plugged into the OWC Hub instead of the M1 Mac Mini, everything works as expected - the system recognizes and uses both monitors as external displays.Plug your MacBook in and out of a multi-port docking station to swiftly add devices and external displays to your laptop. Plugging USB-C cable going to Monitor 2 back to the OWC Hub after that doesn't change the layout.

If I unplug the USB-C cable going to the Monitor 2 from the Hub, macOS reconfigures itself to route DisplayPort over USB-C to Monitor 1 and HDMI to Monitor 2 (this is the desired state). Switching inputs on Monitor 2 shows the different macOS spaces of the same machine (the M1 Mac Mini). When I plug the M1 Mac Mini to the OWC Hub with a Thunderbolt 4 cable (came with the Hub), macOS recognizes two external displays but route both HDMI and DisplayPort over USB-C signals to the same display - Monitor 2.

Monitor 2 is connected to M1 Mac mini with an HDMI cable (cable came with the monitor).

Monitor 2 is connected to the OWC Hub with a USB-C cable (cable came with the monitor).

Monitor 1 is connected to the OWC Hub with a Thunderbolt 3 cable.

Two Dell U2720Q/U2720QM monitors (supports video signal from USB-C, HDMI & DisplayPort).

I'm trying to find a solution to switching external monitors between an M1 Mac mini and an Intel MacBook Pro by replugging a single Thunderbolt cable.

Best thunderbolt 3 dock for mac mini