On November 7, 2020, Apple officially announced the new M1 powered MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13-inch, and Mac Mini. These systems use the Apple-designed M1 CPU, meaning that for the first time in over a decade, you can buy a Mac with something other than an Intel processor.
Switching to a new chip with a new architecture can mean new performance possibilities. It can also mean new compatibility issues.
We wanted to know how our products would work with Apple’s new chip, so we picked up the new MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air and starting testing away. Thankfully our test results thus far have been overwhelmingly positive, and this is what we’ve found so far. We’ll update this list as we continue to test our products.
It’s important to note one big change: the M1-based Macs do not natively support dual displays over Thunderbolt, a big departure from previous Thunderbolt 3 Macs (but more on that topic soon).
Thunderbolt Devices
Thunderbolt 3 Docking Stations
Note: All M1 2020 MacBooks support a single external monitor when connected to Thunderbolt docking stations, even if that docking station has multiple video connectors. Intel-based Macs support between 2-4 displays over Thunderbolt.
- Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C Display Dock with 96W Host Charging (TBT3-UDZ): Compatible – Single Display Only
- Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C Display Docking Station (TBT3-UDC1): Compatible – Single Display Only
- Thunderbolt 3 Dock with Host Charging (TBT3-UDV): Compatible – Single Display Only
Thunderbolt 3 Storage
- Thunderbolt 3 512GB NVME Solid State Drive (TBT3-NVME512): Compatible
- Thunderbolt 3 1TB NVME Solid State Drive (TBT3-NVME1TB): Compatible
- Thunderbolt 3 2TB NVME Solid State Drive (TBT3-NVME2TB): Compatible
USB-C Docking Stations
Multi-Display USB-C Docking Stations with PD Charging
Note: These multi-display docks use a combination of USB-C Alternate Mode (native “Alt Mode” video output) and DisplayLink technology (requiring a driver to be installed). This combination of technologies serves as a workaround to the M1 platforms supporting a single external display. For additional information about DisplayLink and macOS, please see our post here.
- Triple Display Dock with 3x HDMI and 60W Charging – Horizontal (UD-3900PDZ): Compatible
- Triple Display Dock with 1x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort, and 60W Charging – Vertical (UD-ULTC4K): Compatible
- Triple Display Dock with 2x HDMI, 1x DVI/VGA, and 60W Charging – Vertical (UD-ULTCDL): Requires disconnect/reconnect when system rebooted
Single-Display USB-C Docking Stations with PD Charging
- USB-C Mini Docking Station with 85W Charging (UD-CAM): Compatible
- USB-C Docking Station with 60W Charging (UD-CA1A): Compatible
USB-C Hubs, Video Cables, and Dongles
USB-C Hubs with Pass-through Charging
- 7-in-1 Multi-function Hub with HDMI(USBC-7IN1): Compatible
- 3-in-1 AV Adapter with HDMI(USBC-MD103): Compatible
Single-Display USB-C Dongles and Cables
- USB-C to DisplayPort Cable (USBC-DP): Compatible
- USB-C to HDMI Cable (USBC-HDMI-CABLE): Compatible
- USB-C to VGA Cable (USBC-VGA-CABLE): Compatible
- USB-C to DisplayPort Travel Dongle with Flat Cable (USBC-TDP): Compatible
- USB-C to HDMI Travel Dongle with Flat Cable (USBC-THDMI): Compatible
- USB-C to VGA Travel Dongle with Flat Cable (USBC-DVI): Compatible
- USB-C to DVI Dongle (USBC-T): Compatible
- USB-C to HDMI 2.0 Dongle (USBC-HDMI): Compatible
- USB-C to VGA Dongle (USBC-VGA): Compatible
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