New MacBook Pro Models Include HDMI 2.0 Port Instead of HDMI 2.1
Apple in 2016 removed all of the ports from its MacBook Pro models except for Thunderbolt ports, a design that persisted for years -- until today. The newly announced 2021 MacBook Pro models include an SD card slot and an HDMI port alongside three Thunderbolt ports.

As noted in Apple's technical specifications for the new machine, the HDMI port is unfortunately not top of the line -- it is an HDMI 2.0 port instead of an HDMI 2.1 port.
The HDMI 2.0 port supports a single 4K display with a refresh rate of up to 60Hz. HDMI 2.1 technology would have allowed the port to run a 4K display with a 120Hz refresh rate.
It's curious that Apple did not include HDMI 2.1 in the MacBook Pro models because the Apple TV 4K that was released earlier this year does have an HDMI 2.1 port.
With the Thunderbolt 4 ports, the
M1 Pro MacBook Pro models overall support up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz. The
M1 Max MacBook Pro models support up to three external displays with up to 6K resolution and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz.
Related Stories
CalDigit today introduced its new Thunderbolt Station 4 dock with 18 ports, which it claims is the most on any Thunderbolt dock ever.
The dock features three Thunderbolt 4 ports, with one of them providing up to 98W of pass-through charging to compatible Macs, including the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. The dock is also equipped with three USB-C ports (3.2 Gen 2), five USB-A ports...
Two weeks after Apple's redesigned MacBook Pro models launched, some configurations of the notebooks remain in tight supply.
While standard configurations of the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models ordered through Apple's online store are estimated for delivery in the first week of December, many custom configurations are shipping in late December, and some are even backordered into 2022. ...
Apple today announced its long-awaited major redesign for the MacBook Pro, featuring configurations with the M1 Pro and M1 Max chip, a mini-LED display with ProMotion, an HDMI port and SDXC card reader, charging with MagSafe 3, a notch housing a 1080p webcam, and more.
The MacBook Pro features a new design and is available with 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch display sizes. The 14.2-inch model is...
Belkin today announced the launch of the CONNECT Pro Thunderbolt 4 Dock, which is a docking station that offers Thunderbolt 4 connectivity for 40Gb/s total bandwidth and support for fast charging, dual display support, and more.
The CONNECT Pro Thunderbolt 4 Dock is compatible with both Macs and PCs, offering 12 power, data, and video ports. It includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports (one upstream...
Monday October 18, 2021 11:11 am PDT by
Sami FathiApple's newly announced high-end chip for the new MacBook Pro, the M1 Max, can support up to three Pro Display XDRs and a fourth 4K TV display all at the same time, a significant jump in support compared to the single display support that the M1 chip provided.
The M1 Pro chip supports up to two Pro Display XDRs alone, while the higher-end M1 Max chip extends support to an additional Pro...
New MacBook Pro models are expected to be announced on Monday at Apple's "Unleashed" event, bringing some of the biggest improvements to the product line to date, including some surprising changes, so any prospective MacBook Pro buyers should wait for the new devices to come out.
According to our full feature breakdown aggregated from our coverage from a wide range of sources, including...
With Apple's redesigned MacBook Pro believed to be just days away from being announced at Apple's "Unleashed" event, we have compiled all of the coherent rumors from our news coverage to build a full picture of the features and upgrades coming to the company's highly-anticipated new laptops.
It is worth noting that the rumors below are aggregated from our coverage from a wide range of...
Apple today introduced the M1 Ultra chip with a 20-core CPU, up to a 64-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine. The first Mac to offer the M1 Ultra is the all-new Mac Studio desktop computer, which is available to order starting today.
Tech specs for the Mac Studio confirm that the M1 Ultra chip supports up to five external displays. Specifically, a Mac Studio configured with the M1 Ultra...
Popular Stories
While past rumors have indicated the upcoming second-generation AirPods Pro will feature a built-in heart rate and body temperature sensor, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has cast doubt on those rumors turning out to be true, saying instead such a feature is unlikely to come anytime soon.
"Over the past few months, there have been rumors about this year's model gaining the ability to determine a...
Apple is working on an Apple Watch Series 8 model with a larger display, according to DSCC's Ross Young and Haitong International Securities's Jeff Pu.
In October last year, Young suggested that the Apple Watch Series 8 could come in three display sizes. Now, responding to a query about the rumor on Twitter, Young claims that the additional display size joining the Apple Watch lineup will be ...
The upcoming launch of Apple's redesigned MacBook Air with the M2 chip has some Windows laptop manufacturers "worried" that sales of Intel-based laptops will be negatively affected, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes.
"A Wintel brand vendor pointed out that at a price point of US$1,000-$1,500, the MacBook Air will crowd out other high-end notebooks," the report claims, with...
European Union lawmakers have approved landmark legislation to heavily regulate Apple, Google, Meta, and other big tech firms.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) were proposed by the European Commission in December 2020. Now, collected in a "Digital Services Package," the legislation has been formally adopted by the European Parliament and seeks to address...
Apple today announced that the new MacBook Air equipped with the M2 chip will be available to order starting Friday, July 8 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time. Apple said deliveries to customers and in-store availability will begin Friday, July 15.
MacRumors exclusively reported that Apple planned to launch the new MacBook Air on July 15, and the date has now been confirmed by Apple. Customers will be...
The M2 MacBook Pro has started making its way into customers' hands and we're learning more about how it performs in a variety of situations, but all eyes are really on the upcoming M2 MacBook Air which has seen a complete redesign and should be arriving in a couple of weeks.
Other top stories this week included a host of product rumors including additional M2 and even M3 Macs, an updated...
Apple today announced a new Lockdown Mode coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura. Apple says the optional security feature is designed to protect the "very small number" of users who may be at risk of "highly targeted cyberattacks" from private companies developing state-sponsored spyware, such as journalists, activists, and government employees.
Apple...
Apple today released new firmware for the Siri Remote designed for the Apple TV, updating the software from version 9M6772 to 10M1103. The software is for the redesigned Siri Remote that was released in May 2021, aka the gray remote with the updated interface. In the Apple TV settings, the new firmware will display as 0x0070, up from 0x0061. There is no word on what's new with the Apple TV...
Top Rated Comments
There are almost certainly 4 TB4/PCIe4 channels. The fourth one is likely split between the SD card and the HDMI port (and perhaps a couple other peripherals, we'll have to see what System Information says next week). HDMI 2.1 utilizes up to 48Gb, TB4 has a 40Gb channel. You do the math. Even with the SD card using only a lane or two, a lot of the HDMI 2.1 benefits wouldn't be there.
On a side note, this is a good example of "you get what you ask for". Instead of having the fourth TB4 port and the flexibility to do what we want with it, the dongle-haters have prevailed and now we lose the flexibility. SMDH.
At home usage on 4k 120 or 8k displays isn't really a huge deal for me considering I use a thunderbolt dock or DisplayPort over USB-C which is better than HDMI anyway.
For that reason I see the built in HDMI as a quick display connector, not as the primary port for at home or at office desk connecting.
"Huh, I can buy a $180 Apple TV or a $2K laptop... YEAH I'LL BUY THE LAPTOP!!111one"
It's annoying but I guess it makes money.
Like the SD card slot, I see the HDMI port as a "built-in dongle". It's there to serve a specific common usage: interfacing with HDMI gear such as projectors.