Air M1 with 2 Apple Thunderbolt Displays

[Dadioh]

My wife currently runs a MacBook Pro 15" 2015 model with a pair of daisy chained Apple Thunderbolt 27" displays. She always runs in clamshell mode with the MacBook closed when connected to the displays. Her work requires her to have lots of screen real estate for multiple open windows. I am thinking of replacing her MBP with a new MacBook Air M1 and realize that this cuts her down to a single display... unless... I use some sort of DisplayLink dock to drive the second display. So it looks like my options would be...

1) Go down top a single TB display with 1440p resolution and keep the Air display open for additional screen real estate.

2) Buy a larger display with higher resolution than the 1440p on the Apple displays.

3) Buy a DisplayLink capable dock and run one TB display with TB3->TB2 adapter and the second display from the DisplayLink.

Opinions from anyone who has experience in this greatly appreciated

Option 3 not possible so I guess it is now just single display options. I can probably sell the pair of TB displays for more than it will cost me for a nice 4K curved display so probably option 2 is going to be the right choice.

 

[xraydoc]

You cannot run the Apple Thunderbolt Display off of a DisplayLink adapter. These displays require a TB port. No workaround. If you want a second external display on an M1-based MacBook, you'd have to replace one of the TB displays with something that runs off a traditional DisplayPort or HDMI interface.

Depending on how much screen space she needs, going with something like a single ultrawide display might be an option.

Does she need a laptop? Seems like a Mac mini might be a good option, too. Though with that, you're still limited to one display off the Thunderbolt bus and one on the built-in HDMI port.

But presently, there is no way two run two Thunderbolt displays off of an M1-based Mac.

 

[Dadioh]

You cannot run the Apple Thunderbolt Display off of a DisplayLink adapter. These displays require a TB port. No workaround. If you want a second external display on an M1-based MacBook, you'd have to replace one of the TB displays with something that runs off a traditional DisplayPort or HDMI interface.

Depending on how much screen space she needs, going with something like a single ultrawide display might be an option.

Does she need a laptop? Seems like a Mac mini might be a good option, too. Though with that, you're still limited to one display off the Thunderbolt bus and one on the built-in HDMI port.

But presently, there is no way two run two Thunderbolt displays off of an M1-based Mac.

Oh good point. I had not realized the TB would not run displaylink. Ok, well scratch that option

I think the best solution is going to be a single 4K monitor probably 32".

She does need a laptop because she does work away from home sometimes and needs portability.

 

[xraydoc]

Oh good point. I had not realized the TB would not run displaylink. Ok, well scratch that option

I think the best solution is going to be a single 4K monitor probably 32".

She does need a laptop because she does work away from home sometimes and needs portability.

I don't know what your budget is, but there are 5K2K ultrawide monitors which would be pretty close to having two monitors in terms of spreading out lots of windows, plus getting the incredibly sharp HiDPI text that a 4K "retina" display would get you.
Dell UltraSharp 40-Inch Curved WUHD Monitor: U4021QW | Dell USA

I use a 32" 4K display at a resolution equivalent of 3008x1692 and I'm very satisfied. I used to have a 34" 3840x1440 ultrawide attached to my MacBook Air (and PC) -- it was pretty amazing for games on my PC, but I'm not playing as much and I wanted sharper quality fonts and more space top-to-bottom, so I did some monitor rearranging... replaced the monitor on my other work PC with something else (4 head setup which actually works better with the dedicated nature of that machine), moved the 32" 4K to my MacBook Air/PC desk, and gave the 34" ultrawide to my daughter for her summer college classes from home setup.

 

[Dadioh]

I don't know what your budget is, but there are 5K2K ultrawide monitors which would be pretty close to having two monitors in terms of spreading out lots of windows, plus getting the incredibly sharp HiDPI text that a 4K "retina" display would get you.
Dell UltraSharp 40-Inch Curved WUHD Monitor: U4021QW | Dell USA

I use a 32" 4K display at a resolution equivalent of 3008x1692 and I'm very satisfied. I used to have a 34" 3840x1440 ultrawide attached to my MacBook Air (and PC) -- it was pretty amazing for games on my PC, but I'm not playing as much and I wanted sharper quality fonts and more space top-to-bottom, so I did some monitor rearranging... replaced the monitor on my other work PC with something else (4 head setup which actually works better with the dedicated nature of that machine), moved the 32" 4K to my MacBook Air/PC desk, and gave the 34" ultrawide to my daughter for her summer college classes from home setup.

That Dell is impressive but it is $2000CAD. I am thinking less than $800CAD.

The monitor will not be used for gaming at all so I am definitely looking for crisp display over refresh rate.
Thanks!

 

[velocityg4]

Since she’s running a 2015 right now and I am assuming it works fine. I’d recommend just waiting for the M2 models and see if they will run dual external displays. Rather than getting one now which doesn’t fit her requirements.

 

[xraydoc]

That Dell is impressive but it is $2000CAD. I am thinking less than $800CAD.

The monitor will not be used for gaming at all so I am definitely looking for crisp display over refresh rate.
Thanks!

Yeah, when the monitor costs more than the computer itself, one must think long and hard about it.
Again, I don't know what her requirements are, but my single 4K display gives me a pretty good amount of space. If she's got good eyesight, she can always run it at its native 3840x2160 resolution and have the equivalent of 4x 1080p displays. Text is tiny, even at 32", but the space is there if she needs it.

Velocityg4 makes a good point in his post above -- if your wife's setup is working, then be certain a new one is worth it to her. My wife, for example, prefers to just stick with a workflow that she's comfortable with, even to the point that she gets annoyed if app icons change. Her laptop is running MacOS 10.14 Mojave and I'm afraid to update it... should a button move, I'll never hear the end of it.

 

[Tagbert]

Since she runs in clamshell mode, have you considered getting one of the new iMacs and then connecting that to one of the Thunderbolt displays? That gives you 2 screens for not much more than the price of the air. The 24" iMac is a little smaller than your 27" but the resolution is higher. it might be a more manageable setup unless you want to wait for the next versions of the M chips.

 

[4sallypat]

Replaced my awful, hot to the touch, crappy battery 16" MBP with an M1 Mini and I run 2 displays: 27" Apple Thunderbolt (w/ TB3-2 adapter) and HDMI native direct 32" 4K.

Now the Mini runs ice cold and the 8GB Unified Memory runs circles around the 16GB Intel DDR....