M1/M2 flickering, ghosting with external display [Merged]

[evedz]

I have the screen blinking (turning off) / flickering issue for like 1 second every 5 - 10 seconds if the resolution is higher 2304 x 1296 @ 60hz.
My set up:
MacBook Air M1 2020 + (Dell S3221QS - 3840 x 2160 @ 60 hz)
Cable:
USB Type-C-DisplayPort M/M 1.0 m (DP-alt-Mode) v1.2 4K@60Hz

I have set the lower resolution with Option + "Scaled" click - selected 2304 x 1296 - turned off and on my display and it's working with no blinking, but when playing some videos i still have the flickering, tested the cable and the display on Intel MBP - works well with no issues, so it should be the M1 hardware or software.

 

[camsoft]

Update, waited a month for my replacement MacBook Air M1 and it has the same flickering issue! So I think we can safely say it's a design flaw. No idea how Apple will deal with this as I very much doubt it's something that can be fixed without releasing a revised model or even revised M1 chip. With computers being so integrated now there are very few serviceable parts so it's kind of unprecedented. I can't see Apple releasing revised M1 Macs, and instead, they will most likely pretend the issue doesn't exist until a new generation of M? macs are released replacing existing models. My expectation is if people contact support all they will do is offer your money back but then you're still without your M1 Mac. You can be sure the next-gen Apple silicon Macs won't be as cheap as these or be as good value for the performance leap.

Will be reaching out to Apple but I can't really see where this can go other than return and have you money back. 😢

 

[camsoft]

Just got of the phone to apple over this, my mac mini m1 is being replaced. They dont know what the issue is, its clearly not a monitor or cable issue.

Not to impressed so far, i may have to go back to the hackintosh...

Sorry to say had mine replaced, same issue, so it's unlikely to be a faulty batch and more likely a hardware design flaw. I suspect hardware due to the nature of the issue if it was a software issue I would have expected Apple to have already fixed it as we have Big Sur 11.2.1 now.

 

[Thomas_W]

I wouldn't be so quick to write it off. First the machines had to get out in the wild, enough reports had to come in and research/testing had to start in order to fix this - and there's this pandemic thing going around. I'm sure some of you have heard about it. It'll likely be possible to fix with software, since it seems like some screens work just fine. And while it's a nasty issue, the vast majority of people seem to have no problems with the Minis. I'm certainly frustrated, but I also realize this is likely not easy to pin down. I'm betting it can be fixed in drivers, though.

 

[camsoft]

I wouldn't be so quick to write it off. First the machines had to get out in the wild, enough reports had to come in and research/testing had to start in order to fix this - and there's this pandemic thing going around. I'm sure some of you have heard about it. It'll likely be possible to fix with software, since it seems like some screens work just fine. And while it's a nasty issue, the vast majority of people seem to have no problems with the Minis. I'm certainly frustrated, but I also realize this is likely not easy to pin down. I'm betting it can be fixed in drivers, though.

Apple have been releasing major updates to macOS since its release last year so I don’t see how the pandemic has anything to do with it.

There is no way that Apple haven’t known about this for a long time and still no fix and the fact that they won’t even acknowledge it says all you need to know.

Also past history kind of shows how a Apple deal with problems like this. So I don’t think I’m overacting.

I’m not writing the M1 Macs off at all they are incredible. All I’m saying is if they could have fixed it they would already. It will only affect a small number of users most likely that have the required setup so my point was I expect Apple to just offer refunds if people complain hard. I mean they just replaced my Mac with another with exactly same issue.

 

[Thomas_W]

I'm not sure where you get that idea from. It is entirely in line with how Apple usually operates.

For instance, I had the first Blackbook that just kept freezing or resetting for about half a year due to overheating. Apple had it in for repairs/motherboard swap that did nothing and didn't really acknowledge anything till the a few weeks before the fix was released. It was quietly fixed with an OS update with no great fanfare.

Apple basically never acknowledges anything till they have a fix. It is, at least, extremely rare. I don't like it, but that's usually the way it is - and at least they usually take care of things eventually. The only case of that not being true for me was the ridiculously expensive 12.9" iPad Pro keyboard that broke for me far too many times and eventually ran out of warranty. Needless to say I did not buy another.

Last time I talked to Apple it was a "known issue" but they had "no further information at this time". So I'm just waiting.

 

[intelliot]

Just chiming in to say that I have this problem too. Mac mini M1, 16 GB RAM, with Dell 2418HT screen. Vertical lines, flickering, ghosting, seems like a "burned in" image effect even after the computer is unplugged.

 

[Falcon9]

Has anyone tried the 11.3 beta to see if it fixes some of the display issues? Getting some light static and faint vertical lines on an external monitor connected to my M1 Pro running 11.2.1.

 

[camsoft]

I'm not sure where you get that idea from. It is entirely in line with how Apple usually operates.

For instance, I had the first Blackbook that just kept freezing or resetting for about half a year due to overheating. Apple had it in for repairs/motherboard swap that did nothing and didn't really acknowledge anything till the a few weeks before the fix was released. It was quietly fixed with an OS update with no great fanfare.

Apple basically never acknowledges anything till they have a fix. It is, at least, extremely rare. I don't like it, but that's usually the way it is - and at least they usually take care of things eventually. The only case of that not being true for me was the ridiculously expensive 12.9" iPad Pro keyboard that broke for me far too many times and eventually ran out of warranty. Needless to say I did not buy another.

Last time I talked to Apple it was a "known issue" but they had "no further information at this time". So I'm just waiting.

Sure that’s an old example what about the butterfly keyboard, what acknowledgement or fix did Apple offer, replace with same design flawed keyboard. So that fits with exactly the scenario I’m talking about. They can’t fix the hardware without a major redesign so will just fix it silently in next revision and either keep replacing our models with like for like with same issue or just refund us.

 

[fwilers]

Sure that’s an old example what about the butterfly keyboard, what acknowledgement or fix did Apple offer, replace with same design flawed keyboard. So that fits with exactly the scenario I’m talking about. They can’t fix the hardware without a major redesign so will just fix it silently in next revision and either keep replacing our models with like for like with same issue or just refund us.

We had about 30 MacBooks Pro's with Nvidia graphics at work. All failed. All replaced. All failed again. They aren't in the market to fix hardware. They just keep dishing out the same thing until warranty runs out.

 

[camsoft]

We had about 30 MacBooks Pro's with Nvidia graphics at work. All failed. All replaced. All failed again. They aren't in the market to fix hardware. They just keep dishing out the same thing until warranty runs out.

Exactly, this is a hardware design flaw IMO probably to do with M1 chip itself as everything is integrated. I hope I’m wrong though.

 

[Skb3735]

Really bad flickering here with my m1 MacBook Pro and LG 5k (LG 27MD5KB-B Ultrafine 27")
Flickers as if the monitor is going into standby. I have to either rapidly press the keyboard or power cycle the monitor to wake up the screen. Seems to have started around 11.2 update or so.

 

[michaelonmac]

Hi all, just gonna post my issues here in this thread too.

My M1 Air came today, same issues with flashing and vertical lines:

I have the additional bonus of the external screen refusing to sleep, instead turning off and then reappearing yellow .

I've tried everything a consumer can be expected to, the flashing and lines is something to do with dark/gradient backgrounds and full colour images. Switching my monitor to HDR solves the issues, but creates many others with how bad the colours look.

4 hours on the phone to support and they have nothing other than "you're still eligible for a refund"

 

[solodnev]

I also have a problem with flickering on the M1 air. But the interesting thing is that after I reconnected the MacBook Pro on Intel, the problem did NOT go away. The monitor now blinks with no devices connected. Has anyone solved the problem to keep the monitor from flickering without a MacBook?

 

[jdb8167]

I also have a problem with flickering on the M1 air. But the interesting thing is that after I reconnected the MacBook Pro on Intel, the problem did NOT go away. The monitor now blinks with no devices connected. Has anyone solved the problem to keep the monitor from flickering without a MacBook?

I've had the ghosting problem a few times. It persists even if nothing is plugged into the monitor. It may be the same for the flickering problem. Removing all power for a time seems to fix it.

I would pull the power and make sure all cables are disconnected. Wait 5 minutes and plug everything back into the Intel MacBook Pro and see if it fixes the problem.

 

[solodnev]

I've had the ghosting problem a few times. It persists even if nothing is plugged into the monitor. It may be the same for the flickering problem. Removing all power for a time seems to fix it.

I would pull the power and make sure all cables are disconnected. Wait 5 minutes and plug everything back into the Intel MacBook Pro and see if it fixes the problem.

Thanks! I wrote because after the night it didn't help. But after a couple of days everything is ok.

 

[solodnev]

Does anyone know how common this is? The problem is only in certain MacBooks or pairs of MacBooks and a monitor? Does it make sense to try another Dell monitor? Is the outcome clear?

 

[displacedaussie]

This has been happening to me for the last week or so.

M1 MacBook Pro (16GB RAM) + Dell U2720Q.

It's infuriating - especially given that the flickering seems to persist in the display, even after it's been turned off for a while.

For me the worst trigger for the screen going bad seemed to be joining a large Discord video chat. I've not launched Discord for the last two days and everything has been stable. Fingers crossed that continues - although I'm now hesitant to use both Discord and the camera on my laptop.

 

[rkneipp]

Me too!

M1 MacBook Pro (16GB RAM) + Dell U2721Q.

My triggers for ghosting & flickering seems happen at specific time of the day!?! But I will try to observe which applications are open.

 

[Fille]

Same here...

M1 Macbook Air + Dell P2721Q

For me turning of true tone seems to have resolved the issue by 99%.. It still happens sometimes.

What I did notice was that when I turned on the lights in my room the flickering started, I was able to reproduce the issue a couple of times by just turning the lights on and off (true tone enabled). Sadly I am not able to reproduce this now but I will try again tomorrow.

Very strange issue indeed.

 

[Sbouch]

I've been having the same issue as everyone here. Both the ghosting with the lines as well as the display cutting out like in post #32. I have the M1 Air and I'm using it with a Plugable Thunderbolt 3 dock. I've tested all cables and Dell S2721QS monitor with another Windows laptop and they all check fine. The ghosting happens when I go from USB-C to HDMI and the cutting in and out happens if I use DisplayPort to DisplayPort(the dock has a full-size DisplayPort out) or USB-C to DisplayPort. I get the issue no matter if I plug into the MacBook itself or to the dock. Here is the funny thing though, the dock came with a DisplayPort to HDMI connector. If I use that everything is fine.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

So HDMI > HDMI was having issue?

I had issues with HDMI -> HDMI and USB-C -> DisplayPort.

I’ve been using a USB-C -> HDMI & VGA for the past month, and aside from two short duration fits, I haven’t had other issues.

 

[GERuser]

I have the same issue with my M1 Mac and external monitor. Only the external monitor flickers.

M1 MacBook Pro (16GB, 1TB) + Eizo EV2750

It only appears for me when I visit a specific website with a black colored menu at the top of the screen in Safari. Furthermore, it seems to appear somehow at a random time and then the screen flickers instantaneous and also shows ghosting effects. When the flickeren starts, it persists and degrades in strength over time. After about 20 mins it is not visible anymore. Using the Slow-mo function on my iPhone camera makes the flickering clearly visible. I have this issue since approximately 1 week. Before that everything was fine.

It does not matter how I connect the monitor to the sceen. In all tested combinations the flickering issue is appearing:

MacBook -> (Newly bought) Apple Digital AV Multi-Port Adapter -> HDMI Cable -> Screen
MacBook -> CalDigit TS3+ -> DisplayPort Cable -> Screen
MacBook -> CalDigit TS3+ -> Apple Digital AV Multi-Port Adapter -> HDMI Cable -> Screen

 

[w1111amh]

OK, while I have tried all kinds of things with direct connections with no success, it seems I have found a working "hack". It's not really a hack, but it's also not a pretty solution, but it'll tide me over till a real fix (hopefully) comes. The solution is a DisplayLink adapter. You find them in many docking stations, but essentially they do a kind of software mirroring - which also lets you add more displays than the two supported on Mac Mini (if you're curious, check out this video of a guy running six displays on a Mac Mini). Mine is a plain USB-A 3.0 -> DVI adapter with no extra features.

The thing that made me suspect it might work is the fact that a driver is needed (from displaylink.com), and performance is not QUITE the same as on the native display. That said, it worked well enough to play a bit of Diablo 3 and Slay the Spire which tend to cause the display problems rather quickly. The games run slightly less smoothly, but I had HDMI and DisplayLink->DVI hooked up at the same time on the same display, and after waiting for the issue to appear on HDMI, I switched to DVI where the issue wasn't visible. I played another round that lasted at least as long exclusively on DVI (and this after playing a lot of Diablo 3 in dark areas before Slay the Spire) and there were no problems.

In case any of you have one lying around or want to pick one up as a temporary fix, I'll just give you a few hints, because it did not work out of the box for me. I downloaded the drivers from december, and while they were for Catalina, they work in Big Sur as well. It is necessary to add access to screen recording in security settings on the Mac, so if things aren't working for you, make sure it is enabled. Also, DisplayLink Manager needs to be launched in order for the hardware to work. You can make it run automatically in DisplayLink Manager settings.

Thanks for this post, I saw one video discussing the Targus several months ago, but now there is a good number of them.

I've had the flicker completely off and back on again issue that seems to be plaguing folks. I've called apple twice first regarding fuzzy resolution and now this and both times they have said its likely the monitor, but after seeing this thread and seeing how many different types of monitors are having an issue, I believe Apple may not be aware there is a larger issue going on. I'm running an M1 16g MacBook Pro, with an external monitor LG UME7300PUA circa 2019, and it worked fine on my MBP 2012 except the resolution couldn't support 4k, but this is like a whole other ball game. especially since i use my system for trading.

I just ordered the Satart tech dual monitor solution so fingers crossed, so far I've spent $400 on solutions, dongles, docks, cables to fix this.

 

[w1111amh]

MONITOR : LG UME7300PUA (2019)

CABLE: HDMI

APPLE 3 WAY DONGLE: USB-c | HDMI (x) | USB 3.0

CALDIGIT MiniDock: USB-c | HDMI (x)

M1 MAC PRO 16G - Flickering, Intermittent Off/On, Loses Complete Connection and Re-establishes it, Lose Picture and Sound as connected to monitor speakers as well.

Also I've tried using Airplay to get it to work, and its works ok except the resolution choice is suboptimal and it loses connection also and i have to recycle the monitor completely off to reestablish connection. But its not really a choice because the resolution is so poor. Not even sure why it is Apple doesn't make it better to watch pictures, movies and so forth. But they confirmed the supported resolution isn't ideal.