My whites are flashing yellow on my external display

[Internaut]

M1 MacBook Air. Really strange as it's not all whites, all of the time, but some of the whites some of the time. Currently upgrading to the latest/greatest Big Sur. If no change I will check if clamshell mode/laptop open makes a difference followed by swapping HDMI for DP. I see Intel Macs have had similar problems. Has anyone else had this with their M1 MacBook or Mac Mini?

Edit: 1. Upgrade done with little difference seen. 2. In clamshell mode my whites are whiter than white.

Edit part deux: I've swapped the HDMI cable (that was plugged into my Kingston Hub) with a Display Port cable plugged directly into my second USB-C socket. Here are my findings:

• There is a difference in the quality of the external display between clamshell mode and laptop open.
• With the laptop open, the external display looks very good and consistent (more than good enough for day to day work).
• When I close the laptop (clamshell mode), the quality of the whites on the external monitor changes and the whites become whiter (pure white).

Now, this is with a cheap mini display port to USB-C adapter and leaves me wondering if I need to invest in a more expensive docking solution. Recommendations welcome.

 

[Internaut]

Possibly jumped the gun a bit, but ordered one of these:

CalDigit USB-C Gen2 10Gb/s SOHO Dock - Up to 4K 60Hz, HDMI 2.0b, HDR, DisplayPort 1.4, 10Gb/s USB A & USB C, UHS-II microSD and SD Card Readers, Passthrough Charging

CALDIGIT USB-C SOHO DOCK: NEXT LEVEL GEN.2 USB-C DOCK Based on the concept that more and more of us work from home, the SOHO or Small Office Home Office Dock helps bring all our devices together anywhere. This powerful, bus-powered or AC dock offers next-generation USB-C performance from Gen 2 se...

smile.amazon.co.uk

And will test with both HDMI and DP. Can't say I'm a fan of the trade offs when buying a Thunderbolt hub. It seems you can pick any two of small, functional and cheap. At least Caldigit seems to have a good rep.

 

[jdb8167]

Possibly jumped the gun a bit, but ordered one of these:

CalDigit USB-C Gen2 10Gb/s SOHO Dock - Up to 4K 60Hz, HDMI 2.0b, HDR, DisplayPort 1.4, 10Gb/s USB A & USB C, UHS-II microSD and SD Card Readers, Passthrough Charging

CALDIGIT USB-C SOHO DOCK: NEXT LEVEL GEN.2 USB-C DOCK Based on the concept that more and more of us work from home, the SOHO or Small Office Home Office Dock helps bring all our devices together anywhere. This powerful, bus-powered or AC dock offers next-generation USB-C performance from Gen 2 se...

smile.amazon.co.uk

And will test with both HDMI and DP. Can't say I'm a fan of the trade offs when buying a Thunderbolt hub. It seems you can pick any two of small, functional and cheap. At least Caldigit seems to have a good rep.

That dock is USB-C and not Thunderbolt. I’m not sure that matters much for its intended use but probably explains why it is less expensive.

I have that dock and use my M1 MacBook Air with it in clamshell mode most of the time. I have a 24” LG 4K monitor that I connect with a Display Port cable and it works pretty well. I haven’t noticed any display abnormalities.

 

[Internaut]

Ok, Caldigit USB-C hub tested. Observations:

• No yellow screen with HDMI.
• DP also tested as fine.
• Same observations as to the colour shift that take place, on the external display, when moving to clamshell mode.

So, it looks like the Kingston unit might have developed a fault. As for the colour shift, it looks like critical photography work, with the main monitor, is probably better done in clamshell mode.

 

[Internaut]

FYI I solved this. Nothing to do with my USB hub (though the Caldigit is lovely, so glad I bought it). If you have whites occasionally turning (sometimes flashing on and off yellow) on an external monitor, with your M1 MacBook, try switching True Tone off in the display settings.

Edit: With thanks to a Reddit post that I'm struggling to find again.