Portable monitor compatible with M4 Pro Macs connected via Thunderbolt 5

Thunderbolt5 is new technology only just introduced to the market. There are going to be growing pains with computers and devices that connect to them. While Thunderbolt5 is "supposed" to be backward compatible with previous versions, there will be the occasional issue.

Personally, I would not purchase a Thunderbolt5 anything until later in 2025 as most issues will likely be ironed out.

I asked Plugable Technologies to test its USB-C portable monitor for laptop (USBC-PDMON) which has 2x 10Gbps USB-C ports for data or connecting peripherals, 100W PD pass-through (85W charging), 15.6” IPS display, cover/stand with a M4 Pro 14" MacBook Pro using one of the T5 ports. Looks like it works:

We've tested the USBC-PDMON with a MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2024, M4 Pro) and they worked well together. The portable monitor was able to successfully show video from the Mac, and the other functions such as the 10Gbps USB hub ports and Power Delivery pass-through also worked well.

Just passing that information on to those who are interested. Obviously contact the company to make certain before you buy it.

simple one thing changed and a lot of other things does not work anymore. What changes was a new MacBook Pro even somewhere in this discussion or another one someone did upgrade their old MacBook to a new version of Mac OS and the monitor stopped working on his/her old Mac all together. New ports are supposed to be reverse compatible the new Mac aren’t. I am an Apple fan as you but we can all agree that Apple changed something in their new Mac and every other vendor have monitors that suddenly don’t work anymore mhhhh and you still ask me why this is not an apple problem? Thing is as they told me somehow the connection is not recognized and a firmware update would solve the problem. A small company as espresso display is doing their part why a big company as Apple just ignore the problem and shove it to other company’s as culprit.

This issue that was mentioned on the review has just been identified with the launch of the new Apple products with new ports, and we are working hard to make sure that the solution is deployed to all other units that are to be sold -- this is a high priority for us.

At the moment, however, we have a couple of workarounds that we'd like to offer to those who already have their display :

1. External Power Boost:Sometimes, giving the display a little extra juice can help. You could try plugging in a phone charger or power bank to the second USB-C port of the espressoDisplay.
2. Firmware Update: We can tweak the espressoDisplay's software to work with the new ports, which requires a physical update on our end. This means we will need to retrieve the display for a quick firmware flash, and we'll send a replacement that works with the M4 device via a single USB-C cable connection.

Let me know if you have any further questions and I'd be happy to help.

Regards,

I can confirm I have the same problem, Mac mini 4 Pro with ARZOPA RZ1RC.

I found this through the other thread regarding mobile displays not working. I put a response there on my finding as I have an 18.5 that works very well on a M2 but not with the M4 Pro Max. I am posting here because the monitor I've used in a dual setup with the M2 does work with the M4. I have no idea why it works while the other doesn't. It is a MNN 15.6 1080P from Amazon.

I bought an espresso 17inch Pro Display at the same time as my MacBook pros m4pro chip. After ordering both products I saw a post on trust pilot about this issue with the same espresso display I bought. The display worked only when a extra external power source was connected to the display. I contacted customer service of espresso and they told me that indeed there is a communication problem between the MacBook and their displays and they were in the process of flashing the new displays before sending them to their costumers. I had to wait until I received mine to check if I had a new one or one with the old firmware. Upon arrival my display only worked with an external power source connected to the display. I contacted espresso and they immediately sent me a new display with the new firmware. And the new display works perfectly. We can conclude that this is a software issue and that Apple should be able to correct this problem with a software update. If a company as espresso display can solve the problem as easily Apple should also be able to solve the problem for all their users who already had a working portable display.

Work with the vendor - they’re not blaming Apple, instead offering multiple solutions, which is a rarity in the monitor business. Dell, for example, won’t even respond with an AI bot.

If you still want to vent, use Feedback - Mac mini - Apple. All the best.

The question is not whether a device is Thunderbolt 5 compatible but whether the Thunderbolt 5 is backward compatible, making this an Apple issue. According to this article and others it should be backward compatible.

[Edited by Moderator]

yskandar thaddé wrote:

I contacted espresso and they immediately sent me a new display with the new firmware. And the new display works perfectly. We can conclude that this is a software issue and that Apple should be able to correct this problem with a software update. If a company as espresso display can solve the problem as easily Apple should also be able to solve the problem for all their users who already had a working portable display.

How do you conclude that this is a software issue with the computer, rather than one with the display?

I sent a followup to Plugable asking them whether the portable monitor supports power and video through one USB-C cable, or whether a second USB-C cable must be used to independently provide power to the display.

gamer_jack,

Evidence is mounting, for the monitor manufacturers willing to explore adjusting the firmware that the TB5 will work with their monitors. And it isn't even a power issue of the cords. The monitors. The monitors are just stumped by Apple's new protocols. Some manufacturers just say use HDMI. Suffice it to say many companies don't want to be bothered with the nuances of USB-C/Thunderbolt differences. And this makes it a headache for users. I recommend if you find evidence there are backward compatibility issues, to make a case with AppleCare, and ask your case number with AppleCare to include notes for engineers to talk about creating a firmware update so this problem does not aflict new Mac models as badly. We are just end users here with Apple moderation.

This is useful, and indeed should be separate from the main thread. Thanks.

That thread includes several posts quoting the vendor saying Thunderbolt 5 is not supported. Not an Apple issue.

It’s for the device manufacturer to test and specify - Arzopa have stated they don’t.