How to connect dual extended displays to MacBook Air (2025 M4)

Phil0124 wrote:

I'm partial to Ugreen. High quality without the high price.

click here ➜ UGREEN Docking Station 10 in 1 Revodok Pro 210 USB C Dock Dual HDMI 4K@60Hz - Amazon.com

That's not a Thunderbolt dock. Looks to me like a plain USB-C dock that drives two HDMI outputs using MST. Which means that if the OP connected two monitors to it, the OP could not use them in extended display mode (and the Mac probably wouldn't even be aware that one of the monitors existed).

"The Docking Station allows you to connect two displays up to 4K@60Hz or a single screen up to 8K@30Hz via the HDMI 2 connector. Please note that due to MacOS limitations, all docking displays will display the same content when connected to a MacBook."

Anker and Belkin are also quality brands.

click here ➜ Anker Laptop Docking Station Dual Monitor, 8-in-1 USB C Hub, 4K Dual Monitor with 2 HDMI, 1 Gbps Ethernet Hub, 85W Power Delivery - Amazon.com

Same issue with that one.

"Dual HDMI Display: Stream or mirror content to a single device in stunning 4K@60Hz, or hook up two displays to both HDMI ports in 4K@30Hz. Note: For macOS, the display on both external monitors will be identical."

click here ➜ Belkin Connect Universal USB-C 8-in-1 Dual Display Core Hub w/Silicon Motion Technology - Compatible with Mac - Amazon.com

"Silicon Motion" is a second class workaround technology, like DisplayLink. It can come with compromises. The OP's M4 MacBook Air supports driving two monitors in a first-class, hardware-accelerated way, so I believe there would be absolutely no reason for the OP to use DisplayLink, Silicon Motion, or any similar workaround.

In addition, this dock is very expensive for a non-Thunderbolt dock. It costs $139.95 – several times as much as most inexpensive "plain USB-C" docks, and almost as much as a real Thunderbolt dock!

Belkin does offer a few Thunderbolt hubs and docks.

https://www.belkin.com/products/docks-hubs/thunderbolt-docks/

Nosivad wrote:

each new monitor comes with an HDMI cord would display port be better?

Your M4 MacBook Air outputs video in DisplayPort form. (DisplayPort Alt Mode, or Thunderbolt-encapsulated DisplayPort). If your monitors can take DisplayPort input, that would be the most "natural" conversion, but it's perfectly fine to use HDMI adapters if that is what works better for you.

There are several versions of DisplayPort and of HDMI, so sometimes, if your monitor is using an older version, there can be limitations, especially with 4K monitors.

What I envision is a compact(ish) unit that can be plugged in via one of the two USB C ports on the side of the MacBook Air and the monitors can each be plugged into the hub independently.

For that, you are going to need a Thunderbolt hub, dock, or dual display adapter. Macs don't support DisplayPort MST and can only drive a single monitor over "plain" USB-C. Which means that if you bought a "plain" USB-C hub or dock, you could only plug one monitor into it, and would have to plug the other into the Mac.

Macs that can drive multiple monitors can drive up to two 4K monitors (or one 5K/6K one) over Thunderbolt. So you could plug both monitors into a Thunderbolt dock and have only one cable running to the Mac. Assuming that the dock had its own wall power source, that cable could also carry charging power to the Mac.

Three long-time vendors of Thunderbolt gear for Macs are

• Other World Computing
• SonnetTech
• CalDIgit

I would suggest looking at their offerings.

Note that some of these devices split a single Thunderbolt chain into several chains – and allow you to connect up to two "USB-C to (whatever)" adapters to downstream ports. Others might have a dedicated DisplayPort or HDMI port, plus the ability to connect one "USB-C to (whatever)" adapter to a Thunderbolt daisy-chaining port.

I'm partial to Ugreen. High quality without the high price.

click here ➜ UGREEN Docking Station 10 in 1 Revodok Pro 210 USB C Dock Dual HDMI 4K@60Hz - Amazon.com

Anker and Belkin are also quality brands.

click here ➜ Anker Laptop Docking Station Dual Monitor, 8-in-1 USB C Hub, 4K Dual Monitor with 2 HDMI, 1 Gbps Ethernet Hub, 85W Power Delivery - Amazon.com

click here ➜ Belkin Connect Universal USB-C 8-in-1 Dual Display Core Hub w/Silicon Motion Technology - Compatible with Mac - Amazon.com

DisplayPort 1.4 is good. If you were connecting a 4K monitor that had USB hub ports via “plain” USB-C, the monitor menu might let you choose USB 2 speeds (with more pins available for carrying video) or USB 3 speeds (at the cost of sacrificing half of the video pins). (USB-C has dedicated pins for USB 2 but not for USB 3.)

In that situation, DisolayPort 1.4 makes it easier to choose USB 3 speeds than DisplayPort 1.2 would. That’s because DisplayPort 1.4 can support higher bandwidth and get more out of a given number of pins.

I don’t know how all this plays with Thunderbolt, but it certainly would not hurt anything,

Your Mac has Thunderbolt 4 and would not be able to benefit from the extra features of Thunderbolt 5. I’d suggest getting a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 hub or dock.

Those two forms of Thunderbolt have the same top speed, but according to an OWC blog article, there are some subtle differences. I believe it was that Thunderbolt 4 is designed to allow splitting one chain into several, while Thunderbolt 3 might reserve more bandwidth for USB equipment.

I believe that MicroCenter page is for this device.

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-thunderbolt-5-hub

Nirhing wrong with it if you like the port selection, size, and price. Just be aware that when connected to your Mac, it will deliver Thunderbolt 4 features and performance (since your Mac does not have Thunderbolt 5).

OWC has other Thunderbolt docks with more ports / types of ports, but some of those might be physically larger than what you were looking for.