On Tuesday, Apple presented Macs with its own M1 processors to the world for the first time. Given the promising performance improvements the company promised, many questions about the details of the three new devices initially remained unanswered. There is now more clarity with regard to the models that can already be ordered – besides the initial euphoria, there was hardly a feature of the ARM Macs imaginable that would not be superior to the Intel counterparts. But this is not quite the case: If the user wants to use external screens, the M1 models have one or the other disillusionment ready – because there are certain compromises.
Mac mini now supports 6K screens
Some users want to connect an external display to their Mac – or several of them. This means that you can keep track of some tasks and work faster. With the Mac mini, it is in the nature of things that a screen is required. Basically, the M1-Macs that have just been introduced are also compatible with additional displays – albeit with fewer screens at the same time than their respective Intel counterparts. With the Mac mini, only two instead of three monitors can be connected – after all, the current series also supports 6K resolution.
More external displays on Intel Macs
In notebooks, 6K was already possible without any problems – both the MacBook Air and the Pro model are also equipped with an Intel chip for 6K. Users who content themselves with 4K resolution could, however, use two corresponding displays at the same time – this is a thing of the past with the ARM Macs: Those who now opt for Apple’s current top models will get astonishing battery life and powerful hardware – but not the option to operate a second external panel with the MacBook Air or Pro. The following table gives you an overview of all options:
| M1 version | Intel version | |
| Mac mini | 1 × 6K and 1 × 4K or 2 × 4K | 3 × 4K or 1 × 5K and 1 × 4K |
| MacBook Air | 1 × up to 6K | 2 × 4K or 1 × up to 6K |
| MacBook Pro | 1 × up to 6K | 2 × 4K or 1 × up to 6K |