

The USB-As are your best bet for charging a phone or battery since the USB-C is again data only. This means that while you could run dual monitors it would be limited to a quick presentation that will need to finish before your battery dies.įor data, you’ve got USB-C, two USB-A’s and that Thunderbolt 3 (if you’re not charging again). The USB-C port doesn’t help here as it is data only so it doesn’t work the same way the second port on your MacBook does. To charge your laptop simultaneously you’ll need to have a Thunderbolt 3 monitor that’s providing power through that one connection which narrows the compatibility quickly. The Thunderbolt 3 port does support video and lets you display gorgeous video up to 5k, but you unless you need USB-A ports, you would just connect that directly to your laptop.

I had no issues connecting to my monitors, one at 3440 resolution and one at 4k. At certain times, you want to work on a single laptop screen in the living room, and at others, you buckle down at a desk with a more elaborate multi-screen setup and desktop peripherals.For video, the HDMI port works as it should. And today, with most business travel reduced to wearing a path in the carpet between your home office and the kitchen, flexibility matters more than ever. But many offices around the globe still rely on legacy ports such as HDMI and USB 3.0, not to mention SD card readers and Ethernet for wired connections. Thunderbolt and wireless connectivity are perfectly serviceable for most mobile professionals while they're out and about. Check out our primers on Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 to learn what makes Thunderbolt different from USB-C. Like Henry Ford's Model T, which gave you a choice of colors (so long as you chose black), modern MacBooks give you your choice of ports, so long as they are Thunderbolt ports.Īpple uses oval-shaped Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 ports on its various laptops. How to Set Up Two-Factor AuthenticationĪpple's MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are remarkable laptops, but they don't make for the best desktop alternatives right out of the box.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
