MacBook Air M2 with trio laptop screen extender

[o0dles]

Hello! Has anyone tried using a duo or trio laptop screen extender with the MacBook Air M2? I know the Air only supports one external monitor. I need to decide if I should return the Air M2 for a MacBook Pro so it can support the duo/trio screen extenders. External desk monitor is not an option. Would be wonderful to hear from those who has this setup. Thanks!

 

[Acronyc]

I have an M1 Air that I use for travel and at my days in the office. As I have dual monitors in the office and I wanted to utilize them, I picked up the dual display docking station from Belkin.

I've only had the setup for a day but so far it is working surprisingly well. I haven't experienced any lag with my Air in clamshell mode and using the dual displays.

I'm not sure if the 16GB of RAM in my Air helps, but I'm impressed so far. It's nice because since it has power delivery it's a single cable setup, with the dock tucked away. I also have my other accessories such as webcam, keyboard, etc., connected to the dock and everything is fine.

One thing I heard is that protected content like Netflix won't play when using DisplayLink, but there are ways to get around it (using Firefox, changing some settings in Chrome, or starting it on the internal screen and moving the content over to the external screen). I don't do this at the office though so it's no big deal for me.

This dock only supports 1080p monitors, though, which is fine for my needs at the office. There are others that support higher resolutions.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Hello! Has anyone tried using a duo or trio laptop screen extender with the MacBook Air M2? I know the Air only supports one external monitor. I need to decide if I should return the Air M2 for a MacBook Pro so it can support the duo/trio screen extenders. External desk monitor is not an option. Would be wonderful to hear from those who has this setup. Thanks!

The only way to get two external displays with the MacBook Air is if one of the displays uses DisplayLink. That’s going to cut down on responsiveness of that display - even if you’re not gaming with it, some people notice the lag e.g. when moving the mouse, the pointer is always a little “behind” where it is on the built-in or non-DisplayLink monitor. So if you’re the kind of person who is very quick move-point-click, you’ll find yourself missing the target a lot. It’s a very subjective thing; personally it wasn’t hard to overcome but I know people who can’t STAND it. And of course if you ARE a gamer, it’s definitely going to be problematic.

Bottom line; if you have reason to believe you’ll want more than one external I’d strongly suggest the MacBook Pro.

 

[o0dles]

I have an M1 Air that I use for travel and at my days in the office. As I have dual monitors in the office and I wanted to utilize them, I picked up the dual display docking station from Belkin.

I've only had the setup for a day but so far it is working surprisingly well. I haven't experienced any lag with my Air in clamshell mode and using the dual displays.

I'm not sure if the 16GB of RAM in my Air helps, but I'm impressed so far. It's nice because since it has power delivery it's a single cable setup, with the dock tucked away. I also have my other accessories such as webcam, keyboard, etc., connected to the dock and everything is fine.

One thing I heard is that protected content like Netflix won't play when using DisplayLink, but there are ways to get around it (using Firefox, changing some settings in Chrome, or starting it on the internal screen and moving the content over to the external screen). I don't do this at the office though so it's no big deal for me.

This dock only supports 1080p monitors, though, which is fine for my needs at the office. There are others that support higher resolutions.

Thank you! I was able to convince the user to use one extended screen rather than two. They don’t have much real estate space at her WFH settings.

 

[o0dles]

The only way to get two external displays with the MacBook Air is if one of the displays uses DisplayLink. That’s going to cut down on responsiveness of that display - even if you’re not gaming with it, some people notice the lag e.g. when moving the mouse, the pointer is always a little “behind” where it is on the built-in or non-DisplayLink monitor. So if you’re the kind of person who is very quick move-point-click, you’ll find yourself missing the target a lot. It’s a very subjective thing; personally it wasn’t hard to overcome but I know people who can’t STAND it. And of course if you ARE a gamer, it’s definitely going to be problematic.

Bottom line; if you have reason to believe you’ll want more than one external I’d strongly suggest the MacBook Pro.

I read there is a delay in response time on the display, good thing I was able to convince the user to stick with only one extended screen. Thank you!