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Old 05-17-2021, 05:08 PM   #1
zcutlip
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 2
Default Lack of available resolutions on Big Sur M1 Macs

There've been quite a few posts on the lack of 2K (and now with Big Sur 11.3.1, 4K) resolutions on M1 Macs. Some of the answers are along the lines of "we can't support resolutions your display doesn't support," so I wanted to share some evidence that there's more to the problem than that.

I have two identical 27" LG 4K displays. One is connected directly
via HDMI to my Thunderbolt dock. The other is connected through a DisplayLink adapter from Plugable. I'll share exact model numbers below. I connected three different MacBooks to the dock, and took screenshots of their available display resolutions. I'm including screenshots that show that the problem isn't with the display capabilities, since both are identical, and also that the lack of display resolutions is especially a problem on the M1 Macs.

In each screenshot is the Displays preference pane showing a list of available resolutions. The display that is directly connected has a full set of available resolutions. The display connected through DisplayLink has only a few available resolutions.
The first is on my M1 MacBook Pro. It has very few resolutions on the DisplayLink adapter, including no 2K or 4K options.

The second screenshot shows my Intel MacBook Pro (May 2020 model). On the DisplayLink adapter we have several more available resolutions including 2K and 4K, though still not the full set of resolutions available on the direct connection.

The third screenshot shows my Intel MacBook Air (March 2020). The set of available resolutions matches that of the Intel MacBook Pro; 2K & 4K available on both displays, but the DisplayLink side is still missing a few.

Note that on the M1 DisplayLink adapter there are only three resolutions to choose from, topping out at 1920x1080. This DisplayLink adapter isn't really serving a useful purpose for me without the additional display resolutions. I may end up disconnecting it and uninstall the DisplayLink software, and figure out another solution.

I hope these screenshots help call attention to the nature of the problem and help get it fixed.

2x LG Displays: LG 27UD68P-B
Plugable DisplayLink adapter: USBC-6950UE
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