For the first time, Apple offers both DisplayPort 2.1 (via Thunderbolt 5) and HDMI 2.1 in the new M4 Pro-powered Mac mini, allowing you to connect up to three 6K monitors.
Last year, Apple added support for 4K 240Hz over HDMI 2.1 in the Macs with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.
This year, Apple is taking it a step further by adopting Thunderbolt 5, which utilizes the USB-C connector. Integrated into Thunderbolt 5 is support for DisplayPort 2.1, as confirmed by Apple, but so far only in the M4 Pro-powered Mac mini. The Mac mini with M4 is limited to Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort 1.4.
The new Mac mini with M4 Pro has three Thunderbolt 5 ports on the back. Photo: Apple
DisplayPort 2.1, originally announced way back in 2019 as DisplayPort 2.0, supports much higher video bandwidth for 4K and 8K but has the rollout experienced significant delays, but it seems things are starting to change. We have also seen monitors with DisplayPort 2.1 announced in 2024.
Up to three 6K monitors
By adopting Thunderbolt 5 (with DisplayPort 2.1) in addition to HDMI 2.1, the Mac mini with M4 Pro now supports up to three external monitors, each with a resolution of up to 6K at 60Hz – up from two in M4-powered Macs.
Alternatively, users can connect one 6K 60Hz monitor alongside one 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz monitor.
Up to three 6K monitors can be connected to the Mac mini with M4 Pro. Photo: Apple
While Thunderbolt 4 supports 40 Gbps symmetrically up/down, Thunderbolt 5 delivers significantly higher bandwidth at up to 80 Gbps symmetrically up/down, or alternatively 120 Gbps up and 40 Gbps down to support high-resolution monitors.
Additionally, the all M4-powered Macs support HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision, as well as AV1 and HEVC video decoding.
8K at 120Hz?
On Monday, Apple announced an upgraded M4-powered iMac, which curiously included mention of 8K 120Hz support in the specifications – which would have been a first. This mention was soon after removed, as the M4 iMac is limited to Thunderbolt 4.
This seems like a strange error to make unless Apple is actively working on 8K 120Hz support for the M4 family of chips. As detailed in the tables below, 8K 120Hz is possible over both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1 using Display Stream Compression (DSC), a visually lossless low-latency video compression method.
The company is expected to announce its first MacBook Pro featuring a more powerful M4 Max chip later today.
4K and 8K over HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.1
 DisplayPort 2.1 (from when it was called 2.0) video support for 4K, 8K. Chart: 8K Association
 HDM 2.1 video support for 4K and 8K Chart: Wikipedia |
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