14-Inch MacBook Pro With M3 Chip Has Only Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports

Tuesday October 31, 2023 6:17 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Apple's new M3 14-inch MacBook Pro features two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, not three Thunderbolt 4 ports like the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by M3 Pro and M3 Max chips.

m3 m3pro max ports
Apart from having fewer USB-C ports, the lack of Thunderbolt 4 support on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the base M3 chip means it only supports one display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, or one display with up to 4K resolution at 120Hz over HDMI.

In comparison, like the M2 Pro chip it replaces, the M3 Pro supports up to two external displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt. The M3 Pro-powered MacBook Pro models also support one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI.

Meanwhile, the M3 Max supports up to four external displays in the following configuration: Up to three external displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI.

Alternatively, M3 Max MacBook Pro models can support up to three external displays by connecting two displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz, or one display with 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI.

Lastly, both the M3 Pro and M3 Max also support native DisplayPort over USB-C, and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI.

The new MacBook Pro models are available to order now, and they will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on Tuesday, November 7. Be sure to check out our MacBook Pro announcement coverage for all the details.

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Top Rated Comments

Stella

39 months ago

... and only TB3...

It's a stretch to call this a "Pro" machine, 8GB, 1 external monitor, 2 USB / TB3 ports and so on.

Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)

McJobs

39 months ago

Deleted.

Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)

macman01101

39 months ago

Two instead of four is more carbon neutral. Thanks Mother Nature.

Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)

kendo88

39 months ago

Am I missing something? Either a device is for „Pro“ or it isn’t. Apple line up remains dumb and more and more confusing.

Lots of comments about missing features meaning it is not for pros. It's been a long time since 'Pro' meant for professionals in Apple's world. Pro just means 'The better, more expensive one'.

This 14inch MacBook Pro with M3, I believe, is aimed at people who don't have the professional workflows, don't need the crazy performance, but want the better hardware, the better screen, the pro motion, the better webcam, microphones, the HDR brightness for videos etc. I believe there are a bunch of people where the performance of the base M3 is more than what they need, 2 USB-C ports are fine for them, but they would like the better screen tech etc.

This is that product. No different to the iPhone 'Pro', most of it's buyers are not using it for professional workflows, but they want the more premium design, the pro motion etc

Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Kazgarth

39 months ago

What I find outrageous is the $1600/$1800 MacBook Pro 14 comes with only 8GB of RAM.

And you have to pay extra $200 for 16GB of RAM upgrade ($200 per 8GB).

When the price of 16GB of LPDDR5 in bulk is $20 per 16GB.

https://eu.mouser.com/c/semiconductors/memory-ics/dram/?type=SDRAM%20-%20LPDDR5

Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)