Most devices still use HDMI 2.0 ports, with the HDMI 2.1 standard set aside for relatively expensive devices. HDMI 2.0 offers a maximum bandwidth of only 18 Gbps, which isn’t good enough.Īlthough HDMI 2.1 improves upon its predecessor with its transfer speeds of up to 48 Gbps, it isn’t as widely available yet. The 40 Gbps maximum bandwidth capability of Thunderbolt 3 can power two 4K displays operating at 60 Hz simultaneously. If Apple embraces HDMI, the port will co-exist with Thunderbolt, as it does on the 2021 MacBook Pro.Īnd if Apple ever completely abandons Thunderbolt, it would be only to bring in another proprietary standard. The fact that Thunderbolt is its own making makes us believe that the Cupertino-based firm is never letting go of the standard-certainly not for HDMI or any other third-party I/O port. Apple wasn’t part of that cohort.Īpple likes to make its chips, software, ports, etc. On the other hand, HDMI is a third-party standard founded by tech companies, such as Toshiba, Sony, Philips, Thomson, etc. Thunderbolt is a proprietary standard that Apple built in partnership with Intel. If you’re wondering why Apple hasn’t jumped on the HDMI train yet like every other laptop and continues to use Thunderbolt instead, the following are likely the reasons.

(More on that later) Why Do MacBooks Have Thunderbolt but Not HDMI? To connect an HDMI cable to your MacBook Air, you would need an adapter device. MacBook Airs use a Thunderbolt port instead to support high-resolution displays via a single port. Unfortunately, the newer Air also doesn’t include an integrated HDMI port-despite having undergone a major design overhaul and spec bump. The bigger MacBook Air is still around, with the latest version unveiled in December 2020. That device didn’t sport an HDMI port, quite expectedly due to its much smaller form factor. In 2010, a smaller 11-inch Air was introduced, later discontinued in 2016. The other legendary port to be shown at the exit was HDMI. For instance, it had no FireWire port, line-in, Ethernet port, disk drive, or Kensington lock. The original 13-inch MacBook Air, released in 2008, was slim and slender and, as a result, axed quite a few ports to achieve the pathbreaking design. Yes, you can connect an HDMI cable to a MacBook Air but not without some interventions because a MacBook Air does not come with a built-in HDMI port.Īnd that has been the story with pretty much every MacBook Air released to date.

How Do I Connect an HDMI Cable to My MacBook Air?Ĭan You Connect an HDMI Cable to a MacBook Air?.

Why Do MacBooks Have Thunderbolt but Not HDMI?.

Can You Connect an HDMI Cable to a MacBook Air?.

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