Apple USB-C AV adapter - Any good?

The USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter from Apple performs mostly as you might expect except for a couple of hidden limitations. For example, if you are passing charge power through the device, charging is limited to 24 watts. There are other options.
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[@davidevalentiofficial]

Hi, thanks for the review: it's for sure the most simple and useful I've seen about this Apple adapter. Maybe the 24 watts limitation may prevent the adapter from bricking the laptop. It looks like many third parties usb c docks are causing servere problems due do the power delivery feature.

[@matthewdaley7535]

Thanks. You could be right about protecting the laptop. It may also be about protecting the adapter from overheating as it does get warm to the touch.

[@ElectroWolf_Arts]

@@matthewdaley7535 hey man whats up .... i want to buy one but i afraid that it will not work when the laptop is on the BIOS or OS installation

[@khanscombe619]

That said limitation is on par w/ the previous lightening version. 24w is sufficient for iPads (or usb-c phone) which it’s most optimised for. The USB-C power is to make sure the adapter has stable power under transfer. We’d be using self power devices as it is anyway. For MacBook, there’s better hub options for pass through use. While using existing MagSafe or chargers

[@leomarasciuloYT]

Really good review

[@ejonesss]

probably why the power delivery does not work is because apple disabled it in big sur to prevent users from bricking any more m1 macs. if you are able to connect the devices and do a restart the device may provide power briefly during boot because most of the functions are controlled by software near the fully booted state. i should know because i am in the process of building a macbook 4,1 based music player and i noticed the display stays on even when the lid is closed during boot but once it reaches the desktop the display goes out. so the system that reads the lid switch is done in software

[@rorywalters1614]

The maximum power passthrough is 55w, I tried both 61w and 87w charger got the same result. You got less might because your MacBook already got enough charge, so the MacBook itself limited the power input again. Also the USBA port is kept at 480Mbps speed, the Mac recognises it as USB2.0 in the system report.

[@matthewdaley7535]

Cool. It is interesting that you get 6 watts less than the rated amount on the 61watt adapter. I'm getting 6 watts less on my 30 watt adapter. I definitely get 30 watts direct and 24 when moved to the AV adapter. It's a strange behaviour.

[@EliasRojano]

The 55w is for the older version of the adapter, the new version released from 2020 has a maximum of 91W when is connected to a 96W Apple Power Brick

[@sandramiller7972]

Thanks for the info. I recently got the Apple adapter. The multiport adapter(or drivers?) failed when I tried to use a USB mouse and VGA (and VGA with USB adapter) at the same time. Both VGA and HDMI stopped working on the multiport adapter. There is something going on there. Using this device fixed the problem. I stopped using the Ikling adapter. Any idea what the problem is? Should I get rid of it? F. Miller

[@dritonmaliqi7625]

These ones are the best adapters, never let you down - you suppose to charge the laptop directly, and is not meant to work as an addition for another adapter!

[@spinnerlad]

Why won’t it display from my android phone

[@wilderfier]

Can this be used for a Nintendo Switch to record gaming footage for Twitch Live or to record gaming content for KZbin?

[@elonwhite6628]

i happen to own one for my m2 mac, and i understand that you don’t want to push to much power through the adapter, but when I used it for a presentation i found out that the digital display was abele to change the Mac without any problems, but if you don't have enough ports then you can use a 4 to 1 adapter on the top port of the mac because they are able to read 4 separate inputs due to the mapping of the port, but i find it is better to use Bluetooth to increase the number of devices connected to the Mac

[@Sr_iRL]

I have this adapter and I use it with m iPad Pro. The USB C does carry out power but doesn’t transfer data. USB A carries power and data.

[@zi2191]

Hi, thanks for sharing this. Just one question in using this adapter to MacBook. Is the battery of MacBook draining faster when this adapter is plugged in or used? I actually have a belkin adapter to connect my M1 to an external monitor, but I am having draining battery issue whenever I use it. So I ordered to apple this lighting adapter in hopes to prevent having battery issue. Hope to get your feedback. Thanks in advance! 🙂

[@matthewdaley7535]

I wish I had thought of testing this when I made the video. Testing it now shows my MacBook Air M1 uses 5.5 watts at idle with the screen on half brightness. Plugging in the adapter and driving a 1080 monitor as a second display causes power consumption to go up to 8 watts. A continuous 2.5 watts extra. This adapter is definitely going to eat battery and probably wont be an improvement on your Belkin one. Sorry.

[@urlunaticguy]

I also want to know this. Did you face the idle battery drain with this adapter as well?

[@DK-zf1dh]

Hi，did it can use for capture card？I want to buy an av adapter for my iPad pro 2021 to connnect capture card.

[@AntonT81]

What is the resolution of your external monitor? Is the content from your M1 MBA looking sharp even on your external monitor? I use a third party USB-C hub from Belkin for displaying content from my M1 MBP through HDMI on a Dell 1080p monitor. The content is blurry, especially text not looking clear/crisp on my 1080p external monitor. Some users recommend using DisplayPort on a external monitor when connected to a Apple computer in order for the content to look crisp and clear. What is your experience on this topic when using Apples USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter?

[@matthewdaley7535]

My external monitor is a 1920 by 1080 21.5" Lenovo display. I calculate that it has a 103 pixels per inch. Compare that to the Air's 227 ppi. Obviously the Lenovo is not as sharp as the Air but it's still acceptable to me. If you want a picture as sharp as the Air screen you should get a 4k - 24 inch screen. I don't think the brand of adapter will make any difference to the appearance of your monitor. HDMI is a digital signal and does not introduce blurriness by itself. Can you tell me the native resolution of your external monitor?

[@AntonT81]

@@matthewdaley7535 I’m using a Dell P2419H as my external monitor. The size of my external monitor is 24” and its native resolution is 1920x1080. So in my case the PPI is 92 compared to the corresponding 227 PPI of my M1 MBP. So I guess the problem is the monitor itself, not being able to produce a sharp image due to its low-res non-retina display.

[@PutuAdi_id]

Hi, your video very helpful. 😊👍 I have one question, what about the temperature? does it get hot while using the dongle? if it is, what is the range of heat they have? Because of the 3rd party dongle, common problem is in the heat. thank you very much. 😊🙏

[@matthewdaley7535]

That's and interesting idea. I measured the temperature of the adapter when under full 24 watt load as well as driving a monitor with HDMI and a USB A mouse connected. It gets to 36c degree's which I think is fairly low. The underside of the M1 Macbook air gets hotter than that under heavy computational load.

[@PutuAdi_id]

@@matthewdaley7535 36 degree celsius is normal i think. Thankyou very much. This information very helpful for me. 🙏

[@ankvts]

I just ordered this adapter but now I'm a bit confused if this adapter supports 1440p at 60Hz from my Macbook Pro (13", 2017 model with two Thunderbolt 3 ports) or will it drop down to 30Hz 🤔

[@pratikdugam5612]

4k at 30 hrtz for you

[@BerndStapf]

Ok ... did a few tests ... am I correct that the USB-Charging port only works with original Apple chargers? (Tried a few different other ones ... DELL, BASEUS, ... and with none of them charging works.)

[@FelipeAS311]

Is it only an out HDMI or can I connect something like a switch to it and broadcast it on the MacBook?

[@v_gan]

This must be the older version A1621, correct? One Amazon review said it charges at up to 55 watts which must be the newer A2119. That version also allows for 4K at 60hz as opposed to 30hz of the old one.

[@alexcortez3007]

Apple badly needs to update this dongle. I can't even use the USB-C port to connect my LG Ultrafine display (it charges but doesn't display).

[@radukapu]

Hi. Thank you for very helpful video. 👍🏻 Can i have a question? Can i use it for connecting iPad ? Thank you for your answer 😊

[@matthewdaley7535]

Yes, this will plug into an iPad and work if the iPad has a USB C port.

[@radukapu]

@@matthewdaley7535 thank you very much for reply. Yeah i was hopping to use on my ipad pro with lightening connector using usb-c to lightening converter and it doesn’t get recognised 😞

[@cozzielife]

Hi. What model is that Belkin unit you are using to measure the Wattage ? Thx

[@matthewdaley7535]

It is called a Belkin Conserve Insight. This one is very old but it still shows up for sale when I Google it.

[@Priyaam]

🙌🏼

[@pirategaming7316]

I have the j5create adapter, works great for half the price.

[@TunedInWithNikk]

I bought this for my iPad to hook up a DAC via the USB port while charging the device which works great. However, when I use GarageBand to play guitar, I thought that I could plug in a usb c dongle to 3.5 mm headphone jack and have the audio run through the dongle into the headphones.. and I was shocked that it didn’t work. Pretty disappointing.

[@Mr.OOFLol]

Hello sir i have the same usb c adapter can i use it to screen mirror my ipad air 1 to my monitor?

[@davidyepez3464]

Is it normal for the HDMI port to only show the display but not have sound in the tv the sound is only in my Mac

[@SanitysVoid]

IS THERE A better option than this even if more expensive?

[@matvanik]

Can it be jused with a regular ipad 2021? Im very interested, thank you, for your answer.

[@matthewdaley7535]

Sorry no. The regular iPad has a lightning port. The adapter in the video has the wrong plug to fit a normal iPad. You need to look for the lightning AV adapter instead.

[@Fekisen]

Does the USB Port support full speed while using hdmi 4K 60hz and power delivery? Maybe you could test that with your samsung SSD (using it with adapter and on Macbook port)?

[@matthewdaley7535]

It works as you would want it to. The USB-A port runs at it's maximum speed even if a 4K 60hz display is connected. This is because Thunderbolt has 40Gbits of bandwidth and 4k 60hz only uses 18Gbits of that leaving plenty for the USB port. It also delivers UBA power while the monitor is attached so no issues there. Other KZbinrs have shown the two ports on the Air have 40Gbits each and are independent. My own testing supports this as I can run the USB-C SSD I own on the other 2nd port with no slow down. Great question.

[@TheLordstrider]

scratching my head here, got this adapter and i have Ipad mini 6, for the life of me i don't know why it wont go past 1080P and at least without the black bars on top and bottom. tried 7 cables 3 monitors. on 1440P shows as 1080P and on 4k the same. i just don't get it, how to make it go bigger screen and higher resolution.

[@frescoakash]

Was the USB c Limitation only on M1 macbooks or Also the 16' macbook pro?

[@matthewdaley7535]

The USB C port only provides power and nothing else no matter what model Mac it is plugged into.

[@frescoakash]

@@matthewdaley7535 thanks

[@aliveindra]

can i used this type c port to ising headset with type c?

[@dennisud]

How about using it on a M1 Mac-Mini?

[@Caw-mb1yd]

Anyone know if the adapter works on the 2nd usb C port? Does both the charging, HDMI and USB work in the 2nd usb c port? My top port doesn't work and I don't know how to fix it... Its a Macbook 2017 13'' btw

[@matthewdaley7535]

Yes, this adapter should work on any USB C port on a Mac. It sounds like you have a hardware issue on your laptop. Sorry. Maybe you can afford a new M1 Macbook Air ($US850 from Amazon)?

[@kazielbonn]

Anyone know if this could work with an iPhone 11, using a usb-c to lightning adapter, please?

[@justinreyesv]

I have this does this work for Switch

[@fernandoperez9025]

It seems that this is the only HDMI adapter compatible for M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pro.

[@siddharthasharma8928]

Is Third Party Hub Can Harm Macbook ? Because I Want To Buy This But So Confused

[@matthewdaley7535]

Apple released an OS update to prevent this problem so you should be OK. Your M1 Mac would also still be covered under warranty so, even if you had an issue, you can get it fixed under warranty anyway.

[@saidts]

From some weeks to now, my Macbook Pro started to sleep by itself, randomly. The machine turns its screens off and I have to disconnect all cables and press power to awake. I already tried to reinstall macOS from scratch, ran EtreCheckPro, did a lot of tests, and could isolate the adapter as the potential responsible for the fault. There's no visible damage in the adapter and I wonder if that couldn't be a software compatibility fault. Here in Brazil, this adapter is very expensive (> US$135) and I couldn't risk buying a new one and getting the same result. Is someone more passing by this situation? MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) + Apple Thunderbolt Display macOS Monterey 12.4 (21F79)

[@leomarasciuloYT]

Comentando aqui pra seguir a thread, tou querendo pegar um desses pra usar o power delivery no meu MBA

[@howa_YT]

thank you, i just want to confirm that usbc port is charge only

[@ameen95m]

Thank you for the video! I have the Belkin multiport adapter. 1 USB-C, 2 USB-A, 1 HDMI. Whenever I charge my m1 MacBook Air through this adapter, the battery option in the menu bar says: "battery is not charging" even though it is charging very slowly. Does it say the same for you?

[@matthewdaley7535]

I don't have that problem with my Apple one. The laptop knows when I connect the power through the adapter and it charges at 24 watts, which is still sufficiently fast for me.

[@AA-dq5uo]

Can I connect a usb a hub to the usb a port of the multiport adapter and get additional usb a for mouse an keyboard?

[@matthewdaley7535]

I can't test this but I think the answer is yes it can.

[@diporko2486]

Yes I plugged a 3 multiport adapter for mouse and keyboard. It’s working fine. But wondering what if I connect a SSD portable drive to that additional multiport. Will it hurt my Macbook pro m1 ?

[@BiGGMiCC]

@@diporko2486 This sounds interesting. I wonder if it would work...please let us know if you do try.

[@diporko2486]

@@BiGGMiCC I am a bit afraid of it will hurt my Macbook or not if I use SSD portable along with keyboard and mouse. Because claiming warranty is a bit tough in my country.

[@BiGGMiCC]

@@diporko2486 good point! Sounds risky, but I'm about to order one, I'll try it out. I'll let you guys know

[@LuchxProducc]

This adapter works with Windows?

[@LoggyTonight]

The fact that it won’t charge the connected iPad is highly disappointing

[@Imurge]

can i use this on an android phone if i connect it to the phone and plug in the hdmi to tv

[@CrazyPirateUnion]

It worked with my one plus android phone

[@AA-dq5uo]

Does the m1 air put out 4k 60hz via this adapter?

[@matthewdaley7535]

The M1 Macbook Air can do 60hz 4k using this adapter.

[@AA-dq5uo]

@@matthewdaley7535 thanks! My monitor s hdmi cannot though i have a 1440p 1st gen monitor and only DisplayPort will do

[@AA-dq5uo]

@@matthewdaley7535 Btw there is a Dell multiport adapter that does has hdmi and displayport 4k 60hz Also has power pass through 90watt via usb c and works on m1 macbooks

[@smarqvar]

@@matthewdaley7535 why do yo say that MacBook M1 air and pro can 4k at 30hz in the video, and here you say that they can do 4k at 60hz? I'm confused

[@justinbutera8945]

Is the USB port here 2.0 or 3.0?

[@matthewdaley7535]

It's USB 3. I tested my Samsung T5 SSD and I get the same speed ~350MB/s = 2800Gb/s as when I plug directly into the USB C port without the adapter.

[@everydayappleuser]

I thought my USB C port on the AV is dead but I connected charger and it worked, then I thought maybe problem is my USB C enclosure is new gen so it doesn't support it. Then I saw your video and I am relieved but then I felt like how disgusting it is :/

[@vihodanyet]

£75 is completely insane .

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

If you have a switch this av adapter won’t work with our 15v power!

[@Wizzard_Gaming]

Thank you so much man for telling that. I tried to connect 5w charger with USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter and it won’t charge. Have you tried connecting it with 12w charger? Thanks again man. Should I buy 12w charger or go for 20w one. But I really want to charge slowly as it doesn’t heats up. Thanks again. You are a saver✌🏻

[@VOLTRONDEFENDER4440]

@@Wizzard_Gaming I don’t have this adapter as of now but this is the only adapter I would buy for my switch as it’s from Apple so it won’t brick your Nintendo switch

[@theautomotivegabe]

Does this work with iPad Air 5th gen or any iPad that has usb-c?

[@matthewdaley7535]

Yes it works with 5th Gen iPad Air and any iPad with USB-C.

[@theautomotivegabe]

@@matthewdaley7535 is it slim?

[@DavidALane-ik3bv]

Will it work with iPad Pro gen3?

[@matthewdaley7535]

Absolutely. 4k at 60Hz.

[@ElectroWolf_Arts]

can you connect a hub into that usb type c

[@matthewdaley7535]

That port really doesn't appear to do anything more that pass power through it. I dont think a hub would have a data connection to the Mac if you plugged one in.

[@ElectroWolf_Arts]

@@matthewdaley7535 thank you so much man, that what i needed to know .... and one ore question , does this adapter displays when the laptop in the BIOS bcs i have a broken screen and i want to fresh install windows 10

[@Aesthetic_Boy01]

Can we use this adapter to connect Macbook pro M1 with iMac 21.5 2019 model to be used as a display? Please help!!

[@matthewdaley7535]

I don't think that iMac can be used as a monitor at all. The spec sheet does not list any video inputs. Sorry.

[@Aesthetic_Boy01]

@@matthewdaley7535 ok thank you!

[@mikesmith-yx4xb]

It's only good for charging, nothing lse.

[@Deke1]

More Apple overpriced junk

[@Deadbeat187s]

I was about to buy but no way… they need to support storage capabilities