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

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.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro 14 & 16"
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Top Rated Comments

Stella Avatar
3 days ago at 06:21 am
... 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: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
McJobs Avatar
3 days ago at 06:22 am
A premium pro laptop with 8gb memory. Sad.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macman01101 Avatar
3 days ago at 06:18 am
Two instead of four is more carbon neutral. Thanks Mother Nature.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kendo88 Avatar
3 days ago at 06:33 am

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: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kazgarth Avatar
3 days ago at 06:40 am
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: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
3 days ago at 06:22 am
Am I missing something? Either a device is for „Pro“ or it isn’t. Apple line up remains dumb and more and more confusing.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

m3 pro chip

Apple M3 Pro Chip Has 25% Less Memory Bandwidth Than M1/M2 Pro

Tuesday October 31, 2023 3:11 am PDT by
Apple's latest M3 Pro chip in the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro has 25% less memory bandwidth than the M1 Pro and M2 Pro chips used in equivalent models from the two previous generations. Based on the latest 3-nanometer technology and featuring all-new GPU architecture, the M3 series of chips is said to represent the fastest and most power-efficient evolution of Apple silicon thus far. ...
M3 Chip Apple Event Slide

First Benchmark Results Surface for M3 Chip in New Macs

Wednesday November 1, 2023 7:53 am PDT by
The first benchmark results for the standard M3 chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a closer look at the chip's CPU performance improvements. Based on the results so far, the M3 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 3,000 and 11,700, respectively. The standard M2 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 2,600 and 9,700, respectively, so the...
AitTag New Firmware

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirTags

Tuesday October 31, 2023 11:26 am PDT by
Apple today released a new firmware update designed for the AirTag item trackers. The firmware features a build number of 2A61, up from the 2A36 firmware that came out last December. It has been nearly a year since Apple updated the firmware on the AirTags, and there is no word yet on what might be included in the update. Today's firmware release will be rolling out on a staggered basis....
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced During Monday's 'Scary Fast' Event

Monday October 30, 2023 6:47 pm PDT by
Apple's "Scary Fast" 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time event was over in the blink of an eye, but if you missed it because of the unusual time, we have a quick overview of everything that Apple announced. If you want to watch the video in full, it only lasted a half an hour, because all Apple introduced was the new M3-series chips in MacBook Pro machines and iMacs. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube ...
iOS 17

Apple Preparing to Release iOS 17.1.1 Update for iPhone

Thursday November 2, 2023 1:22 pm PDT by
Apple appears to be internally testing an iOS 17.1.1 update for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs this week. iOS 17.1.1 will almost certainly be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues the update will address. The update could include the same fix for Wi-Fi connectivity issues that Apple rolled out in the first iOS 17.2 beta,...
iOS 17

Apple Says iOS 17.2 Will Fix Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues

Monday October 30, 2023 3:30 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.2 update should fix various Wi-Fi issues that some iPhone users have experienced since iOS 17 was released, according to iClarified. In response to a bug report filed by the website, Apple said the first iOS 17.2 beta released last week addresses Wi-Fi connectivity issues, although the company did not provide any specific details. Some users have complained about slow...
M3 Max Chip

M3 Max Chip Around as Fast as M2 Ultra in Early Benchmark Results

Wednesday November 1, 2023 7:27 pm PDT by
The first benchmark results for Apple's M3 Max chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a look at CPU performance. Based on the "Mac15,9" model identifier shown, the results appear to be for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. The highest multi-core score for the M3 Max with a 16-core CPU is currently 21,084 as of writing. If this early result is accurate, this means the M3 Max is ...
Apple Event October 2023

Apple's Event Was Missing These 4 Announcements

Tuesday October 31, 2023 8:15 am PDT by
At its "Scary Fast" event, Apple announced new 14-inch MacBook Pro, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and 24-inch iMac models with M3 series chips. It was a very quick and tidy 30-minute event, with no other products or surprises revealed. Below, we have listed some rumored products that were not announced at the event. Magic Accessories With USB-C Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple's...
new macbook pro image

Apple Announces New 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro Models With M3 Series Chips

Monday October 30, 2023 5:21 pm PDT by
Apple today announced next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro personal computers during its "Scary Fast" event. These new computers include the new M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips, which were also announced during the event. Every model of the new lineup features a Liquid Retina XDR display with 20 percent brighter SDR content, a built-in 1080p camera, and a six speaker sound system....
m3 imac

Apple Announces New iMac With M3 Chip

Monday October 30, 2023 5:28 pm PDT by
Apple today announced an updated version of the 24-inch iMac featuring the all-new M3 chip. The iMac with M3 is up to 2x faster than the previous iMac, which featured the M1 chip. For those upgrading from an Intel based iMac, Apple says that the new iMac is up to 2.5x faster than previous 27-inch models and 4.5x faster than previous 21.5-inch models. The iMac now supports up to 24GB of...