Where it is: The HDMI port is located on the right side of the MacBook Pro.

That means you can use your MacBook Pro as the computer that powers a giant desktop monitor, or so you can watch movies on your 65-inch living room TV from your laptop. What it does: HDMI ports let you connect displays and TVs to your laptop. Here's everything you need to know about the new MacBook Pro's ports and connectivity for 2021. (Plus, Apple announced three new HomePod Mini colors, the AirPods 3 ( order them now) and a new plan for Apple Music subscribers.) It also heralds the death of the much-maligned Touch Bar. The new MacBook Pro - available in 16-inch and 14-inch models - run the latest iterations of the M1 processor chip, the M1 Pro and the M1 Max. For example, plugging into a larger external display monitor, using wired headphones and other devices with a specific jack (without having to buy another dongle or adaptor), and potentially saving yourself from a bruising and embarrassing face plant after tripping on the cord. The ports determine the kinds of cables you can use, and what you can quickly and easily do just by plugging in.

What's the big deal with a bunch of connection ports? Quite a bit, actually. The changes amount to a rethinking of what you can do with your Mac, down to the cable you use to juice up its battery. Apple gave longtime MacBook Pro owners some good news at its October launch event: the return of several beloved connectivity ports that had previously been stripped out, including the MagSafe charger (no, not like on the iPhone), plus an SD card slot and an HDMI port.

Macbook pro connector to hdmi