Can I connect a 2018 MacBook Pro to a Dell UltraSharp 27 4K Monitor (U2718Q) with a single cable that carries both the display data and the data for the USB ports of the display?
I tried a USB-C to DisplayPort cable, but none of the USB ports of the display would work until I also connected it to the MacBook Pro with a USB cable through one of it's USB upstream ports.
Note that I want to operate the display at full resolution (4K, 3840 x 2160) and a refresh rate of 60 Hz.
Best Answer
No.
Technically speaking, you have a Thunderbolt 3 Type C port. "C" is the physical charastic of the port, not the USB specification. Being that it's Thunderbolt 3, its carrying several signals:
Your "end" device is a monitor that has several different inputs
When you go from your MacBook's TB 3 port to the video in, you're not passing the USB signal; this is why you need a second cable for the USB functionality. If this was a monitor that accepted Thunderbolt as an input, you could do this with one cable.