The bottom line. At the end of the day, Thunderbolt can handle the same volume of data and number of peripherals as USB-C at faster speeds, however, you’ll pay a little more for it. It’s also important to remember that Thunderbolt and USB-C can be used interchangeably, so integrating Thunderbolt’s superior speed into your existing system
Simple summary: common "basic" USB-C cables are USB 2.0 only, and are only required to have 5 wires. Thunderbolt, USB 3.x, DisplayPort Alt Mode, and USB4 all require 15 wires to operate. These differences are inside the cable itself. If you cut apart a USB 2.0 USB-C cable and compare it to a USB4 USB-C cable, you'll find 10 extra wires in the
2 Answers. TB is faster because it uses TWO pairs of Rx/Tx lanes, while USB 3.0/3.1 uses only one pair. USB 3.1 cables contain only one set of differential Rx/Tx pairs, while TB uses two pairs, and therefore is thicker and more expensive. In Type-C connector, USB 3.1 uses only one set of Rx/Tx contacts, or another set, depending on which way a
It has two USB-C PD ports, and when using both it can power at 45W and 20W so could fast-charge your phone while keeping a laptop ticking. It supports Power Delivery 3.0, PPS, and Quick Charge 3.0 so is speed-ready for most devices. Owners of phones with an old-style USB-A charging cable may need to buy a new cable with USB-C at one end.
Thunderbolt™ 4 technology is the next generation of the Thunderbolt™ protocol, following Thunderbolt™ 3 technology. Both generations use the same USB-C connector type, but Thunderbolt™ 4 technology introduces higher minimum requirements and new capabilities for a best-in-class user experience.
USB-C (officially USB Type-C) is a standard that defines a new connector, and several new connection features. Among them it supports Alternate Mode, which allows transporting other protocols via the USB-C connector and cable.
Both USB-C and Lightning allow data transfer to and from a computer but at vastly different speeds. Even within the same connector, the exact speed often varies from one device to the next.