The Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable is a heavy-duty cable produced by Apple to allow the high-speed transfer of data with supported Thunderbolt 3 and 4 devices, the display of video on Thunderbolt displays, or to be charged from a USB-C Power Adapter, sold separately.
Description[]
The Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable was first released in July 2020 and is functionally similar to the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Cable. However, the "Pro" cable is longer (2 meters) and encased in black braiding. Both support fast charging with up to 100 watts of power.[1]
Differences with USB-C cables[]
Apple's own USB-C Charge Cable looks externally similar to, and is cheaper than, the Thunderbolt 3 cables. It can also be plugged into Thunderbolt 3 and 4 ports (denoted by a Thunderbolt symbol), but its data transfer speed would be limited to that of USB 2.0 (480 Mbps). The USB-C cable also does not support carrying video signals. To achieve maximum bandwidth of up to 40 Gbps (an 80-fold improvement), a genuine Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cable would be required.[2][3]
Replacement[]
In March 2022, the Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable was superseded by the 1.8-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable, which was followed by a 3-meter version in May 2022.[4][5]
References[]
- ↑ Apple now sells a $129 Thunderbolt 3 Pro cable by Sam Byford, The Verge. 2020-07-27.
- ↑ About the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Cable, Apple Support. 2020-04-28.
- ↑ About the Apple Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable, Apple Support. 2020-06-24.
- ↑ Apple selling new 1.8-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable w/ extra long 3-meter cable in the works by Jeff Benjamin, 9to5Mac. 2022-03-08.
- ↑ Apple's 3 meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable is now available by William Gallagher, AppleInsider. 2022-05-04.
See also[]
- Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Cable, a shorter, less expensive version.
External links[]
- Thunderbolt 3 Pro Cable (2 m) at Apple (archived 2021-08-05)
