Thunderbolt

Apple sometimes mixes up connector types among devices, and that might confuse people even more over the differences between USB-C and Thunderbolt. The connectors look alike, work similarly and accept the same cables. Yet they’re not the same.

Let’s look at the key differences, how the ascendant Thunderbolt 5 improves on Thunderbolt 4, and which kind of port and cable best suits your tasks like charging and data transfer.

Professionals who need 6K monitors, high-speed connectivity, and a plethora of ports can now purchase the Plugable 11-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 docking station at a competitive price.

It uses the latest version of the Thunderbolt standard to provide data transfers at up to 80 Gbps with a boost up to 120 Gbps.

Apple charges a ton for storage upgrades on Macs. Worse, you cannot extend the built-in storage after buying the Mac. Thankfully, smarter solutions exist, as long as you don’t mind plugging an external disk into your Mac.

Here’s a breakdown of the best ways to expand your Mac’s storage, along with ideal solutions based on particular needs.

The newly announced CalDigit TS5 Plus is for very elaborate setups. The sort of professional-grade setups that can make use of 20 ports, including a pair of Thunderbolt 5 ports, five more USB-C ports, 140W charging, a 10Gb Ethernet port and plenty more.

Those who can struggle by with a mere 15 ports might choose the smaller CalDigit TS5 instead.

The CalDigit Element 5 Hub includes four Thunderbolt 5 ports. That puts it ahead of all directly competing hubs, as these include only three ports with the latest super-fast networking standard.

And that’s not all. CalDigit’s latest includes nine ports in total, and offers up to 90W of power.

The OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub includes three ports that move data up to twice as fast as Thunderbolt 4 and USB4. That’s professional-level connectivity, opening the possibility of portable SSDs running at 6000MBps or up to three 8K displays at 60Hz .

After an announcement in autumn 2024, the hub is now ready to buy.

The Kensington SD5000T5 EQ Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station is the first Thunderbolt 5 dock to get Intel certified. It boasts 11 ports and delivers data transfer speeds up to 120 Gbps (15,000 MBps).

The dock is intended for professionals and content creators.

Other World Computing’s Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD is for professionals needing the fastest data transfer rate available. The external solid state drive can move files at up to 6000 MBps or more, making it up to twice as fast as Thunderbolt 4 and USB4.

Plus, the SSD is rugged and designed to be ready to go wherever needed.

Kensington on Monday unveiled one of the first docks using Thunderbolt 5, a new version of the networking standard that’s up to three times the speed of its predecessor. The SD5000T5 will sport an array of ports, and support dual 8K displays.

Also at CES 2024, the accessory-maker took the wraps off a trio of USB-C docks.

Thunderbolt cables cost far more than standard USB-C ones, and a series of X-ray scans of various options reveals why. The virtual teardown shows that the Apple Thunderbolt 4 (USB‑C) Pro cable has far more features than one might expect for such a simple accessory. Cheaper ones are as bare-bones as could be expected.

The scans are both beautiful and informative.

The USB-C port in the two iPhone 15 Pro models offers data transfers 20 times faster than any other iOS handset, including the base iPhone 15.

However, early rumors that some of Apple’s new 2023 iPhones would support Thunderbolt did not prove correct.

Those working with very large files should be pleased that Intel keeps improving the Thunderbolt standard. The newly announced Thunderbolt 5 doubles the speed of its predecessor, and can even go up to three times faster for video connections.

It’s virtually certain Apple will build support the system for high-speed data transfers into future Macs.

Good news for those hoping iPhone 15 Pro will support very high-speed data transfers: Images supposedly showing a Thunderbolt cable specifically for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max just leaked out. This offers yet another indication that Apple’s next handsets will be able to move data at up to 40Gbps.

Whether the iPhone Thunderbolt cable will be released is open to question — it’s almost completely redundant.

Apple will seemingly equip the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 Pro lineup with Thunderbolt 3 capabilities. This opens the door to connecting high-bandwidth storage devices and other accessories to the upcoming iPhone.

Apple already includes a Thunderbolt 3 port as standard across its iPad Air and iPad Pro lineups. This allows the tablets to drive external monitors with up to 6K resolution.

The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock offers eleven ports in a range useful types, and is designed for portability. That sets it apart from typical Thunderbolt docks that are too bulky for travel.

The device was announced at CES 2023, going on now in Las Vegas.

The Satechi Thunderbolt Slim Hub brings a trio of very high-speed ports to a Mac, plus it has a USB-A port for other accessories. It’s good enough to earn a CES Innovation Award.

Satechi also used the Consumer Electronics Show to announce a 6-port charger and a USB4 NVMe SSD enclosure.

Kensington used CES 2023 to take the wraps off a Thunderbolt 4 docking station that adds eleven ports to Mac or PC.

The accessory-maker also announced at the trade show a smaller, portable USB4 hub with six ports, plus a portable USB-C hub with six ports and a built-in wireless charger.

USB connections are about to get a whole lot lot faster. USB4 Version 2.0 doubles the top speed of wired connections to 80 Gbps.

Although Thunderbolt gets more attention, Apple builds USB4 into the USB-C ports of Macs, too.

Thunderbolt hubs add super-fast ports to your Mac, speeding up your workflow. But these hubs also require a really bulky power adapter … usually. The just-announced Sanho HyperDrive Thunderbolt 4 Power Hub is the exception. It’s small enough to travel with.

I tested the Thunderbolt hub in my home office for a couple of weeks to see how it stands up to real-world use.

The Plugable UD-6950PDZ Docking Station includes a trio 4K HDMI Ports and the same number of 4K DisplayPort ports. These allow users to mix and match up to three monitors. That includes M1 MacBooks that natively support only one.

The USB-C dock also includes half a dozen USB-A ports, Ethernet and more.

I put this powerful accessory through a battery of hands-on tests to see how it performed. And it lived up to my expectations.

With a dozen ports, the Belkin Connect Pro Thunderbolt 4 Dock lets users connect a Mac to multiple accessories for data, video, Ethernet and power. All through a single high-speed cable connection.

Belkin also introduced a Thunderbolt 4 cable capable of handling data transfers at 40 Gbps.

The HyperDrive Turntable Dock for iMac includes a 360-degree swivel mechanism that makes turning the computer a breeze. Plus, it has room for an SSD and 10 useful ports.

Hyper also unveiled on Monday the HyperDrive Thunderbolt 4 Power Hub, which combines a docking station and 100W computer charger.

Both are nominated for CES Innovation Awards.

The OWC Envoy Pro SX uses Thunderbolt to provide the super fast data transfers that professionals need. And it’s drop-proof and waterproof so it can stand up to real life.

I put the 2 terabyte external SSD through testing. I’m impressed.

Satechi’s just-launched Thunderbolt 4 Dock includes a whopping eleven ports, including three Thunderbolt 4 and four USB-A ports. And there’s also a range of other ports for connecting additional peripherals.

Plus, Satechi launched a pair of USB-C hubs on Wednesday.

The Accell Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station allows multiple peripheral connections to Mac through a single Thunderbolt 4 cable. It turns a single Thunderbolt port into two, while also offering DisplayPort, USB-A, Ethernet and more.

The professional-grade hub is available for purchase starting Monday.

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