What is Thunderbolt 4?

USB-C has been the darling of connectors in recent years, with all of its benefits of high-speed data transfers and reversible connectivity. But another technology has held the performance crown and at quite a sizeable margin: Thunderbolt 3. Now a new generation of Thunderbolt connection is now available, and while it may not be faster, it might finally integrate the versatile standard into more devices than ever before.

What is Thunderbolt 4? It might be the future connection you end up using without even knowing it.

Thunderbolt 3 vs. Thunderbolt 4

Thunderbolt 3 is a supremely popular and capable connection, offering data transfer speeds at up to 40Gbps (around 5 GB/s). Just as crucial, however, is what else it can do. It incorporates the DisplayPort 1.4 standard, giving it the ability to drive two external displays at up to 4K at 60Hz or a single 5K display at up to 60Hz.

Thanks to its USB-C connector type, it's also reversible, and can even offer USB Power Delivery for up to 100 watts of power, letting you charge devices over compatible Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Thunderbolt 4 is more of a consolidation and an evolution to Thunderbolt 3's revolution. It will maintain the same maximum 40Gbps data transfer rate, but real-world performance may improve as Intel has mandated the minimum data rate and features that OEMs need to implement.

Image credit: Intel

PC manufacturers using Thunderbolt 4 must hit higher performance minimums, guaranteeing that all supported devices support twin 4K displays or a single 8K display. That could be particularly noticeable on more budget-orientated PCs and will open up the possibility of using very fast external storage solutions – something that video editors will be able to make real use of.

Thunderbolt 4 dock and adapter makers will need to support up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports at a time, too. Thunderbolt 4 enhancements will make it possible to wake all hub-connected devices on touch; something that Thunderbolt 3 docks just couldn't do.

Alongside its performance tweaks, Thunderbolt 4 is designed to be fully compliant with the also recently released USB4 protocol. That means that Thunderbolt 4 devices will work seamlessly with USB4 computers.

When will Thunderbolt 4 be Available?

Thunderbolt 4 made its debut on Intel's Tiger Lake mobile CPUs in 2020. It joins hotly requested additions like native Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 support, making Tiger Lake-equipped laptops some of the most well-connected devices ever. Expect to see more Thunderbolt 4 devices launching in 2021.

How do you know if your laptop supports Thunderbolt 4?

Thanks to the USB4 compliance of Thunderbolt 4, it's likely that a greater array of laptops will support it than ever supported Thunderbolt 3. Many users may only find out later that their laptop supports the new standard, asking themselves, "What is Thunderbolt 4?"

If you're the kind of person who can really take advantage of Thunderbolt 4, though, you'll want to make sure that your laptop supports it. USB4, USB 3.2, Thunderbolt 3, and Thunderbolt 4 ports will, at first glance, all look the same, as they leverage the same standard USB-C connector. There will be some subtle differences to help you tell them apart, though.

Like Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4 ports will show the small lightning bolt logo, which will help differentiate it from USB4 Type-C ports, and older USB 3.2 Type-C ports. Thunderbolt 4 cables, however, will have that same logo, but will also have a small number 4 written underneath it, making Thunderbolt 4 cables the best way to tell what your new Tiger Lake laptop has in its connection wheelhouse.

Which Thunderbolt 4 Cables to Buy?

Now that Thunderbolt 4 cables are available, it is important to purchase these cables from a trusted company. Cable Matters has a line of Thunderbolt 4 cables suited for various types of connectivity situations.