The Best USB 4/Thunderbolt 4 Cable Money Can Buy

USB C is great, but it's also incredibly confusing. No cable is alike, and there's almost no way to figure out their specifications. Let's fix that. 

USB-C: A Shape, Not a Standard

USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a universal connectivity standard, but it does not have a set standard of data or charging speeds.

• Data Transfer: USB-C currently supports data transfer speeds from 480 MBps to 40 Gbps and is backward compatible with older USB 2.0 standards and up.  

• Charging: USB-C cables can deliver 7 watts up to 240 watts, making it suitable for a wide range of devices.

USB 4: The Next Evolution

USB 4 is the latest iteration of the USB standard using the USB-C connector. Its notable characteristics include:

• Higher Data Transfer Speeds: USB 4 offers remarkable data transfer speeds, up to 40 Gbps. This makes it ideal for high-performance applications and devices.

• Backward Compatibility: USB 4 is backward compatible with previous USB standards, ensuring you can use your existing USB-C devices with USB 4 ports.

• Thunderbolt 3 Compatible: USB 4 shares a lot in common with Thunderbolt 3, as both use the same USB-C connector. This compatibility ensures that Thunderbolt 3 devices can work with USB 4 ports.

• Charging and Power Delivery: Like USB-C, USB 4 supports power delivery, providing up to 100 W for charging a wide range of devices.

Thunderbolt 4

The current top-of-the-line USB-C cable is called Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt, developed by Intel in collaboration with Apple, brought high-performance connectivity to the market. Thunderbolt uses the USB Type C connector and is backward compatible with older USB-C devices but has been verified to support higher transfer and charging speeds. Thunderbolt 4 cables must support these specs:

• Data Transfer Speed: Thunderbolt 4 maintains the 40 Gbps data transfer speed, ensuring rapid file transfers and high-performance capabilities.

• Improved Accessory Support: Thunderbolt 4 requires manufacturers to support at least one 8K display or two 4K displays, which is an improvement over Thunderbolt 3.

• PCIe Support: Thunderbolt 4 provides PCIe support, allowing for expanded possibilities in terms of device connectivity.

• Universal Cable Compatibility: Thunderbolt 4 cables are compatible with both Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 ports.

• 100 W Power Delivery: Like Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4 can provide up to 100 W of power for device charging.

240-Watt Power Delivery

Although almost no products currently support it, some USB-C cables now support up to 240 watts of power delivery. Thunderbolt 4 has a minimum of 100 watts of power delivery. If you want the newest standard, you'll need to search specifically for a Thunderbolt 4 cable with 240 watts of power delivery. 

The Best USB-C Cable You Can Buy

The Cable Matters Thunderbolt 4 Cable with 240-watt power delivery is the current king of USB-C cables. It's completely backward compatible,m meaning it will work with any USB-C device. It's Thunderbolt 4, meaning it's the fastest cable currently on the market. It's capable of transferring up to 240 watts of power. And best of all, it has these specs printed on the cable itself. Never again will you confuse your cheap, slow USB cables with your quality cables.