What is Thunderbolt port? And how is it different from USB-C?
Did you ever see people using devices such as Type-C Multifunction Docking Station to be able to connect multiple peripheral devices to a laptop (which has does not have enough ports? This is during such situations that Thunderbolt is used. Thunderbolt is a revolutionary technology created by Intel and Apple to increase connection speeds and boost performance. Thus, thunderbolt can be defined as a hardware that enables peripheral devices to connect to a PC.
There are different versions of thunderbolt, and the speed at which data is transferred gets better as newer version arrives. The first version of thunderbolt came out in the year 2011, with the name ‘Light Peak’. In contrast to USB devices, which do not need certification, thunderbolt devices must be Intel-certified.
Thunderbolts’ connections are very fast and can transfer up to 10 Gbps of data. The speed and connectivity are more due to the bidirectional nature of thunderbolts i.e., it can transmit and receive data simultaneously. The greatest advantage of Thunderbolt is that it can handle audio, data, power and video all through on port, thus, making easier to connect multiple devices/mediums.
Though thunderbolt has recently integrated USB-C connectors, they are still distinct in connection technologies. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 ports are designed for use with USB-C connectors, but not all USB-C ports are made to work with thunderbolt. Thunderbolt ports are completely compatible with USB-C charging devices and cables, but they have few extra features that make them stand out from USB-C ports. Thunderbolt dock lets you connect a single cable to a thunderbolt port and then provides different kinds of ports to your PC. These may include an Ethernet connector, an HDMI, multiple USB ports, and a headphone jack. On the other hand, USB-C can only offer individual connections in single ports.
Thunderbolt 3 vs Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt was first released in 2011, and if you are looking for a version these days, you are probably looking at thunderbolt 3 and thunderbolt 4.
Thunderbolt 3 was released in 2015 with a USB-C connector, a maximum transfer rate of 40Gbps, and up to 15W power for running devices. It also works with the USB4 standard and supports on 4K display. Thunderbolt 4 was released in 2020, and has a minimum transfer speed of 40 Gb/s. They both support Thunderbolt networking. On the contrary, thunderbolt 4 support two 4K displays.
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