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M1 Included USB C Charge Cable transfer data?

can USB C Charge Cable included with M1 MacBook Air also,transfer data?

If yes, at what speeds &/or protocols? T3? T4? USB4? USB 3.2. 3.1, &/or 2.0?


Posted on May 8, 2021 10:22 AM

Reply
10 replies

May 9, 2021 8:22 PM in response to SonofWayne

SonofWayne wrote:

So we can be confident it does transfer data and probably not at TB3 or 4, yet I still want to know at what speed it will transfer data. If it's 10gbs, that would be plenty for me and I would have no need to purchase another cable when I buy my M1 MacBook Air.

The Thunderbolt USB-C Cables will have a lightning bolt on the connector to indicate a Thunderbolt cable. If the Apple USB-C cable has no lightning bolt on the connector it means it is an Apple charging cable with data transfer speeds of only USB2 AFAIK. USB2 has a theoretical maximum transfer rate of 35MB/s. I've never personally tested the Apple USB-C charging cables. Testing an Apple charging cable with an external SSD drive will easily show whether the cable is capable of anything beyond USB2 speeds since even a SATA based SSD is capable of about 500MB/s over a USB3 connection.

May 9, 2021 8:06 AM in response to Duane

Thank you, Duane. That's partially helpful.

However, I know Apple's webpage for the USB-C Charge Cable (2 m) vaguely states:

“This 2-meter charge cable — with USB-C connectors on both ends — is ideal for charging, syncing, and transferring data between USB-C devices. . . .” and makes no mention of transfer speeds or protocols. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MLL82AM/A/usb-c-charge-cable-2-m


So we can be confident it does transfer data and probably not at TB3 or 4, yet I still want to know at what speed it will transfer data. If it's 10gbs, that would be plenty for me and I would have no need to purchase another cable when I buy my M1 MacBook Air.

May 8, 2021 10:44 AM in response to PRP_53

P. Phillips, Thank you. I read that before posing the question. Tech Specs state:

“In the Box 

  • MacBook Air
  • 30W USB-C Power Adapter
  • USB-C Charge Cable (2 m)”

Specs make no mention of whether or not the cable can transfer data.


Apple's webpage for the USB-C Charge Cable (2 m) vaguely states:

“This 2-meter charge cable — with USB-C connectors on both ends — is ideal for charging, syncing, and transferring data between USB-C devices. . . .”

and makes no mention of transfer speeds or protocols.


I'm looking for a clear answer such that I know whether I will need to purchase another cable capable of transferring data with no less than USB 3.2 (formerly USB 3.1 gen2) 10gbs speeds.


M1 Included USB C Charge Cable transfer data?

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