Thunderbolt 4 vs USB 3.1 Gen2 for 15 Pro Max

Question

Thunderbolt 4 vs USB 3.1 Gen2 for 15 Pro Max

I have 2x Thunderbolt 4 Cables from CableMatters and 1x

Amazon Basics USB Type-C to USB-A Male 3.1 Gen2

Adapter Charger Cable.

I use the Thunderbolt cables on my 11 inch iPad Pro

(2022) and my SanDisk SSD drive, and the remaining for my iPhone 15 Pro Max. I sync my devices with an MBP 16" M2.

Should I get another Thunderbolt 4 cable for my Pro Max?

From what l've read, it seems like it's overkill and if I were to buy one, I should get a 3.2 Gen2 cable instead, but is that 0.1th of a generation really going to matter?

iPhone 15 Pro Max, iOS 17

Posted on Mar 21, 2024 3:14 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

MrHoffman

Community+ 2025

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Mar 21, 2024 3:34 PM in response to oranges4apples

USB-C is a connector spec, and various different protocols can all use that connector.

Different USB-C host ports and peripherals can support different protocols, too.

USB 4 includes Thunderbolt 4.

Thunderbolt 4 cables can provide ~any connection, including USB.

They’re handy because they’ll usually work, regardless of which USB-C host port they’re connected to.

USB cables are limited to whichever USB they’re compliant with.

Charging cables are limited to charging and USB 2.0.

Different cables can support different wattages, and different displays, too.

iPhone Pro Max supports USB-C USB 3 up to 10Gbps, and no Thunderbolt.

If you have the budget for it and don’t want to think all that much about USB-C cables, USB 4 high-wattage cables are probably the best choice.

If you want cheaper or purpose-dedicated cables and aren’t going to be swapping those cables around as much, then pick those compatible with your particular requirements.

Here’s an overview from ~five years ago:

https://people.kernel.org/bleung/now-how-many-usb-c-to-usb-c-cables-are-there-usb4-update-september-12

Wattages have increased since then.

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Answer 2

Mar 21, 2024 4:57 PM in response to MrHoffman

Hi,

Thank you for your very elaborate response, although I think you may have just gotten me a bit more confused :)

I'm only looking at getting an extra cable as far as data transfer with my MBP. From what you said here, I can reasonably assume that getting another Thunderbolt cable would be a bit excessive. I'd rather not spend money on a Thunderbolt cable that would be overkill for a 15 Pro Max. I'll get the same syncing speed of 10Gbps regardless if it's the Amazon Basics cable I have or Thunderbolt 4.

That still leaves me wondering if I should upgrade the Amazon Basics Cable to a 3.2 Gen 2, although from this chart it'd probably not be worth it considering transfer speeds: https://www.kingston.com/en/usb-flash-drives/usb-30

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Answer 3

Mar 21, 2024 5:13 PM in response to oranges4apples

I would generally avoid buying USB-C USB 3 and USB 4 cables based solely selling price, as some are hot garbage.

Anker and Apple are the local vendor preference. The recent woven cables available from each have been reliable and robust.

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Thunderbolt 4 vs USB 3.1 Gen2 for 15 Pro Max

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