We’ve just been recently introduced to USB-C connectors on phones and laptops but now there’s another connector technology that’s slowly taking over the world of tech. Slowly but surely, Thunderbolt 3 has started to equip our latest and greatest gadgets such as the latest ultraportable notebooks. The newest iteration of the MacBook, for example, has just one Thunderbolt 3 port on it. It’s a testament to where Apple thinks the technology is going.
USB-C refers to just the port; not the underlying technology that transfers data and power. What allows for the faster transfer speeds, audio and video support, and power delivery is something that’s called USB 3.1. And this technology is also used in older port technology mainly in USB-As.
USB-C merely introduces a new connector shape and size that would make it the perfect port for both smartphones and larger devices such as tablets and even ultraportable notebooks. Since it was released in 2015, it’s had a slow reception with only high-end smartphones adapting them mainly for the purposes of introducing fast charging. Now, however, even midrange smartphones are adapting and featuring USB-C connectors.
Before anything else, it’s important to note the underlying technology behind the new USB-C port. That is USB 3.1. Currently, all USB-C ports come with USB 3.1 technologies with additional features. It’s often just called USB 3.1 gen 2.
USB 3.1
Transfer Speed
This is the only thing that USB-As have in common with the USB-C. You may have encountered this in high-performance external hard drives.
With USB 3.0 only reaching 5Gbps transfer speeds, the USB 3.1 doubles that with 10Gbps. This allows for a lot more data transfers. Faster transfer data transfer speeds can definitely help a lot in transferring huge amounts of data in a short amount of time.
USB-C (with USB 3.1 gen 2)
Physical Dimensions
People already gasped at the earlier MacBook Air when Steve Jobs took it out of a manila envelope in 2008. Apple’s newest MacBook went even thinner with their newest MacBook partly in thanks because of the dimensions of the new USB-C port. It’s just as thin as the micro-USB ports on your smartphones it’s also more powerful.
One major gripe people had with previous generations of the USB is that there’s only one way you could insert it into the port. Especially when people with iPhones were already enjoying reversible connectors proprietary to Apple, owners of non-iPhone brands were left in the dust with a smartphone port that only accepted the plugs a certain way. USB-C is the answer that those people asking for. It’s the first reversible USB port similar to the lightning connector.
Power Delivery
While previous USB standards were able to deliver power, it was certainly limited. At only 12 watts’ total power delivery, it can only power small gadgets such as smartphones, tablets, and other small peripherals. USB-C can potentially power devices up to 100 watts which means it can deliver power even to larger devices such as laptops and other peripherals such as external monitors.
Port Support
Perhaps one of the best features of the USB-C is the huge selection port support that can be transferred through it. Aside from data transfers, it also lets you transfer audio and video feeds. It, for example, lets you output to external screens and audio systems through a USB-C to HDMI connector. It can also transfer audio through a high-end DAC similar to the highly regarded LG V series’ 3.5mm audio jack that immensely improves audio quality.
Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt technology on the other hand, is basically just currently the most powerful technology that makes use of the USB-C dimensions. It raises data transfer speeds from 10Gbps to 40Gbps while reducing the power consumption at the same time. It also fully utilizes USB-C’s 100-watt power transfer capabilities.
This allows powerful peripherals to be added to devices. With this in mind gaming companies began to manufacture external gaming peripherals that made full use of the awesome powers of the port. One of the most innovative products that came out from the introduction of the Thunderbolt 3 are external Graphics Processing Units for laptops equipped with the powerful port.
This allowed the laptop to take full advantage of desktop-grade GPUs when connected to these unique peripherals. It’s currently seen in ultraportable notebooks with decent CPUs already installed. Pairing them to a GPU allows them to function as gaming beasts when docked to an eGPU unit but still remain ultraportable when untethered to it.
There are various ultraportable laptops that display how much port means to the future. The MacBook, for example, has only one of these ports and nothing else, not even a separate port to power the device. This allows the computer to remain extremely thin while still being extremely powerful.
Peripherals
While it’s already mentioned that the most powerful peripheral that makes use of the Thunderbolt 3 port is the eGPU, there are other peripherals that are aimed to quench different needs. In the case of the MacBook with a singular Thunderbolt 3 equipped USB-C port, there are many different hubs available to make more ports available. It essentially separates the different functions of the port. From a single USB-C port for example, connecting it to a hub can give it an HDMI port, another USB-C port for power, USB-As with USB 3.1, card readers, and many other ports.
Just How Important Are These?
While not all laptops coming out already have USB-C or Thunderbolt 3, were are definitely careening into a future where all laptops, even midrange and low-end ones, will all have USB-C as a standard. It just allows for a lot more possibilities than previous USB technologies.
As for Thunderbolt 3, there are endless possibilities. The technology is in its infancy. Currently, only eGPUs are making the most out of the port. However, its use will hugely depend on the manufacturers. Whether it’ll be adapted for other uses is yet to be discovered.
For the meantime, it’s still more practical to bet on the success of the USB-C rather than the Thunderbolt 3 if you don’t intend to play triple A titles on your machine on max settings.
USB-C refers to just the port; not the underlying technology that transfers data and power. What allows for the faster transfer speeds, audio and video support, and power delivery is something that’s called USB 3.1. And this technology is also used in older port technology mainly in USB-As.
USB-C merely introduces a new connector shape and size that would make it the perfect port for both smartphones and larger devices such as tablets and even ultraportable notebooks. Since it was released in 2015, it’s had a slow reception with only high-end smartphones adapting them mainly for the purposes of introducing fast charging. Now, however, even midrange smartphones are adapting and featuring USB-C connectors.
Before anything else, it’s important to note the underlying technology behind the new USB-C port. That is USB 3.1. Currently, all USB-C ports come with USB 3.1 technologies with additional features. It’s often just called USB 3.1 gen 2.
USB 3.1
Transfer Speed
This is the only thing that USB-As have in common with the USB-C. You may have encountered this in high-performance external hard drives.
With USB 3.0 only reaching 5Gbps transfer speeds, the USB 3.1 doubles that with 10Gbps. This allows for a lot more data transfers. Faster transfer data transfer speeds can definitely help a lot in transferring huge amounts of data in a short amount of time.
USB-C (with USB 3.1 gen 2)
Physical Dimensions
People already gasped at the earlier MacBook Air when Steve Jobs took it out of a manila envelope in 2008. Apple’s newest MacBook went even thinner with their newest MacBook partly in thanks because of the dimensions of the new USB-C port. It’s just as thin as the micro-USB ports on your smartphones it’s also more powerful.
One major gripe people had with previous generations of the USB is that there’s only one way you could insert it into the port. Especially when people with iPhones were already enjoying reversible connectors proprietary to Apple, owners of non-iPhone brands were left in the dust with a smartphone port that only accepted the plugs a certain way. USB-C is the answer that those people asking for. It’s the first reversible USB port similar to the lightning connector.
Power Delivery
While previous USB standards were able to deliver power, it was certainly limited. At only 12 watts’ total power delivery, it can only power small gadgets such as smartphones, tablets, and other small peripherals. USB-C can potentially power devices up to 100 watts which means it can deliver power even to larger devices such as laptops and other peripherals such as external monitors.
Port Support
Perhaps one of the best features of the USB-C is the huge selection port support that can be transferred through it. Aside from data transfers, it also lets you transfer audio and video feeds. It, for example, lets you output to external screens and audio systems through a USB-C to HDMI connector. It can also transfer audio through a high-end DAC similar to the highly regarded LG V series’ 3.5mm audio jack that immensely improves audio quality.
Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt technology on the other hand, is basically just currently the most powerful technology that makes use of the USB-C dimensions. It raises data transfer speeds from 10Gbps to 40Gbps while reducing the power consumption at the same time. It also fully utilizes USB-C’s 100-watt power transfer capabilities.
This allows powerful peripherals to be added to devices. With this in mind gaming companies began to manufacture external gaming peripherals that made full use of the awesome powers of the port. One of the most innovative products that came out from the introduction of the Thunderbolt 3 are external Graphics Processing Units for laptops equipped with the powerful port.
This allowed the laptop to take full advantage of desktop-grade GPUs when connected to these unique peripherals. It’s currently seen in ultraportable notebooks with decent CPUs already installed. Pairing them to a GPU allows them to function as gaming beasts when docked to an eGPU unit but still remain ultraportable when untethered to it.
There are various ultraportable laptops that display how much port means to the future. The MacBook, for example, has only one of these ports and nothing else, not even a separate port to power the device. This allows the computer to remain extremely thin while still being extremely powerful.
Peripherals
While it’s already mentioned that the most powerful peripheral that makes use of the Thunderbolt 3 port is the eGPU, there are other peripherals that are aimed to quench different needs. In the case of the MacBook with a singular Thunderbolt 3 equipped USB-C port, there are many different hubs available to make more ports available. It essentially separates the different functions of the port. From a single USB-C port for example, connecting it to a hub can give it an HDMI port, another USB-C port for power, USB-As with USB 3.1, card readers, and many other ports.
Just How Important Are These?
While not all laptops coming out already have USB-C or Thunderbolt 3, were are definitely careening into a future where all laptops, even midrange and low-end ones, will all have USB-C as a standard. It just allows for a lot more possibilities than previous USB technologies.
As for Thunderbolt 3, there are endless possibilities. The technology is in its infancy. Currently, only eGPUs are making the most out of the port. However, its use will hugely depend on the manufacturers. Whether it’ll be adapted for other uses is yet to be discovered.
For the meantime, it’s still more practical to bet on the success of the USB-C rather than the Thunderbolt 3 if you don’t intend to play triple A titles on your machine on max settings.