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A new video takes a look inside Apple's newly introduced Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable and gives viewers a look at the premium components that went into its design.
When Apple introduced the Mac Studio and Studio Display in March, they quietly launched a new Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable. The new cable, priced at $129 for the 1.8-meter length, is capable of up to 40Gb/s data transfer and allows for charging up to 100W.
A new teardown video by ChargerLAB highlights the premium materials and construction that went into making the cable.
The cable is a coaxial cable that features 19 wires. Six of the wires are tinned copper wires that supply power. In addition, two wires enable USB 2.0 transmission, making the cable backward compatible with Thunderbolt 3, USB 3, and USB2. Many of the wires are plated with silver as well as copper.
The connectors themselves also feature premium parts contained in a durable brass housing. Each connector also features 24 gold-plated pins.
Inside the connector is an Intel chip used for signal reconstruction and reducing signal jitter. The outside of the cable is encased in a waterproof and dustproof braided exterior, increasing the cable's durability.
ChargerLAB notes that the cable performs very well but is likely not useful for standard customers who would fare just as well with a cheaper alternative. Functional 1.8M Thunderbolt 4 cables can be found for as low as $40, albeit minus some of Apple's design and material touches.
However, for creatives working with large amounts of data, ChargerLAB states it may be the best option currently available.
Currently, Apple sells the 1.8-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable for $129. A 3-meter version will be released at a later date with a price tag of $159.
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19 Comments
There is probably more computing power in one of Apple's cable or PSUs than powered the Apollo mission to the Moon :-)
Along the same lines as above, but a yeah guys, it's getting kind of ridiculous out there! A cable "End" with probably more processing power than Macintosh LC II?!? from the 1990s!!
Sucks that people bitch so hard about the price of things, but now days, it's not just willy nilly get one to have one, you better NEED IT...
Anyone know if this expensive cable enables a m1-based Mac to directly connect to an m1-based iPad Pro? Cheaper thunderbolt 3/4 or USB4 cables result in a failed connection between the two Apple devices.
The Intel JHL7040 costs $4.50 on Mouser without any quantity discount. The Infineon Cypress CYPDC1186 appears to be listed as obsolete.
I’ve been trying a few options from Ali and had relative success. Using a Jeyi TB3 enclosure I speed tested a 980 pcie 4 (7000MB/s) SSD at easily saturated to TB3 bus to 2800MB/s using cheap cables. The Apple cable performed identically.
That said there have been reviews on some cables of them working fine but not getting full speed 40GB/s so don’t buy 10 and think any will be fine. Buy a couple and test then buy more. The last order got me TB4 cables for $US16 and are nice braided ones.