Apple’s first Thunderbolt 5 cable: Blazing fast and great for hi-res displays

You can find blazing-fast, high-bandwidth, high-wattage Thunderbolt 5 cables on the market, but as of Tuesday you also buy one straight from Apple. (And you’ll probably pay more, but hey, at least you know it’s high quality.) The iPhone giant unveiled a fancy new Thunderbolt 5 cable, its first one, to go along with its first Thunderbolt 5-capable computer, the top M4 Pro Mac mini.

First Apple Thunderbolt 5 cable

In a helpful move for creative professionals and power users, Apple launched its first-ever Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) Pro Cable. It coincides with the release of its high-end M4 Pro Mac mini, the company’s first computer to feature Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. The announcement comes as part of Apple’s busy week of product releases, marking a new era in high-speed data transfer and display capabilities for the Mac ecosystem.

Apple prices the new Thunderbolt 5 cable at $69. That’s in a market where you can find competing cords priced closer to $30. But Apple’s cable features a premium black braided design characteristic of Apple’s recent cable offerings. The 1-meter cable supports an impressive 240 watts of power delivery and unprecedented data transfer speeds, topping Thunderbolt 4 and previous standards. For now Apple offers only the 1m cable, but it seems likely it will produce some longer ones (like it does with its pricey 3m Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) Pro Cable, at an eye-watering $159).

Massive bandwidth

For Mac users, particularly those in creative fields, the M4 Pro Mac mini’s three Thunderbolt 5 ports unlock remarkable possibilities. The new standard delivers blazing-fast bi-directional bandwidth of up to 80 gigabits per second, doubling the 40Gbps capability of Thunderbolt 4. This dramatic improvement is achieved through the implementation of PCI-E 4 addressing, a significant upgrade from the PCI-E 3 technology used in Thunderbolt 4.

The enhanced capabilities of Thunderbolt 5 are particularly noteworthy for users working with high-resolution displays. While Thunderbolt 4 could handle two 4K monitors at 60Hz, Thunderbolt 5 takes display support to new heights, accommodating multiple 8K displays, supporting refresh rates up to 540Hz, or driving three 4K displays at a smooth 144Hz. This breakthrough in display technology opens new possibilities for video editors, 3D artists, and other visual content creators.

Great for graphics

Professional users will appreciate the doubled PCI Express data throughput. It not only enables faster storage connectivity but also enhances performance for external graphics systems. This improvement is crucial for tasks requiring significant graphics processing power, such as 3D rendering and video editing.

Apple has ensured backward compatibility with existing setups, as the new Thunderbolt 5 cable works seamlessly with Thunderbolt 3 and 4 devices, though at the standard 40Gbps speed of these earlier versions. This compatibility ensures a smooth transition for users gradually upgrading their peripherals to take advantage of Thunderbolt 5’s capabilities.

Cable features at a glance