So while a Thunderbolt 4 connector and cable uses USB 3.1, a USB-C connector isn’t necessarily Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt 4, meanwhile, is a new and powerful connectivity standard that uses both USB-C ports and that USB 3.1 standard. That port is the product of an industry-developed standard, USB 3.1, intended to streamline the many cables typically found at a workstation into a single cable that does all the work, while also improving performance. USB-C refers to the physical port used for connecting and powering devices. “Thunderbolt” and “USB-C” are sometimes used interchangeably, which can lead to confusion, because they are not the same. Thunderbolt 4 monitors, such as Samsung’s S80TB, have everything in one bundle.Ī monitor is, by nature, the center of attention and activity at any desk - and with a Thunderbolt 4 port, it’s also the command center. Where there is typically a messy tangle of cables to operate a monitor and peripherals, there can instead be one cord doing just about everything.īesides decluttering workstations, Thunderbolt 4 is also cheaper than other connection technologies and supports desktop IT demands, such as greater data transfer speeds - eight times faster than conventional USB 3.0 cables.

One look at a typical workstation in nearly any working environment is enough to explain the allure of this technology.

Now, Thunderbolt 4 is here - with all of the previous benefits of Thunderbolt 3, plus the ability to send LAN signals between devices. Not long ago, Thunderbolt 3 was the latest and greatest technology because of its ability to combine Thunderbolt, USB, DisplayPort, Ethernet and power via a single USB-C connector.

Thunderbolt to hdmi connection