Alongside the Studio Display and Mac Studio announcement last month, Apple also started selling a new 1.8-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable. The company also said it would release a 3-meter version of that cable soon, and now it’s officially available to purchase. Apple’s 3-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable will set you back a cool $159…
Apple is doing as much as it can to justify the $159 price point of the new ten-foot Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable. It features a high-quality braided design that is meant to prevent coiling. It supports Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB 4 data transfers up to 40Gb/s, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 transfers up to 10 Gb/s.
Similar to previous Thunderbolt 3 cables, the new cable also supports DisplayPort video with High Bit Rate 3 (HBR3) video output, along with power delivery up to 100W. Here are the full specs of the cable according to Apple:
- Transfer data at up to 40Gb/s
- USB 3.1 Gen 2 data transfer at up to 10Gb/s
- DisplayPort video output (HBR3)
- Connect to Thunderbolt (USB-C) and USB devices and displays
- Up to 100 watts of power delivery
- Braided design that coils without tangling
- Thunderbolt logo helps it stand out from other cables
- Daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt 3 devices
The availability of the new 3-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable was first spotted by MacGeneration. The specifications of most Thunderbolt 4 cables you’ll buy are the same, but what sets Apple’s new offering apart is the longer 10-foot design. A teardown also highlighted other differences between Apple’s cable and those from competitors.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that Apple’s new Mac Studio doesn’t ship with a Thunderbolt cable of any sort in the box. The Studio Display does include a Thunderbolt cable, but it is just 1-meter long.
While Apple’s Thunderbolt 4 Pro cables are certainly nice and premium, there are more affordable options on the market. Most notably, OWC sells Thunderbolt 4 cables in three different sizes, and they are cheaper than Apple’s option across the board. You can pick up the 0.7m cable for $24, the 1m cable for $34, and the 2m cable for $57.
If you think Apple’s cables are worth the premium, or you want one that’s longer than what OWC offers, you can order the 1.8-meter version for $129 and the 3-meter version for $159. Orders will arrive as soon as next week, while the cables are also widely available from Apple retail stores.