With its swift 80 gigabits per second of “bi-directional bandwidth,” the new connection enables rapid file transfers on both ends. The bandwidth of Lightning 4—the most recent version of lightning cable—is doubled by this. Speeds for video and displays have also increased, reaching an astounding 120 gigabits per second. The cables are based on the latest DisplayPort 2.1 and USB4 Version 2.0 requirements. You won’t likely experience the full benefits of a newer Thunderbolt cable just yet if you don’t have a brand-new, high-end gadget with one of the new ports. If you’re a desktop user and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, you can also choose to upgrade or just add an extra port.
Jason Ziller, general manager of Intel’s Client Connectivity Division, said in a statement announcing the availability of the cable: “Intel has always been the industry pioneer and leader for wired connectivity solutions, and Thunderbolt is now the mainstream port on mobile PCs and integrated into three generations of Intel mobile CPUs. The next generation of Thunderbolt, developed by Intel and other members of the USB Promoter Group to this next generation, is based on the USB4 v2 specification, and we are very delighted to lead the industry ahead with it.
The new cables, according to Intel, are also backwards compatible. If you insert the cable into an outdated or weaker port, it will behave like an older Thunderbolt cable or even a USB type C cable, even though you may not get the speeds it is actually capable of. The cable’s exact name, a firm delivery date, and other information regarding its features are expected to be confirmed in the coming year.
