We’ve seen Thunderbolt ports on enthusiast computers for a while now, but these days Thunderbolt is becoming the port everyone wants on a new laptop, regardless of size, form-factor or budget.
The Thunderbolt port has reached its 3rd generation and it’s actually a significant step-up from the previous versions. We’ll get in depth towards the end of this post, but in very few words, Thunderbolt 3 is the one port that could replace all the others. Physically, it’s an USB 3.1 connector, thus compact and reversible. Technically, it can provide transfer speeds of up to 40 Gbps and USB speeds of up to 10 Gbps, it allows to connect up to two 4K displays, outputting video and audio signal at the same time, it supports DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0 and 10 GbE fast networking.
In other words, Thunderbolt 3 is the compact and versatile connector you can use to charge your laptop, transfer files at fast speeds, connect external monitors and other peripherals, including PCIe compatible graphics units (like the Razer Core, which we reviewed here). This last aspect is particularly interesting, as it allows OEMs to design ultra-portable laptops that could actually handle some serious gaming once they are hooked up to these external graphics solutions. The versatility and compact size of the Thunderbolt 3 connector also makes it ideal for slim and ultra-compact computers, which wouldn’t otherwise have the space around their sides for regular-sized ports.
We’re going to talk more about Thunderbolt 3 and its capabilities towards the end of the post. For now, let’s turn our attention on a complete list of all the available laptops and ultra-portables that offer at least one Thunderbolt 3 port at the time of this article, and since there are already quite a few available out there, we’ll split them in three different groups: compact laptops (with 13-inch screens or smaller), large screen portable laptops (15 to 17-inch screens), and full-size notebooks (15-inch screens or larger).
Only the latest versions of each laptop is mentioned here, previous generations might also support Thunderbolt 3.
13-inch (and smaller) ultraportables with Thunderbolt 3 connectors
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| Model | Type | Screen | Hardware | TB3 ports | Price | ||
| Acer Aspire Switch 12S | 2-in-1 | 12.5″ touch | Skylake Core M w/ Intel HD 515 | 1 | $1199 | ||
| Acer Aspire R13 | 2-in-1 | 13.3″ touch | Skylake Core U w/ Intel HD 520 | 1 | $899 | ||
| Asus Transformer 3 Pro | Tablet | 12.6″ touch | Skylake Core U w/ Intel HD 520 | 1 | $999 | ||
| Asus Transformer 3 | Tablet | 12.6″ touch | Kabylake (??) Core M | 1 | $799 | ||
| Alienware 13 | Gaming | 13.3″ | Skylake Core U w/ Nvidia GTX 960M or 1060 | 1 | $899 | ||
| Dell Latitude 12 7000 | Ultraportable | 12.0″ | Skylake Core U w/ Intel HD 520 | 2 | $1079 | ||
| Dell Latitude 12 7000 2-in-1 | 2-in-1 | 12.5″ touch | Skylake Core M w/ Intel HD 515 | 2 | $1049 | ||
| Dell Latitude 13 7000 (7370) |
Ultraportable | 13.3″ | Skylake Core M w/ Intel HD 515 | 2 | $1299 | ||
| Dell XPS 12 9250 | Tablet | 12.0″ touch | Skylake Core M w/ Intel HD 515 | 2 | $999 | ||
| Dell XPS 13 9350 | Ultraportable | 13.3″ | Skylake Core U w/ Intel HD 520 or 540 | 1 | $999 | ||
| HP Elite X2 | Tablet | 12.0″ touch | Skylake Core M w/ Intel HD 515 | 2 | $899 | ||
| HP EliteBook Folio | Ultraportable | 12.5″ | Skylake Core M w/ Intel HD 515 | 2 | $1099 | ||
| HP Spectre | Ultraportable | 13.3″ | Skylake Core U w/ Intel HD 520 | 2 | $1169 | ||
| Razer Blade Stealth | Ultraportable | 12.5″ | Skylake Core U w/ Intel HD 520 | 1 | $999 | ||
If you’re looking for a larger screen and faster hardware, but still want to stay within portable limits, then these are the options to consider.
14 to 17-inch portable laptops with Thunderbolt 3 connectors |
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| Model | Type | Screen | Hardware | TB3 ports | Price | ||
| Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-592G | Multimedia | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 960M | 1 | $999 | ||
| Acer Aspire V15 Nitro VN7-792G | Multimedia | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 960M | 1 | $999 | ||
| Asus Zenbook Pro UX501VW | Multimedia | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 960M | 1 | $1499 | ||
| Asus ROG G501VW | Gaming | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 960M | 1 | $1099 | ||
| Dell Precision 15 5000 Series | Workstation | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ or Xeon w/ Nvidia Quadro | 1 | $1399 | ||
| Dell XPS 15 9550 | Multimedia | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 960M | 1 | $999 | ||
| MSI GS40 Phantom | Gaming | 14.0″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 965M or 970M | 1 | $1399 | ||
| MSI GS43VR Phantom Pro | Gaming | 14.0″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 1060M | 1 | $1499 | ||
| MSI GS60 Ghost Pro | Gaming | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 965M or 970M | 1 | $1499 | ||
| MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro | Gaming | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 1060M | 1 | $1699 | ||
| MSI GS73VR Stealth Pro | Gaming | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 1060M | 1 | $1799 | ||
| Razer Blade 14 | Gaming | 14.0″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 970M / 1060 | 1 | $1999 | ||
Last but not least, if you don’t care about portability at all and simply want a powerful computer with a large screen, capable graphics and a Thunderbolt 3 port, these are the options for you.
15 to 21-inch full-size notebooks with Thunderbolt 3 connectors |
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| Model | Type | Screen | Hardware | TB3 ports | Price | ||
| Acer Predator 15 | Gaming | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 970M to 1070 | 1 | $1499 | ||
| Acer Predator 17 | Gaming | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 970M to 1070 | 1 | $1499 | ||
| Alienware 15 | Gaming | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HK w/ Nvidia GTX 965M to 1070 | 1 | $1199 | ||
| Alienware 17 | Gaming | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HK w/ Nvidia GTX 965M to 1080 | 1 | $1499 | ||
| Asus ROG G752VT / G752VY | Gaming | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 970M or 980M | 1 | $1299 | ||
| Asus ROG G752VM / G752VS | Gaming | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 1060 or 1070 | 1 | $1399 | ||
| Asus ROG GX800 | Gaming | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HK w/ Nvidia GTX 1080 and SLI 1080 | 1 | $2499 | ||
| Clevo P750 / Sager NP9758 | Gaming | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HK w/ Nvidia GTX 970M to 980M | 1 | $1749 | ||
| Clevo P750DM2 / Sager NP9152 | Gaming | 15.6″ | Skylake Core K w/ Nvidia GTX 1060 to 1070 | 1 | $1799 | ||
| Clevo P775DM3 / Sager NP9172 / Schenker XMG U716 | Gaming | 17.3″ | Skylake Core K w/ Nvidia GTX 1060 to 1080 | 1 | $1849 | ||
| Dell Precision 15 3000 Series | Workstation | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ AMD FirePro | 1 | $999 | ||
| Dell Precision 15 7000 series | Workstation | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ or Xeon w/ AMD FirePro or Nvidia Quadro | 1 | $1199 | ||
| Dell Precision 17 7000 series | Workstation | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HQ or Xeon w/ Nvidia Quadro | 1 | $2299 | ||
| Lenovo IdeaPad Y900 | Gaming | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 980M | 1 | $1999 | ||
| Lenovo ThinkPad P50 | Workstation | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia Quadro | 1 | $1399 | ||
| Lenovo ThinkPad P70 | Workstation | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia Quadro | 2 | $1899 | ||
| HP ZBook 15 |
Workstation | 15.6″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia Quadro | 1 | $1499 | ||
| HP ZBook 17 | Workstation | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HQ w/ Nvidia Quadro | 1 | $1999 | ||
| MSI GT73VR Titan | Gaming | 17.3″ | Skylake Core HK w/ Nvidia GTX 1070 | 1 | $2199 | ||
| MSI GT80S Titan | Gaming | 18.4″ | Skylake Core HK w/ Nvidia GTX 980 SLI | 1 | $3499 | ||
| MSI GT83VR Titan Pro | Gaming | 18.4″ | Skylake Core HK w/ Nvidia GTX SLI 1070 or 1080 | 1 | $3499 | ||
Now, let’s get back to why this Thunderbolt 3 port is such a big deal. Here are a couple of thoughts:
- the USB 3.1 connector is compact and reversible, so compatible cables are not going to take a lot of space. Also, unlike most other connectors like USB 3.0, DisplayPort, HDMI, etc, an USB 3.1 cable not longer has a “right-way” to plug in, which makes it easier to use everyday.
- the Thunderbolt 3 port could replace all the other standard connectors in the near future, that means we’ll have one universal connector and one type of cable for pretty much all basic needs.
- TB3 allows for very fast transfer speeds, which opens up space for a multitude of compatible accessories: fast external storage units, external graphics and processing units, external docking stations, etc.
- TB3 can output video, audio and power at the same time, so is a solution for connecting high-resolution external monitors or TV sets.
- TB3 is also capable of network transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps, so can be a solution if you want to transfer content fast within your network.
- TB3 can also be used for charging your device, as long as it doesn’t require more than 100 W of power. So good-bye dedicated charging cables.
Thunderbolt 3 is versatile, compact and easy to use – source
One compact port can do all of these, so no wonder manufacturers are adding TB3 on the latest laptops.
But what does Thunderbolt 3 mean for ultraportable notebooks? It allows OEMs to design thinner, lighter and smaller devices which wouldn’t have the space around their sides for regular sized ports. Yes, that means you’ll need to buy adapters for your existing cables and devices, but to some extent, that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. These smaller computers can be hooked up to peripherals and transformed from the ultraportable travel companions they represent by their own, to business, multimedia and even gaming computers. You can hook up an external monitor for extra screen real-estate, a storage unit, a docking station with extra ports or those graphics units. External graphics units won’t show their true power when hooked up to an ultraportable, as these are usually built on Core M or Core U processors, but thin-and-light 15-inchers with quad-core processors and a solid amount of RAM will be good matches for the graphics capabilities of a full-size desktop card.
There is however a fair-amount of confusion around Thunderbolt 3, mostly because it’s impossible to determine whether a device is TB3 compatible or not simply by looking at the physical connector. And that’s because the TB3 and USB 3.1 ports are identical, but a TB3 and USB 3.1 (also known as USB Type-C) are different in terms of capabilities. The Apple Macbook for instance offers an USB 3.1, but not a Thunderbolt 3. Standard USB 3.1 connectors still support data, video and audio transfers, but are limited to a lower bandwidth, so will perform slower, can’t carry power and aren’t compatible with graphics units, among others. This article does a good job at explaining the difference between Thunderbolt 3 and a standard USB 3.1 port.
As of early 2016 there aren’t many Thunderbolt 3 compatible accessories available in stores, but that’s going to change in the future (and we’ll cover them in a later article). Knowing that, having a Thunderbolt 3 port on your laptop might not sit that high on your list of priorities right now. However, if you plan to keep the laptop you’re buying today for at least 2-3 years, then you should consider something with TB3 for future proofness, especially if you plan to take advantage of the matching peripherals down the line.
With that in mind, we’ll wrap this up here. I’ll continue to update this list of Thunderbolt 3 compatible laptops as often as possible, adding the new entries as they become available, but if you spot something that should be in here and it’s not, make sure to drop a line in the comments section below, where I’ll also wait for your feedback and questions, if any.
Nicholas
May 13, 2016 at 7:54 am
Skylake chips still require a separate external controller chip to implement either USB 3.1 and / or Thunderbolt 3. It APPEARS that with Kaby Lake the USB 3.1 and also possibly the Thunderbolt 3 implementation will migrate to be an integral part of the platform silicon (at least on some SKUs)meaning that devices will have Thunderbolt by default – it is part of the chip that the OEM buys from Intel. Whether this is accurate depends upon precisely what is meant by the statement “Kaby Lake has SUPPORT FOR USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3”. It would be very interesting to know. If Intel can squeeze Thunderbolt into a Core M SKU with an overall platform TDP of < 4.5 Watts then that would allow the OEM's to produce some fabulous devices: a phablet with a massive and supremely flexible connectivity capability delivered through one port.
kudos
May 15, 2016 at 10:23 pm
Hi Andrei, I hope you will soon get your hand on the new HP spectre cause I would love to read your review before deciding to order it :D
Bob Murphy
August 9, 2016 at 12:44 pm
Don’t get an HP. I bought a Spectre for my wife, and after a year (of very light use, plus she is very delicate with it) the screen seperated from the frame. Glue was done poorly. Was 2nd HP laptop I have privately had the just wasn’t put together well. I’d stay away.
agan
May 22, 2016 at 2:55 am
thx for the list. btw does asus gl552vw have thunderbolt port?? or the type-c port on gl552 model just a regular type-c model without thunderbolt feature??
Andrei Girbea
May 23, 2016 at 3:34 pm
Just a regular USB 3.1.
Nathan Brown
May 22, 2016 at 6:54 pm
2 typos:
1. The Dell XPS 15 you said “XPX”
2. The Lenovo Ideapad Y900 is 2000USD, not 899USD
Can’t wait until the Razer Core/other egpu dock gets released.
Andrei Girbea
May 23, 2016 at 3:39 pm
Thanks for the feedback, I fixed those two errors.
Derek is going to have a post about his Razer Core soon on the site. I’m pretty excited about these external units myself, although I’m not comfortable paying as much as Razer asks just for an enclosure. Something like the Acer Graphics Dock feels a lot more interesting to pair with ultra-portable laptops, at least imo.
nick
June 5, 2016 at 11:08 pm
Would be nice to know which models support charging via usb c port
Andrei Girbea
June 7, 2016 at 12:32 pm
Hmmm, yea, that would be interesting. I’ll look into it, can’t promise, let’s see if I can find the required data
human overpopulation
July 1, 2016 at 6:45 pm
It looks like this one does not have thunderbolt 3
Acer Aspire V13 V3-372T
community.acer.com/t5/V-and-VN-Series-Laptops/Aspire-V13-V3-372T-5051-comes-with-a-Thundebolt-3-port/td-p/437364
Andrei Girbea
July 1, 2016 at 7:54 pm
Edited, thanks
Joe
July 15, 2016 at 10:15 am
Correct me if im wrong, I might be, but physically thunderbolt is a type cnot a 3.1 and usb 3.1 gen 1 is the same transfer speeds(5gb) as usb 3.0 except its a type C and usb 3.1 gen 2 is type c with 10gbps and thunderbolt is type c with up to 40gbps
Holger
July 24, 2016 at 11:33 am
Thanks a lot, Andrei, this is a very useful list!
A minor correction: The Lenovo ThinkPad P70 has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, not one (see the specs and images on shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/p-series/p70/).
Andrei Girbea
July 26, 2016 at 2:55 pm
Thanks, updated
Holger
July 30, 2016 at 7:52 am
One more thing: The Dell XPS 13 9350 has one, not two TB3 ports
jk47
July 30, 2016 at 12:19 pm
Asus Transformer 3 $799
Jordan
August 5, 2016 at 10:10 am
Are all thunderbolt 3 ports the same speed? Do some laptop providers make laptops with thunderbolt 3 with slower maximum gpbs?
Samd
August 6, 2016 at 2:18 am
Are all thunderbolt 3 ports 40 gbps? Do some laptop providers make laptops with thunderbolt 3 with slower maximum gpbs?
Sometimes I see specifications on vendor or manufacturers sites, like this (Thunderbolt 3, 20 gbps):
pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKASU720916&name=ASUS-G752VT-GC053T-17.3-FHD—Intel-Core-i7-6700HQ
Tim
August 14, 2016 at 3:19 am
2016 HP elite book folio has 2 tb3, but isn’t on your list. It’s great I own one.
Andrei Girbea
August 15, 2016 at 2:14 pm
Thanks, added. That looks like a great laptop.
Christian
August 14, 2016 at 4:01 pm
Which one of these devices in the list above is also available with built-in LTE?
For business purposes, it is so essential to be able to be connected everywhere. The HP Elite X2 1012 G1 seems to be available with LTE in theory, practically I did not come across any online stores etc. with availability of the LTE model.
Andrei Girbea
August 15, 2016 at 2:18 pm
I have a list of LTE ultraportables here, but it hasn’t been updated in a while so I don’t know if it’s going to be very helpful: http://www.ultrabookreview.com/4178-ultrabooks-3g-4g-lte/ . Will update it in the next couple of weeks though.
Peter
August 27, 2016 at 5:00 am
This article is misleading and confusing users, the list of laptops here show at least a USB Type C connector NOT ALL has Thunderbolt 3 port. The few laptop that actually supports USB Type C with Thunderbolt 3 are XPS, Razor Blade Stealth…
You should put up columns to state number of USB-C ports and how many of those actually support TB3.
Andrei Girbea
August 27, 2016 at 8:31 am
Can you be more specific about which of the laptops here don’t support TB3? There might be mistakes, but I try to only list those with TB3, not regular USB Type C
Sam
August 30, 2016 at 6:53 am
Minor correction, USB 3.1 Power delivery spec is the thing that delivers Power, TB3 uses it, Power delivery is not part of the TB3 spec. Also different ports could support different output wattages.
Awesome article though.
carlo
September 4, 2016 at 8:25 pm
Hi there it seems you have left the clevo/sager/metabox p750 off the list, i believe it has TB3. Some other of their models might have TB3 also. MSI GS43 also hasn’t been included and possibly a few others.
carlo
September 4, 2016 at 8:28 pm
correction clevo p750dmg2
Andrei Girbea
September 6, 2016 at 4:27 am
Thanks for the headsup. I’ve updated the post with some of the more recent models.