Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 laptops – the complete list

Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 laptops – the complete list
By Andrei Girbea, last updated on October 6, 2023

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 3rd and 4th generations of Thunderbolt are significant upgrades over their predecessors and in many ways, the one port that could replace all others in the years to come.

Physically, both Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3 are USB Type-C connectors, thus compact, reliable, and reversible. Technically, the two standards are mostly similar as well. For starters, both TB3 and TB4 support throughputs of up to 40 Gbps, both can drive external monitors via DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 2.0 video outs, both offer 10 GbE fast networking, as well as power delivery (at a minimum of 15W of power). So as far as speeds and overall capabilities go, Thunderbolt 4 is not faster or better than the previous standard.

The major difference is in the amount of bandwidth allocated via PCIe. While Thunderbolt 3 systems are required to support 16 Gbps for PCIe connections, Thunderbolt 4 allocates 32 Gbps, and that translates into faster connections with peripherals (docks, eGPUs, storage units, etc) and improved video-output support. In this case, while TB3 supports a single 4K 60Hz display, TB4 supports either a single 8K 60 Hz display or two 4K 60 Hz displays per port.

On top of these, Thunderbolt 4 compliant docks are also required to support instant wake from sleep and VT-D/DMA protection against Thunderspy attacks. Finally, there’s one more aspect worth considering when it comes to cables, with TB4 branded cables of up to 2 meter in length required to support 40 Gbps speeds, while only shorter TB3 cables (most of them under 1 m) were able to maintain the same kind of speeds.

In other words, both Thunderbolt 3 and 4 are the compact and versatile connectors that 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, or the Aorus Gaming Box). This last aspect is particularly interesting, as it allows OEMs to design ultra-portable laptops that can also handle serious gaming once hooked up to these external GPU docks.

thunderbolt 3 port

We’re going to further discuss Thunderbolt 4, USB 4, and Thunderbolt 3 in a separate article, as well as towards the end of this post. For now, let’s get to the complete list of all the available laptops and ultra-portables that offer at least one Thunderbolt 4 or 3 port at the time of this update.

Modern Thunderbolt 4 laptops

It’s important to mention that as of 2022 (and later), Intel’s Tiger Lake and ALder Lake Core U  platforms (and the more recent Raptor Lake updates) include an integrated Thunderbolt 4 controller by default.

That means the vast majority of available Tiger/Alder/Raptor Lake laptops (and most likely future platforms) include at least one Thunderbolt 4 port by default. You’ll find a detailed list of modern Intel ultraportables in this separate article that goes over EVO-certified ultrabooks, but for the most part, expect Thunderbolt connectivity on the majority of Intel computers released past early 2021.

In the past, Thunderbolt functionality was not entirely baked into the chips, and manufacturers had to integrate a separate controller on the motherboards in order to implement Thunderbolt 3, as well as pay Intel for the certification (the right to have TB3). That’s why Thunderbolt 3 ports were mostly available on higher-tier products, and rarely on affordable laptops. Furthermore, because Thunderbolt is an Intel and Apple proprietary technology, that’s why AMD laptops do not include Thunderbolt ports of any kind (so far), albeit that might change in the future.

Bottom point, most Intel laptops available in stores as of early-2021 include Thunderbolt 4 connectivity by default, while in the case of older notebooks, only select options are available with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Since there are many such computers out there, we’ll split them into 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) in the following part of this article.

We’ll also include details on their format, hardware platform, type of TB3 port (x2 or x4 PCIe lanes), whether each laptop can charge via USB-C, and the starting MSRP price in the US, in case you’re looking for something within a specific budget or one of the cheaper Thunderbolt laptops out there. Keep in mind prices and availability vary over time, so follow the links for more details, as well as the link on each unit’s name for our detailed reviews and guides.

I’ll also add that the lists below only include laptops released in the last 2-3 years, and for the most part, only the latest version of each laptop is mentioned, even if the previous generations supported Thunderbolt 3 as well.

13-inch (and smaller) ultraportables with Thunderbolt 3 connectors

Model Type Screen Hardware TB3 ports Charging Updated Price
Acer Aspire Switch 12S 2-in-1 12.5″ touch Core Y w/ Intel HD 1 No 2017 $1199
Acer Aspire R13 2-in-1 13.3″ touch Core U w/ Intel HD 1 x2 No 2017 $899
Acer Swift 3 13.5 clamshell 13.5″ Core U w/ Intel HD 1 x4 Yes 2020 $999
Alienware 13 Gaming 13.3″ Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 1060 1 x4 No 2017 $1199
Asus Zenbook UX391 Ultraportable 13.3″ Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 Yes 2018 $1199
Apple MacBook Air Ultraportable 13.3″ Core Y w/ Intel HD 2 x4 Yes 2019 $1099
Apple MacBook Pro 13 Ultraportable 13.3″ Core U w/ Intel Iris UHD 4 x4 Yes 2019 $1299
Dell Latitude 12 7000 Ultraportable 12.0″ Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 Yes 2018 $1079
Dell Latitude 12 7000 2-in-1 2-in-1 12.5″ touch Core Y w/ Intel HD 2 x4 Yes 2019 $1049
Dell Latitude 13 7000
Ultraportable 13.3″ Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2019 $1199
Dell XPS 13 Ultraportable 13.3″ Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2020 $899
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 Convertible 13.3″ Core Y w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2020 $1049
Model Type Screen Hardware TB3 ports Charging Updated Price
Huawei MateBook X Pro Convertible 13.9″ touch Core U w/ up to MX250 1 x2 Yes 2020 $999
HP Elite X2 Tablet 12.0″ touch Core Y w/ Intel HD 1 x4 Yes 2018 $899
HP EliteBook 830 Ultraportable 13.3″ Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes (**) 2018 $1299
HP EliteBook Folio Ultraportable 12.5″ Core Y w/ Intel HD 2 x4 Yes 2018 $1099
HP Elitebook x360 13 Convertible 13.3″ touch Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2019 $2399
HP Spectre x360 13 Convertible 13.3″ touch Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 Yes 2020 $1049
Lenovo IdeaPad 720s 13 Ultraportable 13.3″ Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x2 Yes 2017 $849
Lenovo IdeaPad 730s 13 Ultraportable 13.3″ glossy Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 Yes 2018 $899
Lenovo Yoga 730 13 Convertible 13.3″ touch Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 Yes 2018 $999
Lenovo Yoga 920 Convertible 13.9″ touch Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 Yes 2017 $1099
Lenovo Yoga C930 Convertible 13.9″ touch Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 Yes 2018 $1249
Lenovo Yoga S940 Clamshell 13.9″ glossy Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 Yes 2019 $1499
Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Convertible 13.3″ matte Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2019 $1199
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet Tablet 13.0″ touch Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 Yes 2018 $1299
Lenovo ThinkPad X 12-inch Ultraportable 12.5″ Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 Yes 2018 $1099
Razer Blade Stealth 13 Ultraportable 13.3″ matte/touch Core U w/ GTX 1650 1 x4 Yes 2020 $1399
Samsung Notebook 9 Pen Convertible 13.3″ touch Core U w/ UHD 620 2 x4 Yes 2019 $1399
Samsung Notebook 9 Pro Convertible 13.3″ touch Core U w/ UHD 620 2 x4 Yes 2019 $1099
Toshiba Portégé X20W Convertible 12.5″ touch Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2018 $999
Toshiba Portégé X30 Ultraportable 13.3″ touch Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2020 $1299

If you’re looking for a larger screen and faster hardware, but still want to stay within compact and portable ranges (under 4 lbs for 14-inchers, under 5 lbs for 15 inchers, under 6 lbs for 17-inchers), then these are the options to consider.

14 to 17-inch portable laptops with Thunderbolt 3 connectors

Model Type Screen Hardware TB3 ports Charging Updated Price
Acer Swift 7 Black Edition Convertible 14.0″ Core Y w/ Intel HD 1 x4 Yes 2019 $1499
Acer Swift 3 14 clamshell 14.0″ Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2020 $799
Acer TravelMate P6 P614 clamshell 14.0″ Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2020 $1099
Acer ConceptD 7 Workstation 15.6″ Core H w/ Quadro 1 x4 No 2019 $1799
Acer Predator Triton 500 Gaming 15.6″ Core H w/ up to RTX 2080MQ 1 x4 No 2020 $1799
Acer Predator Triton 700 Gaming 15.6″ Core H w/ Nvidia GTX 1080MQ 1 x4 No 2018 $1899
Alienware m15 Gaming 15.6″ matte Core HK w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q 1 x4 No 2019 $1299
Alienware m17 Gaming 17.3″ matte Core HK w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q 1 x4 No 2019 $1599
Apple MacBook Pro 15 Ultraportable 15.6″ glossy Core H w/ up to AMD Vega 20 4 x4 Yes 2019 $2099
Apple MacBook Pro 16 Ultraportable 16″ glossy Core HK w/ up to AMD Radeon Pro 4 x4 Yes 2020 $2299
Asus ExpertBook B9450FA clamshell 14.0″ Core U w/ Intel HD 1 x4 Yes 2020 $1499
Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501 Gaming 15.6″ matte Core H w/ up to Nvidia GTX 1080MQ 1 x4 No 2017 $1699
Asus ROG Zephyrus S15 GX502 Gaming 15.6″ matte Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080 Super MQ 1 x4 No 2020 $1999
Asus ROG Zephyrus M15 GU502 Gaming 15.6″ matte Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2070 Super MQ 1 x4 No 2020 $1799
Asus ROG Zephyrus GM501 Gaming 15.6″ matte Core H w/ Nvidia GTX 1070 1 x4 No 2017 $1699
Asus StudioBook Pro W700 Workstation 17.3″ matte Core U w/ Nvidia Quadro 1 x4 2019 TBA
Asus StudioBook Pro X W730 Workstation 17.3″ matte Core U w/ Nvidia Quadro 2 x4 2019 TBA
Asus Zenbook 3 Deluxe UX490UA Ultraportable 14.0″ Core U w/ Intel HD 2 x4 Yes 2018 $1199
Asus Zenbook Pro UX550 Multimedia 15.6″ Core H w/ Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 2 x4 (*) No 2018 $1299
Asus Zenbook Pro UX580 Multimedia 15.6″ Core H w/ Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti 2 x4 (*) No 2018 $1499
Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 Multimedia 15.6″ Core HK w/ Nvidia RTX 2060 1 x4 No 2019 $2499
Clevo PB851EF-G / Sager NP8356 Gaming 15.6″ Core H w/ up to RTX 2070 1 x4 No 2019 $1799
Clevo PB871EF-G / Sager NP8376 Gaming 17.3″ Core H w/ up to RTX 2070 1 x4 No 2019 $1799
Dell Precision 15 5000 Series Workstation 15.6″ Core HK or Xeon w/ Nvidia Quadro 1 x4 Yes 2019 $1549
Dell Latitude 14 7000
Ultraportable 14.0″ Core U w/ Intel HD 1 x4 Yes 2019 $1349
Dell Latitude 14 7000 2-in-1
2-in-1 14.0″ touch Core U w/ Intel HD 1 x4 Yes 2019 $1349
Dell Vostro 15 7000 Multimedia 15.6″ matte Core H w/ Nvidia GTX 1660Ti 1 x4 Yes 2019 $1349
Dell XPS 15 Multimedia 15.6″ touch up to 9th gen Core HK w/ Nvidia GTX 1650 1 x4 Yes 2019 $999
Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 Convertible 15.6″ touch up to 8th gen Core G w/ Radeon RX Vega M 2 x4 Yes 2018 $999
Gigabyte Aero 15 Gaming 15.6″ up to 9th gen Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $2099
Gigabyte Aero 17 Gaming 17.3″ up to 9th gen Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $2599
HP Omen 15 Gaming 15.6″ up to 9th gen Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $1499
HP Omen X 2s Gaming 15.6″ up to 9th gen Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2070MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $1899
HP Omen 17 Gaming 17.3″ up to 8th gen Core H w/ up to Nvidia GTX 1070MQ 1 x4 No 2018 $1099
HP Spectre x360 15 Convertible 15.6″ touch up to 8th gen Core G w/ Radeon RX Vega M 1 x4 Yes (*) 2019 $1299
HP EliteBook 840 Ultraportable 14.0″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x2 Yes (*) 2018 $1249
HP EliteBook 850 Ultraportable 15.6″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ AMD RX540 1 x2 Yes (*) 2018 $1249
HP EliteBook 1040 Ultraportable 14.0″ up to 7th gen Core U w/ Intel HD 1 x4 Yes (**) 2018 $1399
HP ZBook 14u Workstation 14.0″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ AMD Radeon™ Pro WX 3100 1 x4 Yes (**) 2019 $1549
HP ZBook 15u Workstation 15.6″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ AMD Radeon™ Pro WX 3100 1 x4 Yes (**) 2019 $1649
Lenovo IdeaPad 720s 14 Ultraportable 14.0″ up to 7th gen Core U w/ Nvidia 940MX 1 x2 (?) 2018 $999
Lenovo IdeaPad 720s 15 Ultraportable 14.0″ up to 7th gen Core U w/ up to GTX 1050 Ti 1 x2 (?) No 2018 $999
Lenovo ThinkPad 25 Ultraportable 14.0″ up to 7th gen Core U w/ Nvidia 940MX 1 x2 Yes 2018 $1899
Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Workstation 15.6″ up to 9th gen Core HK w/ up to Quadro T2000 2 x4 Yes (*) 2019 $1499
Lenovo ThinkPad P53s Workstation 15.6″ Core U w/ up to Quadro P520 1 x2 No 2019 $1499
Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Ultraportable 14.0″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ Nvidia MX250 1 x4 (?) Yes 2019 $859
Lenovo ThinkPad T590 Ultraportable 15.6″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ Nvidia MX250 1 x4 (?) Yes 2019 $999
Lenovo ThinkPad T480s Ultraportable 14.0″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ Nvidia MX150 1 x2 Yes 2018 $1199
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s Ultraportable 14.0″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ Nvidia MX250 1 x4 (?) Yes 2019 $1199
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultraportable 14.0″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 2019 $1199
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Multimedia 15.6″ up to 9th gen Core HK w/ Nvidia 1650MQ 2 x4 Yes (*) 2019 $1849
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Convertible 14.0″ up to 8th gen Core U w/ Intel UHD 2 x4 Yes 2019 $1499
Lenovo Yoga 730 15 Multimedia 15.6″ touch Core HQ w/ Nvidia 1050 1 x2 No 2018 $999
Lenovo Yoga C730 Convertible 15.6″ touch up to 8th gen Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes 2018 $1649
LG Gram 15 Ultraportable 15.6″ touch up to 8th gen Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes (*) 2018 $1299
LG Gram 17 Ultraportable 17.3″ matte/touch 8th gen Core U w/ Intel UHD 1 x4 Yes (*) 2019 $1699
MSI GS65 Stealth Thin Gaming 15.6″ matte up to 9th gen Core HK w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $2099
MSI GS75 Stealth Thin Gaming 17.3″ matte up to 9th gen Core HK w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $2199
MSI P65 Creator Workstation 15.6″ matte up to 9th gen Core HK w/ up to RTX 2080MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $1199
MSI WS65 Workstation 15.6″ matte up to 8th gen Core H w/ Quadro P3200 1 x4 No 2019 $2699
Razer Blade 14 Gaming 14.0″ up to 7th gen Core H w/ Nvidia GTX 1060 1 x4 No 2018 $1799
Razer Blade 15 Advanced Gaming 15.6″ matte up to 8th gen Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $1899
Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming 17.3″ up to 9th gen Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $2699
Samsung Notebook 9 Pen 15 Convertible 15.6″ touch 8th gen Core U w/ MX150 2 x4 Yes 2019 $1599

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

Model Type Screen Hardware TB3 ports Charging Updated Price
Acer Aspire V15 Nitro Multimedia 15.6″ Core HQ w/ up to GTX 1060 1 x4 No 2017 $999
Acer Aspire V17 Nitro Multimedia 17.3″ Core HQ w/ up to GTX 1060 1 x4 No 2017 $999
Acer Predator 15 Gaming 15.6″ Core HQ w/ up to GTX 1070 1 x4 No 2018 $1499
Acer Predator 17 Gaming 17.3″ Core HQ w/ up to GTX 1070 1 x4 No 2018 $1499
Acer Predator Helios 500 Gaming 17.3″ Core H w/ Nvidia GTX 1070 2 x4 No 2018 $1899
Acer Predator Triton 900 Gaming 17.3″ Core H w/ RTX GTX 2080 1 x4 No 2019 $3999
Alienware Area 51m Gaming 17.3″ Core HK w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080 1 x4 No 2019 $2499
Alienware 15 Gaming 15.6″ Core HK w/ up to GTX 1080 1 x4 No 2018 $1199
Alienware 17 Gaming 17.3″ Core HK w/ up to GTX 1080 1 x4 No 2018 $1499
Asus ROG Mothership GZ700GX Gaming 17.3″ Core HK w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080 1×4 No 2019
Asus ROG G703 Series Gaming 17.3″ Core HK w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080 1×4 No 2019 $2999
Asus ROG G752 Series Gaming 17.3″ Core HQ w/ up to GTX 1070 1 No 2017 $1399
Asus ROG GL502VM Gaming 15.6″ Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 1060 1 x2 No 2017 $1399
Asus ROG GL702VM Gaming 17.3″ Core HQ w/ Nvidia GTX 1060 1 x2 No 2017 $1399
Asus ROG GX800 Gaming 17.3″ Core HK w/ up to GTX 1080 SLI 1 No 2018 $2499
Clevo P750TM1-G / Sager NP9156 Gaming 15.6″ Core K w/ up to GTX 2080 1 x4 No 2019 $1999
Clevo P775TM1-G / Sager NP9176 Gaming 17.3″ Core K w/ up to GTX 2080 1 x4 No 2019 $1999
Clevo P750DM2 / Sager NP9152 / Schenker XMG U507 Gaming 15.6″ Core K w/ up to GTX 1080 1 x4 No 2018 $1799
Clevo P775DM3 / Sager NP9172 / Schenker XMG U717 Gaming 17.3″ Core K w/ up to GTX 1080 1 x4 No 2018 $1849
Dell G3 Gaming 15/17 Gaming 15.6″ Core H w/ Nvidia GTX 1660Ti 1 x4 No 2019 $1099
Dell G5 Gaming 15 Gaming 15.6″ Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2060 1 x4 No 2019 $999
Dell G7 Gaming 15 Gaming 15.6″ Core HK w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080 MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $1099
Dell G7 Gaming 17 Gaming 17.3″ Core H w/ up to Nvidia RTX 2080 MQ 1 x4 No 2019 $1349
Dell Inspiron Gaming 7577 Gaming 15.6″ Core HQ w/ Nvidia 1060 MQ 1 x4 No 2018 $999
Dell Precision 15 3000 Series Workstation 15.6″ Core HK w/ Nvidia Quadro 1 x4 No 2019 $999
Dell Precision 15 7000 series Workstation 15.6″ Core HK or Xeon w/ AMD FirePro or Nvidia Quadro 1 x4 No 2019 $1199
Dell Precision 17 7000 series Workstation 17.3″ Core HK or Xeon w/ Nvidia Quadro 1 x4 No 2019 $2299
Lenovo Legion Y720 Gaming 15.6″ Core HQ w/ up to GTX 1060 1 x4 No 2017 $1099
Lenovo Legion Y730 15 Gaming 15.6″ Core HQ w/ up to GTX 1060 1 x2 No 2018 $1099
Lenovo Legion Y730 17 Gaming 15.6″ Core HQ w/ up to GTX 1060 1 x4 No 2018 $1099
Lenovo Legion Y740 15 Gaming 15.6″ Core H w/ up to RTX 2070 Max-Q 1 x4 No 2019 $1599
Lenovo Legion Y740 17 Gaming 17.3″ Core H w/ up to RTX 2080 Max-Q 1 x4 No 2019 $1599
Lenovo Legion Y920 Gaming 17.3″ Core HQ w/ GTX 1070 1 x4 No 2017 $2499
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 Workstation 15.6″ Core H or Xeon w/ Nvidia Quadro 2 x4 No 2019 $1999
Lenovo ThinkPad P73 Workstation 17.3″ Core H or Xeon w/ Nvidia Quadro 2 x4 No 2019 $1999
HP ZBook 15
Workstation 15.6″ Core HK w/ Nvidia Quadro 1 x4 No 2019 $1499
HP ZBook 17 Workstation 17.3″ Core HK w/ Nvidia Quadro 1 x4 No 2019 $1999
MSI GT73 Titan Gaming 17.3″ Core HK w/ up to GTX 1070 SLI 1 x4 No 2018 $2199
MSI GT75 Titan Gaming 17.3″ Core HK w/ Nvidia RTX 2080 1 x4 No 2019 $2999
MSI GT76 Titan Gaming 17.3″ Core K w/ Nvidia RTX 2080 1 x4 No 2019 $2999
MSI GT83VR Titan Pro Gaming 18.4″ Core HK w/ up to GTX 1080 SLI 1 x4 No 2018 $3499
MSI WT75 Workstation 17.3″ Core K w/ up to Quadro P5200 1 x4 No 2019 $3999

* these laptops can change via USB-C, but a USB-C charger is not included
** some HP laptops can change via USB-C, but only through select HP docking stations and not with regular USB-C adapters

There’s a catch about the Thunderbolt 3 connection, it can be hooked up to the motherboard via x2 or x4 PCIe lanes. The x2 TB3 port is half the speed of the x4 TB3 connection and is primarily a problem when hooking up an external graphics chip and playing on the notebook’s internal display, as data needs to be swapped back and forth between the laptop and the eGPU dock. Hooking up the eGPU and playing on an external monitor hooked to the eGPU works fine on an x1 TB3 connection though, as in this case the data is no longer sent back to the laptop via the Thunderbolt.

It’s also worth adding that many laptops get two TB3 ports hooked into a single TB3 x4 controller, and not two ports with two dedicated 4x lanes. That means you get the 4x speeds while only one peripheral is hooked in, and they’ll share the connection when you hook up two.

Thunderbolt 3 explained

Now, let’s get back to why this Thunderbolt 3 port is such a big deal. Here are a couple of thoughts:

  • The USB Type-C connector is compact and reversible, so compatible cables are not going to take a lot of space. Also, unlike most other connectors like USB Type-A, DisplayPort, HDMI, etc, a USB Type-C cable no longer has a “right-way” to plug in, making it much easier to use.
  • USB-C ports are more and more widely spread on mother devices, so down the road, they could replace all the other standard connectors, which means we could end up with one universal connector and one type of cable for pretty much all basic needs.
  • Not all USB-C ports support Thunderbolt 3, as the technology is only reserved to certain Intel based-devices with an appropriate TB3 chip. That might change in the future, as Intel plans to bake Thunderbolt 3 compatibility within the CPUs.
  • TB3 allows for very fast transfer speeds of up to 40 Gbps, 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 GbE, so can be a solution if you want to quickly transfer content within your network.
  • TB3 can also be used for charging your device at up to 100 W of power. So good-bye dedicated charging cables. (it can also charge laptops that normally ship with higher capacity chargers, but slower and while performing less-demanding loads. However, you should keep in mind that not all laptops allow TB3 charging, even if the port theoretically supports it).
Thunderbolt 3 is versatile, compact and easy to use

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 ultrabooks.

But what does Thunderbolt 3 mean for ultraportable notebooks? It allows OEMs to design thinner, lighter and smaller devices which wouldn’t have space around their sides to accommodate regularly 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. Just keep in mind that CPU’s can be a bottleneck un ultraportable laptops hooked up to eGPU, as these are usually built on Core Y or Core U processors, but thin-and-light 15-inchers with quad/six-core Core H 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 by simply looking at the physical connector. And that’s because TB3 and regular USB 3.1 ports both use a USB Type-C physical connector, but have different capabilities. The Apple MacBook, for instance, offers a USB 3.1 port, but not Thunderbolt 3. Standard USB 3.1 Type-C 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.

As of early 2019, there are many Thunderbolt 3 compatible accessories available in stores, and we covered some of the better ones in this article. Even so, having a Thunderbolt 3 port on your laptop might still not sit that high on your list of priorities, but you should consider something with TB3 for future-proofness, especially if you plan to take advantage of the matching peripherals down the line and plan to keep the laptop you’re buying today for at least 2-3 years.

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 is not, make sure to tell me about it in the comments section below, where I’ll also wait for your feedback and questions if any.

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Author at Ultrabookreview.com
Article by: Andrei Girbea
Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com. I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I've been doing it for more than 15 years now. I'm a techie with a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.

102 Comments

  1. xpclient

    January 20, 2021 at 10:36 am

    The Dell Latitude 5510 and 5511 also have Thunderbolt but only 1 x2 (20 Gbps) and only in certain configurations (10300H or 10310U CPUs e.g.)

    HP ZBook Fury 15 G7 has 2 x4 (40 Gbps) Thunderbolt 3 ports.

  2. Jarvis

    March 27, 2022 at 7:52 am

    Is there an updated article on this? I am also looking for TB3/TB4 laptops.

    • Andrei Girbea

      March 28, 2022 at 11:26 am

      Not really. I'll have an update here in due time, but most 11th and 12th gen Intel laptops support Thunderbolt 4 these days

  3. Miguel

    August 23, 2022 at 3:00 pm

    Where can i find an updatet list for late 2022

    • Andrei Girbea

      August 24, 2022 at 7:21 am

      Most recent Intel laptop support THunderbolt 4, so there's no real reason for a follow-up update

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