Thunderbolt is a technology designed to move large amounts of data quickly and safely between two compatible devices, such as a laptop and a monitor (to provide high-definition visuals to the monitor), or a camera and a laptop (to download large photo files from the camera).

Thunderbolt 3 technology uses a USB-C port to connect devices together. The USB-C port is able to handle the large amounts of information pushed through by Thunderbolt at high speeds, without distortion. The use of a single port type – USB-C – makes it easier to connect audio, video, USB and storage devices through a single cable for a versatile, convenient solution.

Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C look the same because they share the same port, but they are not the same. USB-C refers only to the shape of connectors and cables, while Thunderbolt 3 is the technology that runs through the connectors and cables. While all Thunderbolt 3 devices use the USB Type-C port, not all Type-C ports contain Thunderbolt 3 technology. This means that some USB-C ports may not support the features and capabilities of Thunderbolt 3.

A Thunderbolt cable has a reversible connector offering high-speed data transfer. It is highly versatile and capable of supporting high-resolution displays, power, audio and video with just a single cable.

You can connect a DisplayPort device, such as a monitor, to a Thunderbolt laptop through an adapter or docking station.

A Thunderbolt 3 dock is an extension to your laptop through a single cable, and can support multiple peripherals all at the same time, to deliver high-speed data transfers for video, audio, and storage devices.

Thunderbolt 3 is the fastest port on the market today. It supports high transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps and can receive data 8x faster, doubling the bandwidth of the previous standard Thunderbolt 2 at 20Gbps.

Thunderbolt Bridge is a network adapter that enables high-speed file transfers and sharing between two Mac computers using a Thunderbolt cable. Thunderbolt provides more bandwidth with faster transferring speeds for large files and data.

The Thunderbolt port uses the USB-C connector to connect a wide variety of peripheral devices to your computer. A single port can used to deliver power, video signals, and transfer data. Its versatility to connect to docks, UHD 4K and 5K displays, as well as storage devices among other connections, makes it a “USB-C that does it all.”