Thunderbolt 3 lets you transfer data at up to 40Gbps.In many cases, they can do everything that a USB-C port can, except much faster. Thunderbolt 3 ports look exactly the same as USB-C ports, and indeed, the connector is physically the same from a plug-in perspective. This means that some USB-C ports may not support the features and capabilities of Thunderbolt 3. While all Thunderbolt 3 devices use the USB Type-C port, not all Type-C ports contain Thunderbolt 3 technology. Thunderbolt 3 is the technology that runs through the connectors and cables.USB-C refers to the shape of connectors and cables.Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C look the same because they share the same port, but they are not the same. It connects Thunderbolt devices, all HD and 4K displays, and billions of USB-C devices using one compact, reversible cable. Or, downloading video or photo files from a camera to your laptop.For instance, a laptop expanding high-def video to a display or monitor.To put it bluntly, it’s designed to move large amounts of data quickly and safely between two compatible devices. Thunderbolt, developed by Intel, steps up USB port technology by supporting both high‐speed data and video. If you’re looking for more information about USB-C, you can learn more about it in our blog here. So, if you’ve ever found yourself wondering “if Thunderbolt 3 is the same thing as USB-C” or “what do you use Thunderbolt 4 for”, that’s what we’re here to answer. But, over the last several years, there’s an emerging champion for all things data, video and power transfer, and that’s Thunderbolt technology.īut, we’ve heard a lot of questions around Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4. In the universe of connectivity solutions, the past was dominated by numerous variations of a little plug called USB-C.