The USB and thunderbolt standards were fully separate in the past leading to confusion & ultimately frustration over cables, plugs, and ports. Thankfully, with the occurrence of Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C technology, these 2 are largely interchangeable nowadays. While some key differences are there between USB-C and Thunderbolt, mostly there is good news on the front.
Now, USB-C cables are compatible with ports of Thunderbolt & ports of USB-C are compatible with the cables of Thunderbolt. It makes it way easier than ever for users of computers for using the best cable that is available for them. Either standard seems to be in many instances. However, it is very important to get the differences between USB-C and Thunderbolt. So that the users can take the right decision of purchasing for their needs of them.
What is USB-C?
The most modern type of USB standard is called USB-C. Unlike the earlier types of USB, such as USB-A, this is oval in shape & is easy to connect.
The ports and cables of USB-C are small enough for working with smaller devices like smartphones. The users can find them practically on everything from Samsung galaxy smartphones to a Nintendo switch. The connector itself looks symmetrical, too. Unlike the other types of USB, the users will not need to worry about how they are plugging it in.
What is a thunderbolt?
This is a new technology that was launched in the year 2011 with the help of development collaboration. It was between Apple and Intel. Initially, Thunderbolt could only be seen as compatible with the MacBook Pro Apple. But the technology was universalized by Thunderbolt 3 & made compatible with USB-C.
Expense
Thunderbolt is Intel’s proprietary technology & it happens to be a bit more expensive as compared to USB-C. Naturally, the devices that are equipped with the ports of Thunderbolt are also more expensive. On the other hand, the ports of USB-C allow cables of thunderbolt for connecting in all instances.
What happens if you plug Thunderbolt into USB-C?
The users can easily use cables of thunderbolt with ports of USB-C. However, not each windows PC with ports of USB-C will support the cables of thunderbolt 3. For confirming if you have a port thunderbolt on your PC of yours or not, you will need to look for the lightning symbol that is a trademark of thunderbolt situated near or next to the port.
If the users are looking forward to buying a new model of PC, they need to check if the device is equipped with a thunderbolt port. Reputed brands include Thunderbolt ports in their desktop PCs or laptops nowadays.
When choosing for anyone between USB-C and Thunderbolt, users should go for the one that is the most compatible when it is to connecting storage devices and accessories and charging them.