Alongside the launch of the Mac Studio and Studio Display, Apple is now selling a pro-branded Thunderbolt 4 cable. The Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable retails for $129.00 and is nearly six feet long to help accommodate the placement of your Studio Display and Mac Studio.
The Mac Studio doesn’t ship with a Thunderbolt cable in the box, but the Studio Display does. Apple includes a 1-meter cable with its new $1599 5K display, which is significantly shorter than the sold-separately cable option.
In addition, Apple has an upcoming Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable that’s nearly 10 feet long. That cable, which is marked as coming soon, will retail for $159.00.
Apple’s new pro-oriented Thunderbolt 4 cables feature a high-quality braided design that prevents tangling when coiling. The cable supports Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB 4 data transfers up to 40Gb/s, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 transfers up to 10 Gb/s.
Like previous Thunderbolt 3 cables, the new pro cables support DisplayPort video with High Bit Rate 3 (HBR3) video output, along with power delivery up to 100W.
Here’s a look at Apple’s highlights for the Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable:
- Transfer data at up to 40Gb/s
- USB 3.1 Gen 2 data transfer at up to 10Gb/s
- DisplayPort video output (HBR3)
- Connect to Thunderbolt (USB-C) and USB devices and displays
- Up to 100 watts of power delivery
- Braided design that coils without tangling
- Thunderbolt logo helps it stand out from other cables
- Daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt 3 devices
If you already have existing high-quality Thunderbolt 3 cables, like the one included with Apple’s Pro Display XDR, there should be nothing preventing you from using those to connect to the Mac Studio and Studio Display. Apple’s new cables feature a similar high-quality braided design and high-quality connectors that could differentiate it from your existing cables. Apple still sells a standalone Thunderbolt 3 cable, although it’s significantly shorter in length and comes in a standard white, non-braided design.
A much longer 3 meter cable in the works
More interestingly, Apple is offering a super-long 3-meter option, which will be very ideal for setups that benefit from longer cable runs. I definitely plan on picking up the 3-meter cable once it becomes available.
In addition to the new Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable, Apple also has new Magic accessories. There are silver and black standalone options for the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad to celebrate the release of new Mac hardware.
What do you think about the new Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable? Sound off down below with your thoughts.
