Thunderbolt has been a widely used connectivity standard for laptops for over a decade, offering high bandwidth, power delivery, and support for external devices like monitors, storage drives, and GPUs. The latest generation, Thunderbolt 5, has started appearing in laptops launched in 2025. It boasts double the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4, supports new display standards, and enables advanced external graphics and docking setups. However, adoption is still in the early stages, with only a limited number of high-end laptops featuring Thunderbolt 5.
I previously reviewed the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station, but without a laptop or PC with Thunderbolt 5 capabilities, I couldn’t fully utilize it. This prompted me to explore the available options.
Thunderbolt 5 offers impressive numbers, with a maximum raw bandwidth of up to 80Gbps and up to 120Gbps in one-way “Bandwidth Boost” mode. This is a significant improvement over Thunderbolt 4 and generic USB4 40Gbps implementations.
Some key technical changes with Thunderbolt 5 include:
– Bandwidth: Thunderbolt 5 doubles the sustained bandwidth to 80Gbps, with the ability to drive 120Gbps in one direction for displays.
– Display Support: Thunderbolt 5 can handle up to two 6K displays at 120Hz or an 8K display at 60Hz.
– PCIe Lanes: The new standard boosts PCIe bandwidth for high-performance storage and external GPU use.
– Power Delivery: Official support for up to 240W, allowing a single cable to power large laptops or peripherals.
The slow rollout of Thunderbolt 5 is attributed to cost, chipset complexity, and demand. Implementing Thunderbolt 5 in laptops requires a separate controller and additional power and signal lines, making it more common in premium machines. Mid-range laptops typically stick with Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 due to sufficient bandwidth for regular users.
While Thunderbolt 5 laptops are still limited, several models are available with varying features and price points. Brands like Apple, Acer, Alienware, Asus, Dell, Gigabyte, Lenovo, Maingear, and MSI offer laptops with Thunderbolt 5 support, catering to different user needs such as gaming, content creation, and productivity.
In real-world scenarios, Thunderbolt 5 benefits content creators, gamers, office users, and mobile workstations by providing increased bandwidth for high-speed data transfer, multiple display support, and power delivery. Each user group experiences distinct advantages based on their requirements and usage patterns.
