The price of a cable can sometimes confuse us. But as with many things, there is often a reason for it. Take Apple’s Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable for example: why is it so expensive?
Source: Lumiafeld
We’ve all been surprised at the price of a simple cable. However, not all cables are the same. Take the example of Apple’s Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable, which sells for 150 euros (discount on Amazon France). At first glance it’s just another cable, but there’s much more behind the high price.
What makes it so special?
The Apple cable is not just a “piece of wire”. In addition to supporting Thunderbolt 3, 4 and USB 4 data transfers at up to 40Gbps, it is also designed to charge devices at up to 100W.
Source: Lumiafeld
To understand the cable’s secrets, it was run through Lumiafiel’s Neptune industrial X-ray scanner (the full 3D scan is worth it). This exploration revealed a complex and carefully considered internal architecture. Behind the slim design that we all know from Apple’s cable lies a complex architecture. At each end of the cable lies a mixture of stainless steel under a delicate layer of plastic. This composition is not only aesthetic: it offers unrivaled strength, especially at the junction between connector and cable, where the reinforced steel prevents any risk of damage.
Source: Lumiafeld
Behind the slim design that we all know from Apple’s cable lies a complex and sophisticated architecture. Each end of the cable is visible. Inside the cable there are no less than 20 wires next to each other, half of which are individually shielded, ensuring trouble-free data transmission. And when we push the analysis further, we discover that the connector itself is a masterpiece: a hard plastic housing protects a metal shield connected to the housing, all made of stainless steel. The cable is protected where it exits the connector by a one-piece strain relief that is crimped in eight directions to ensure long assembly life.
But the real treasure lies even deeper. The Thunderbolt connector has 24 pins, each mounted on a 10-layer PCBA. This complexity allows the cable to achieve phenomenal data transfer speeds. The use of blind and buried vias as well as the precise control of the conductor track length to ensure optimal data transmission demonstrate professional competence and technical know-how. Jon Bruner didn’t hesitate to call the Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable a “work of art,” emphasizing the complexity and intricacy of its design.
Source: Lumiafeld
How do cheaper competing cables compare to this cable? The Amazon Basics cable, for example, is simpler. Although it has a metal jacket, its strain relief is less robust and the connector itself only has 12 pins. The NiceTQ USB-C cable, on the other hand, has an even more rudimentary design. Without a sturdy metal shield and a plastic floating connector, it doesn’t seem capable of delivering on its promises of 10Gbps speeds. This manufacturer claims the cable transfers data at up to 10Gbps – a speed equivalent to USB 3.1 Gen 2 – but it only has enough pins and wires to support USB 2.0 at up to 480Mbps to support.
The wires are connected directly to the PCBA-free pins in the NiceTQ cable // Source: Lumiafiel
As you can see, there’s a lot of technology packed into Apple’s Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable. The test carried out with Lumiafiel’s Neptune scanner showed how every detail is designed for performance and durability. While the price is high, it seems justified given the expertise and technology involved. In short, a golden rule: To benefit from the best performance and durability, don’t go for the first product that comes onto the market.
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