Use these Thunderbolt 5 devices with Apple's new Macs

Thunderbolt 5 logo and Thunderbolt 5 devices - Image credit: Intel, Hyper, Kensington, OWC

Apple's new M4 Pro and M4 Max Mac models now have Thunderbolt 5 support. Here are what docks and accessories you can buy now to get the most out of the new high-speed connection.

Apple is well known for its use of Thunderbolt throughout its Mac line. The connection standard offers users high bandwidth file transfers, power to their devices, and a way to connect more hardware to their Mac using a dock.

With the introduction of Thunderbolt 5, it's become even better, and in multiple ways.

For a start, the 40Gb/s of bandwidth in Thunderbolt 4 has been upgraded. There's up to 80Gb/s of bi-directional bandwidth available in Thunderbolt 5, or up to 120Gb/s when used asynchronously.

Then there's display support, which builds on top of the single 8K screen or two 4K 60Hz screens of Thunderbolt 4. Now, Thunderbolt 5 can deal with multiple 8K screens, three 4K screens at 144Hz, or a screen up to 540Hz.

Power is also an essential element, and that too has seen improvement. Thunderbolt 4 could offer up to 100W of power delivery, but version 5 does up to 240W.

If you need faster speeds for large data transfers or the ability to attach more monitors to your Mac through one connection, Thunderbolt 5 is a great addition.

For owners of Thunderbolt 4 hardware, Thunderbolt 5 will be entirely fine working with their existing hardware. You will be able to hook a Thunderbolt 4 dock to a Thunderbolt 5 port, and it will work as intended.

However, doing so does limit the capability of Thunderbolt 5 itself, since it needs to downgrade to meet the standard of Thunderbolt 5. Backward-compatible hardware always devolves to meet the lowest-specification link in the chain, which ultimately hurts speeds.

Plugging a Thunderbolt 4 dock into a Thunderbolt 5 connection will result in Thunderbolt 4 speeds, simply because the dock won't support it.

If you don't need Thunderbolt 5 speeds, by all means use a Thunderbolt 4 dock with the connection. There are many already on the market, and AppleInsider has previously rounded up the best Thunderbolt 4 docks for you to consider.

Just be aware that you're leaving a lot of bandwidth on the table.

The OWC Envoy Ultra is an external SSD for your Mac that promises high transfer speeds. Thanks to the use of Thunderbolt 5, it can boast transfer speeds at over 6,000MB/s, while also providing backward compatibility.

The drive is bus-powered, with its own built-in Thunderbolt cable so you don't need to bring one with you. Its fanless aluminum enclosure can dissipate heat, making it silent, while also protecting the data from drops, dust, and rain.

The OWC Envoy Ultra is available for pre-order, starting at $399.99 for 2TB, and $599.99 for 4TB.

Despite the unwieldy name, the Kensington SD5000T5 EQ is a Thunderbolt 5 dock that will fit in well with your desk environment around your Mac. With 11 connections, it offers a wide number of ways to connect your Mac to other hardware.

The list includes one Thunderbolt 5 upstream port and three downstream ports, three USB-A 3.2 Gen2 10Gbps ports, a combo audio jack 2.5Gbps Ethernet, and dual SD and microSD card readers. It also supports up to three 4K monitors or two 8K screens.

Kensington sells the SD5000T5 EQ Thunderbolt 5 Triple 4K Docking Station for $399.99 from its own website. It's also on Amazon, priced at $383.66.

Shown at CES 2024 in preview, the HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 Dock offers a lot to consumers. For a start, its extensive connections list includes three downstream Thunderbolt 5 ports, 5Gbps Ethernet, audio, memory card slots, and USB-A ports.

More important is its storage, as it is capable of holding a PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD inside its enclosure. This means it can perform double duty as a dock and an external drive, without you needing two separate devices.

Hyper hasn't started selling the HyperDrive Next Thunderbolt 5 dock, but it does offer potential buyers to sign up to be notified about availability. The website's list price is $399.99.

Docks aren't the only things to be wary of for speeds. You also have to care about the cables too.

A cable that supports Thunderbolt 5 is needed between the port and the device to guarantee that you actually get Thunderbolt 5 speeds at all. A Thunderbolt 4 cable will limit the connection down to Thunderbolt 4 speeds, even though it may be connecting two Thunderbolt 5 ports together.

This is a similar effect to using a USB-C cable on a Thunderbolt 4 port. You could expect slower speeds than Thunderbolt 4 is actually capable of doing.

When you buy a Thunderbolt 5 device for your new Mac, make sure to buy a cable that works with it.

There are two good options to choose from at this early stage.

For a start, there's Apple's own cable. It's priced at $69 for a 1-meter-long braided black cable, which also supports 240W of power delivery.

Another good choice is from OWC, with its Thunderbolt 5 cables starting from $19.99 for 12 inches, rising to $27.99 for 31.5 inches, and $39.99 for 39.4 inches.

Based in South Wales, Malcolm Owen has written about tech since 2012, and previously wrote for Electronista and MacNN. In his downtime, he pursues photography, has an interest in magic tricks, and is bothered by his c...