That said, the speed remains consistent on Active cables, and you will get max bandwidth when connected to docks or eGPUs. For starters, active cables are expensive than their passive counterparts and are not backward compatible with USB 3.0 & USB 3.1 devices. And unlike the other one, it’s an active Thunderbolt 3 cable. Like its counterpart above, this is available in a length of 2 meters. The good news is that the company makes quality Thunderbolt 3 cables also. If you have a Thunderbolt 3 docking station for your laptop, you must have already heard about the highly popular CalDigit TS3 Plus.

Length: 2.6ft passive cable, 6.5ft active cable Also, it delivers up to 100W of power, which is more than enough to charge your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

That said, you will get consistent transfer speeds. However, at around $129, this is not one of the cheapest cables out there, and there are quite a few compatible cables at the same price point. While connected to a Thunderbolt 3 port, you’ll get theoretical speeds up to 40 Gbps and around 10 Gbps when connected to a standard USB-C port.Īs per Apple, it’s compatible with DisplayPort and USB 3.1, meaning you can connect your Mac to a laptop dock. So yeah, be it data transfers or connecting to an external display, this one does them all without breaking a sweat. More importantly, this cable works as advertised. The braided exterior adds to the durability of the product and at the same time prevents the cable from splitting and fraying, something that is common with Apple’s cables. Yes, unlike most other cables that Apple gets the flak for, this is a braided cable, and the strain relief is long enough for you to position your fingers properly over them.

If you want to play it safe, you can check Apple’s official Thunderbolt 3 Pro cable.

Macbook air usb c cable