We spoke about the 1.8- and 3-meter Apple Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable versions more than a year ago. This time, we received the 1m version, which is the newest and least expensive in the series. So, are there any variations in the construction quality? Let's explore.
The packaging box continues Apple's classic design. The sticker on the side shows it's compatible with USB-C Thunderbolt 3 devices. Tear off the ceiling strip. Except for those documents, the cable is fixed by cardboard.
Just like the other two cables, it's pretty thick and adopts a black braided design. The Thunderbolt logo connector is shorter than the 1.8m and 3m versions. The model A2804 and serial number are on the other side. This time, it adopts a 4-pin design.
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And the length is exactly 1 meter. The diameter is 5.24mm, which is relatively thicker compared to standard cables. And the weight is 54.8g.
Table of Contents
Test
Next, let's try to test the voltage drop value. It's an important factor in measuring the quality of the cable.
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From the chart, we can see that the voltage drop falls into three categories, 0.12, 0.36, and 0.61, which are similar to that of the Apple 240W cable. The ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C shows it can support 20V 5A 100W and 40Gbps. Let's see if it's true.
Used to charge the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2, the power is about 90W. And when charging Anker a 140W power bank, the power cannot exceed 100W. When it comes to data transfer speed, the read and write speeds can reach more than 2000MBps on a Mac. And it can even reach more than 3000MBps on a Windows laptop.
USB-C Connector
After simply reviewing this cable, let's take a closer look at its internal wires and components. It also has a steel steve to protect internal components, which is fixed by solder joints.
Continuing to remove the steel steve, the coaxial wires are on both sides. Enter the E-marker chip and four parallel wires for positive power supply are in the middle.
Flip to the back, coaxial wires, and CC wires are on the back. As for the other connector, the internal design and components are the same. But in terms of the number of chips and components, it falls far short of the 1.8m and 3m.
Taking the 1.8m version as an example, the larger chip in the middle is the ReTimer. The eMarker and other chips are on the back. The eMarker chip is from Infineon.
It integrates a 48MHz Cortex-M0 processor, 32KB flash memory, and 4KB SRAM. It also supports working voltage from 2.7 to 5.5V. Next, let's remove the metal shell of the USB-C connector. Those pins are gold-plated.
Cable
Next, let's cut off the cable. This is the cross-section of the cable. The coaxial wires are thicker, and positive wires are in the middle. Inside the braided layer, there is a layer of black TPE. And there is a layer of shorting net hindrance.
A layer of aluminum foil wraps all wires inside. The shorting net can be used as the negative wires. The four red wires for the positive power supply are made of tin copper. and there are no tensile fibers. The red, orange, green, and blue wires adopt the same coaxial design.
The first layer is a plastic insulating layer, and the copper foil is under it. Most internal wires are plated with silver, and wrapped with pure copper shielding plated with silver.
Those two red wires are used for USB 2.0 data transmission. And then, the blue wire is CC wire, the yellow one is V-con wire, And the black one is SBU wire. These are the tensile fibers inside.
Conclusion
Well, that would be all the wires and components of this cable. Overall, two layers of shorting nets and a very thick black TB make its quality excellent.
However, as a passive cable, it lacks a series of components inside, including the read timer, which is one of the reasons for its lower price. So it's more suitable for users with shorter length requirements and limited budget.
