Best Laptops with Thunderbolt 3 in 2024

The world is advancing rapidly especially in technology, and the advents taking place frequently have introduced a superset solution that allows you send and receive data from one device to another, while also allowing you to connect one device to multiple other displays with the help of a single connecter cable called Thunderbolt 3.

Considering the fast-paced world we live in today, there is no time to wait for data transmission which is usually quite time-consuming if done using other sources and most tech experts work with giant-sized data which needs technology like Thunderbolt 3 to make their work smoother and faster.

Most gamers and multi-media project builders have incorporated the use of Thunderbolt 3 in their tools as it offers numerous benefits including graphic-centric performance, high-speed network, enhanced disc performance and many more.

While most tech devices still come equipped with USB-C ports, tech experts are frantically moving towards using Thunderbolt 3 for the benefits it offers. There have been previous versions of Thunderbolt, however, the latest is the Thunderbolt 3 that has surpassed not only USB-C but its own previously offered features as well.

Cheapest Laptops with Thunderbolt 3 List

1. Apple MacBook Air

Apple is a brand that is known to most, it manufactures laptops, desktops, smartphones and more that are all equipped with Thunderbolt 3 ports. The MacBook air has a 13-inch true tone retina display with 8 GB RAM and options of either 256GB or 512 GB of SSD storage. It is great in terms or protection as it has a Touch ID and can only unlocked by the owner itself.

Moreover, it has the tenth generation Intel Core i3 processor which makes working super smooth, along with the Intel Iris Plus Graphics which supports Thunderbolt 3 enabled eGPUs. With up to 11 hours of battery life and two Thunderbolt 3 ports, you can work without being interrupted.

MacBook Air is incredibly thin, weighing approximately 2.8 pounds, and offers phenomenal features for those looking for a laptop that easy to carry and can fit in your bag without taking up too much space, and has an attractive appearance. With wireless connection options of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology, you can easily connect devices via internet and work remotely. In the box you get a 30W USB-C power adapter and USB-C charging cable of 2m.

2. Razer Blade Stealth 13

Whether you need a laptop for gaming or for work, Razer Blade Stealth 13 is a great choice with the NVIDIA GeForce 4GB VRAM graphics and 8^th Generation Quad-core i7 processor, along with 16GB of dual-channel memory. This laptop is specifically designed for mobility as it is ultra-thin and light with a durable aluminium frame and all-day-long battery life. It is featured with a 4K thin bezel touch display which gives exceptions visuals and has sRGB colour space that allows high-quality content creation.

Moreover, the Razer Blade Stealth 13 comes with a keyboard featuring single zone lighting with 16.8 million colour options and a high precision glass touchpad enhancing the look and feel. Apart from that, it has amazing connectivity as it is equipped with Thunderbolt 3, USB-C, USB-A, Windows Hello Infrared Camera, Wireless AC ports and dual array mics.

With its true uni-body design and a solid-state hard drive interface which has 0.01 RMP rotational speed, weighing approximately 3.09 pounds as a whole, Razer Blade Stealth 13 is the perfect combination of mobility, style and power that allows convenient working and playing. This laptop comes in two different styles, one being FHD 1080 p and the other is UHD 4K touch.

3. Lenovo ThinkPad T470

With a fast processing 8 GB DDR4 RAM and 256 GB SSD storage, Lenovo ThinkPad T470 allows you an extensive storage space. It features Intel Dual Core i5-6300U 2 40 GHz Processor and has a 14” non-touch LED backlight with a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T470 works with Windows 10 Professional which makes it an ideal choice for professionals working from home or for school going, students. The laptop dimensions are 9.15 x 13.25 x 0.79 which is the length, width, and height respectively and it weighs approximately 4.8 pounds.

Lenovo ThinkPad T470 allows you to perform effortless with its responsive and efficient 7^th Generation Intel Core processors, you can switch between multiple apps at a time. It has gone through 12 stringent military tests and over 200 quality checks which reflects its durability in terms of bumps and bruises.

With the two batteries and Power Bridge technology, this laptop offers amazing flexibility and up to 18 hours of power with a single charge. Apart from that, it is equipped with Thunderbolt 3 technology which speeds up your work by 40 GB per second, allowing you four times the data storage and double the video bandwidth, while also supplying power.

4. ASUS ZenBook 14

The ASUS ZenBook 14 is available in different style options and has a 14-inch display with 400nits full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 and is anti-glare with NanoEdge bezel. With the latest 10^th Generation Inter Core i7 processor that has the capacity of 8M cache of at up to 3.9 GHz and Intel Iris Plus graphics, making your visuals come to real life.

Along with that, it has fast storage and memory of up to 8 GB RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage. This laptop is ultra-light and super sleek, weighing approximately 2.49 pounds which ensures mobility as well as convenient portability.

With a built-in infrared camera this laptop allows facial recognition security sign with Windows Hello and has a keyboard that is backlit enhancing the user experience. Moreover, it provides extensive connectivity options which include HDMI 2.0B, USB 3.2 Type-A, Thunderbolt 3 using USB-C, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and a SD card reader as well.

In the box, you get a carry sleeve that protects your laptop, along with that you get USB-A and USB-C and audio jack dongles. It has undergone military tests and has passed as a military standard device in terms of reliability and durability.

5. Acer Spin 5

Acer Spin 5 comes in a variation of CPU capacities, and styles that give you the choice to choose whether you want just the notebook, notebook with mouse or notebook with backpack, due to which the price may vary.

As for the features, Acer Spin 5 comes installed with the 10^th Generation Intel Core i7 processor which has the capacity of up to 3.9 GHz and storage of 16 GB RAM with 512 GB of SSD. The display size is 13.5 inches with Acer VertiView offering 2K (2256 x 1504) resolution widescreen IPS LED-backlit touch, along with Intel Iris Plus graphics.

In terms of connectivity, the Spin 5 supports Intel wireless Wi-Fi and comes with 2 ports of USB 3.1 Type-C which also support USB 3.1 Generation 2 and DisplayPort. Along with that it is featured with Thunderbolt 3, USB charging, 2 USB 3.2 Generation 1 ports and 1 HDMI 2.0 port.

This laptop is synonymous to mobility and allows for you to work with enhanced performance with the help of Intel and Acer rechargeable active styles with WACOM AES 1.0. The dimension of this laptop is 11.81 x 9.25 x 0.59 inches defining the length, width, height respectively, and it weighs approximately 2.65 pounds.

6. LG Gram 14

LG’s Gram 14 is the latest 2024 edition which can be either be bough individually or with TONE Earbuds, the price may vary accordingly. As suggested by the name, it has a 14-inch FULL HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and LCD Touchscreen with corning Gorilla Glass 6 which ensures durability in case of bumps.

It operates with Windows 10 Home and is a 2-in-1 laptop that can be converted to a 14-inch tablet as well which can be used a stylus pen that comes with it. Gram 14 offers 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB x 2 of SSD storage. Moreover, it has the 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor which can massively improve work quality and performance.

With the latest Thunderbolt 3 technology featured in this laptop, you can easily send and receive data, and connect multiple display screens along with charging your devices. The dimensions of this laptop are 12.8 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches and weighs approximately 4.38 pounds. It is a battery powered laptop and works with 2 Lithium ion batteries which are included in the price of the laptop.  The average battery life of this laptop is 5 hours, apart from that, it has 2 USB 3.0 ports which allows you to connect and charge other devices using the Gram 14.

7. HP – Spectre x360

One of the most commonly known brands in the technological industry is HP, with its numerous models and versions of devices and accessories it has released over the years. Another one of its releases includes the HP – Spectre x360 which features a 15.6-inch diagonal 4K display with a resolution of 3840 x 2160, and has WLED-backlit multi-touch-enable edge-to-edge corning Gorilla glass that has up to 2 GB worth of dedicated graphics memory in the system. Along with that, it offers up to 16 GB of RAM which makes full-power tasking easy, and 512 GB of SSD storage plus 32 GB Intel Optane which saves files faster.

The HP – Spectre x360 is featured with the 10^th Generation Intel Core i7 which has 1.8 GHz base frequency and up to 4.9 GHz base with Intel Turbo Boost technology with a capacity of 8MB cache of 4 core processors. It operates on Windows 10 Home and has a Dark Ash Silver body with sandblasted anodized finish.

This laptop has a 360-degree flip-and-fold design and is equipped with various connectivity features like Intel Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, 2 USB 3.1 Generation, 2 USB-C with Thunderbolt 3 which offers 40 GB per second transmission of data.

8. Dell Vostro 15 7590

‘Yours is here’ is what Dell claims in terms of fulfilling all your technological requirements. With Dell’s Vostro 15, you can get a 15-inch FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The display is anti-glare and has a backlit, non-touch LED with a wide viewing angle that has a dedicated 4 GB memory for the video graphics.

This laptop operates on Windows 10 and offers various connectivity options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Webcam and Thunderbolt 3 which increases your work performance. Along with that, it offers different ports which include 3 USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 USB 3.1 Type-C with Thunderbolt, 1 HDMI 2.0B and 1 headphone plus microphone combined jack.

Dell Vostro has 6 processors of the 9^th Generation Intel Core i7 which operate on 2.60 GHz base frequency and up to 4.5 GHz of 12 MB Intel Smart Cache for all 6 processors and 12 threads. It has 256 GB worth of SSD storage space with a solid-state drive and 1 TB hard drive allowing extensive storage space for all kinds of work. The dimensions of this laptop are 14.1 x 9.41 x 0.71 inches, with an approximate weight of 4.07 pounds. This is a well configured product and allows smooth work performance without interruptions.

9. Razer Blade 15

Another model of Razer Blade is the latest 2024 edition Razer Blade 15 base gaming laptop that allows more power with the 10^th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, offering the ultimate level of performance with up to 5.0 GHz mac turbo for the 6 core processors.

With a full HD display screen of 15.6-inches that has a thin bezel, it is easy to edge out the win. This laptop is remarkably thin as it is just 0.78-inches in terms of width and has the CNC aluminium unibody frame which leaves as little footprint as possible.

With blazing fast graphics due to GeForce FTX 1660 Ti, Razer Blade 15 is easily the most popular system for gamers. It is a fully functional laptop which allows connectivity options likes Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3, USB Type-A and Type-C, along with HDMI which allows you to connect your system with various other display screens to enjoy the desktop-class experience.

The Razer Blade operates with 1 Lithium-ion battery which is included in the price and the dimensions of the laptop are 13.98 x 0.78 x 9.25 inches while the weight is approximately 3.84 pounds.

10. Samsung Galaxy Book Ion

With a screen display size choice of 13.3-inch or 15.6-inch, the Samsung Galaxy Book Ion is offers various features including the QLED display which allows streaming, browsing a unique experience with the visual detailed magic of the QLED showing 100% colour volume with enhance vibrance even in broad day light. Along with that, it is equipped with a Powerhouse Processor that diminishes any potential lag and give near-instantaneous startup with 512 GB of SSD storage of the 10^th Generation Intel Core i7 processor.

You can work without being interrupted with Samsung Galaxy Book Ion’s long-lasting battery which charges super-fast and lasts approximately 21 hours with a single charge. Moreover, this laptop offers an elevated experience with its slim design which allows you to elevate the keyboard if you tilt the screen, offering comfortability for typing and navigating.

It has various connectivity options including Wi-Fi 6 which is 3 times faster than previous generation Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt 3 ports and 2 USB 3.0 ports. With the built-in Windows 10 Home, you can get familiar features and easy accessibility, additionally, with the improved smart and secure features backed by Windows Hello you can save important documents without having to worry about anyone finding them.

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What is Thunderbolt 3?

Thunderbolt 3 has taken USB-C to a whole new level. In 2011, Intel introduced Thunderbolt when USB 3.0 was commonly used which was taken over by Thunderbolt due to its twice as fast performance. It can transfer multiple data files to external storage devices at 40 GB per second which is double of the previous generation USB 3.1 that worked at 10 GB per second. Moreover, it allows you to chain multiple display screen, like your hard drive to your monitor and computer.

Thunderbolt 3 is the most recent version of the Thunderbolt platform as is designed to use the same connector as the USB-C does. It is featured with a Display Port protocol which uses a single and allows you to connect multiple 4K displays at a time or an individual 5K display, with audio and video signal output, which is referred to as ‘daisy chain’. Additionally, it also allows you to easily charge up to 6 devices at a time, as it can send and receive 100 watts worth of power.

USB Type C vs Thunderbolt 3

USB Type C

An industry-standard connector that allows to easily transmit data through a single cable. The appearance of USB-C is similar to that of a micro-USB connector when you first look at it, however, originally it is oval in shape which makes it thick enough to be accommodating its greatest feature which flip ability. This connector has no set orientation as you can plug it either facing up or down and it will always be the right way. Moreover, both the ends of the connector are the same so you can plug it in either way.

Thunderbolt 3

While the Thunderbolt 3 is exactly the same as the USB-C in terms of plug-in and appearance and may offer various similar features as well. However, Thunderbolt 3 is much faster than USB-C and offers up to 40 GB per second for transferring data while the USB-C gives only 20 GB per second, which makes Thunderbolt 3 twice as fast. Apart from that, it can also help you import and export data from an external device while offering additional capabilities to connect to multiple monitors and docks.

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Buying Guide for Thunderbolt 3 Laptops

Connect to Multiple Displays

With what is referred to as Daisy Chain, you can connect up to 6 different monitors at one time using the Thunderbolt 3 cables. Not only will this allow your laptop to work on a high speed but also you can plug in to different peripherals by sending out a wire for each provided each device has two ports for in and out. Thunderbolt 3 transmits data at 40 GB per second through the Display Port and it can handle two 4K monitors running at 60 Hz, one 4K monitor at 120 Hz or one 5K monitor at 60 Hz. 

Increased Storage Space

Thunderbolt 3 transmits data at a speed of 40 GB per second and has storage systems available in various formats. The amount of storage and reliability solely depends on your needs, as with Thunderbolt 3 you can use disk drives that are significantly cheaper and create a secure data storage pool. If your storage needs are higher than usual, Thunderbolt 3 can prove to be an amazing source of storage while improving your disc performance whether it is for editing, producing, or saving media projects or heavy-duty games.

Enhanced Networking Performance

Ethernet is fully supported by Thunderbolt’s networking protocols which means you can use Thunderbolt to Ethernet cable and connect up to 10 GB per second network along with connecting two computers at 10 GP per second with the peer to peer network. This 10 times more the speed a normal ethernet network could provide and allows you to transfer giant files from one device to another in a matter of seconds with the high transfer rates.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to connect laptop to monitor with thunderbolt 3?

All you need is the right adapter cable and monitor screens to connect your laptop to a monitor using Thunderbolt 3 as at a time it can support either two 4K displays while providing audio and video or an individual 5K display.

Do cheap Thunderbolt 3 laptops support eGPUs?

Yes, indeed. Most of the new Thunberbolt 3 laptops can easily connect to eGPUs through the Thunderbolt 3 ports, although it is practically a waste as eGPUs are relatively expensive and may not perform to their full potential.

Do I really need Thunderbolt 3?

If you are looking for the fastest port out there to help you connect multiple high-resolution screens outputting audio and video signal, attaching a graphics card and transferring huge files then you most definitely need Thunderbolt 3 as it gives up to 40 GB per second.

Can you charge a laptop with Thunderbolt 3?

As Thunderbolt 3 can send and receive up to 100 watts of power, charging laptops is super convenient. At a time, you can chain up six different devices and charge them together, with Thunderbolt 3’s USB power that is up to the delivery standard.

Can I get excellent graphics-centric performances by connecting an external GPU using Thunderbolt 3 port?

With the 40 GB per second transmission, you can easily connect Thunderbolt 3 to your external GPU and convert your ordinary device to a gaming station. With Thunderbolt 3 your bandwidth will be twice as better as without it, especially in terms of graphics.

How to identify a Thunderbolt 3 port on a laptop?

The easiest way to identify whether your laptop has a Thunderbolt 3 port or not is to check the setup options which should clearly mention “Thunderbolt”, if it is not there then the laptop does not have a Thunderbolt port. You can also check the laptop manual which should tell you the port that is installed on the laptop.

Does a USB 3.1 Gen 2 qualify as a Thunderbolt 3 port?

While the USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Thunderbolt 3 use the same USB-C port, often get people confused by the exact same looking cable plugs as well. However, they have different transmission protocols. Thunderbolt 3 is much faster in bandwidth transmission as it gives a 40 GB per second as compared to USB 3.1 Gen 2 which gives 10 GB per second.

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Conclusion

While all the laptops mentioned have their own respective features that offer a unique experience in one way or the other, one feature that remains common between all the devices is the installation of Thunderbolt 3 technology which allows you to have an experience that is further enhanced in terms of what is being offered.

Most companies have been late to the party, however, the latest editions of most brands are featured with Thunderbolt 3 as it is considered as a feature that brings not only instant speed in transmitting data, but also enables you to connect your laptop with bigger display screens to offer you a desktop experience, along with increasing your graphic rate to get the true colour experience.

If you had to choose one laptop of the 10 discussed above, it is recommended to determine your requirements prior to choosing in order for you to get the best of advantages in your designated field of world.