The pictures were published by Lumafield, a company that produces tomographs. Photos were taken using a professional X-ray scanner Neptune industrial X-ray CT.

Why is it so expensive?

The Apple Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) Pro cable is a universal connector that covers a wide range of data transmission and charging needs. It supports data transfer at speeds of up to 40 gigabits per second over Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 interfaces. It also has a DisplayPort (HBR3) video output and can charge devices up to 100 watts, easily exceeding most data and power requirements.

This cable is sold in the USA. $129and judging by the design, such a high price is fully justified.

• The case in which the connector is placed is made of plastic, but the inside is protected by steel (glued to the connector case) to prevent exposure of electronic components.
• 24 contacts operating in parallel from a Type-C connector soldered to a 10-layer logic board, all playing a role in the operation of the cable.
• There is also a one-piece voltage stabilizer that is bent in eight different directions, protecting the entire base of the assembly.

X-ray image of Apple cable / Lumafield photo

The cable includes three types of cables, each with its own purpose. For example, shielded cables are responsible for high-speed data transfer, and unshielded cables are responsible for power and data exchange according to the low-speed USB 2.0 standard. At the output of the case, the wires are bent in various directions, and the logic board is protected from voltage surges by a fuse.

Shielded and unshielded wires inside a Thunderbolt cable / Photo: Lumafield

This is far from the only advantage of this cable. The company also pointed out the various fuses and other small details that make the Thunderbolt “maximum performance at almost every point.” Lumafield employees were amazed by what they saw and described the cable as a stunning example of precision engineering.

Stainless steel housing and strain relief on Thunderbolt connector head / Lumafield photo

The authors compared Apple’s cable with cheap analogues:

• Cable Amazon Basics USB-C It costs ten times less, and its design is much simpler: just 12 pins crossing each other, a grounded shield inside the case, and a small microcircuit to control power and data transfer.
• Cable NiceTQ USB-C $5.5 turned out to be even more primitive. It has no protection or grounding, the case is held by the wire with the help of a rubber gasket. The Type-C connector has eight contacts, but only four of them connect to the cable, there is no backup connection in case the cables break. There is no logic board, which means the cable directly connects two devices without providing full protection against overload.