Thunderbolt vs USB-C Which cable do you actually need?

USB-C is the connector shape. A small, flat oval plug. Thunderbolt is a technology standard that happens to use the USB-C shape. All Thunderbolt devices have USB-C connectors, but not all USB-C devices are Thunderbolt.

This confusion happens because Thunderbolt adopted the USB-C connector shape starting in 2016. Thunderbolt 3 and later use USB-C connectors, making them look identical. USB-C devices transfer data at moderate speeds (5-40 Gbps). Thunderbolt devices transfer data at high speeds (40 Gbps).