In 2020, leaked documents revealed that Microsoft believed that Thunderbolt 3 was not secure. Both devices have Intel’s latest processors, but Microsoft opts to exclude the Thunderbolt part on the motherboard.Īccording to Microsoft, the lack of support for Thunderbolt has to do with device security. That’s the newer Thunderbolt standard, which can bring performance boosts and other advantages. Yet, if you head over to Lenovo, and opt to buy Lenovo’s ThinkPad X12 Detachable, you’ll get Thunderbolt 4 included.

If you look at the market right now, Microsoft’s $1,000 midrange Surface Pro 7+ doesn’t have the port. For multimedia, you can output to two 4K monitors at 60Hz (or an 8K display.) When it comes to mobile productivity, you can use Thunderbolt on your computer to charge smartphones with USB-C at up to 100 watts of power.Īccording to Microsoft, the lack of support for Thunderbolt has to do with security. Thunderbolt lets you transmit data at a rate of up to 40GBps for faster transfers to USB drives and external SSDs. It’s likely not a deal-breaker for some, but it means expensive, professional devices with slower port speeds, more limited docking, and the inability to power accessories like external graphics. That means that despite selling “Pro” tablets like the Surface Pro 7+ and the Surface Pro X, Microsoft’s $1,000-plus devices don’t support Thunderbolt technology. Yet, Microsoft has always opted for standard USB-C over Thunderbolt on all of its devices. Even this year’s iPad Pro has Thunderbolt. You’ll know you have a Thunderbolt device when the laptop or tablet’s port has a lighting bolt next to it.

These days, Thunderbolt ports look a lot like USB-C ports. Ever since Thunderbolt hit the scene and became more mainstream on PCs, Microsoft has been very reluctant to adopt it. To understand why this is so exciting, let’s take a step back. Microsoft just teased its next big Windows 11 updateĪ long-standing problem for Microsoft Riley Young / Digital Trends Yes, you can use both Mac and Windows - here are some tips to get started

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio 2 might get a massive performance boost

Surface thunderbolt 4