# Article: Practical Advantages of Thunderbolt 4

**URL:** <https://community.startech.com/t/article-practical-advantages-of-thunderbolt-4/825>\
**Category:** Docks, Hubs, Display Adapters\
**Created:** [January 21, 2022, 1:38pm UTC](https://community.startech.com/t/article-practical-advantages-of-thunderbolt-4/825 "2022-01-21T13:38:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![malcolm](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/community.startech.com/malcolm/32/17_2.png) [@malcolm](https://community.startech.com/u/malcolm)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 1:38pm UTC](https://community.startech.com/t/article-practical-advantages-of-thunderbolt-4/825/1 "2022-01-21T13:38:18Z")

</div>

Thunderbolt 4 technology was first announced in January 2020, and the market has seen an increasing stream of new Thunderbolt 4-enabled devices. New technology can be exciting, but it’s not always clear how new features will provide a practical advantage in your specific environment. Here are three unique features of Thunderbolt 4 you may want to consider when deciding on new technology purchases for your home office or office.

**Dual External Displays**

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/uploads/startester/original/1X/d4060391e0faba00d90a9b7e43443cd1b1f96647.png)

When equipped with Thunderbolt 4, your laptop is guaranteed to support a minimum of two external 4K displays when using a Thunderbolt docking station. This was not always the case in the past where some Thunderbolt 3 Hosts required a dock with alternative technologies like DisplayLink or MST (multi-stream-transport) to achieve dual external displays. When peak productivity matters most, pair a Thunderbolt 4 laptop with a Thunderbolt 4 docking station and rest easy knowing your setup will work as expected with dual external 4K displays.

**Hub Ports**

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/uploads/startester/original/1X/778af0f214c31ce50af5317eab41dd37c3d3ed86.jpeg)

Do you have multiple Thunderbolt devices you need to connect at the same time? Thunderbolt 4 now supports accessories with up to three additional Thunderbolt 4 ports, enabling multiple devices to be connected to a single dock or hub. Previously, devices needed to be daisy-chained 1:1 and not all Thunderbolt 3 devices included a second port for this purpose. This added flexibility is ideal when a user has multiple high-performance Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 devices that need to be connected to a single host computer.

**Universal Cables**

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/uploads/startester/original/1X/f4de8f4983ef87b7833e077fa0a5d25c58e365e1.png)

Gone is the day of wondering what cable is needed to support the full functionality of your Thunderbolt peripheral. Thunderbolt 4 introduces universal 40Gbps Thunderbolt cables with support for 100W Power Delivery and USB-C displays, with lengths up to 2M. Look for the Thunderbolt 4 symbol on cables to ensure broad compatibility with Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4, and USB-C.

[StarTech.com](http://StarTech.com) is actively developing Thunderbolt 4 connectivity accessories like the [TB4CDOCK](https://www.startech.com/tb4cdock)to help you take advantage of these features and more, enhancing productivity and workstation flexibility.