What is the difference between USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 4, a dock that adds terminals with a single cable?

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What is the difference between USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 4 docks?

　A dock that can add various terminals with a single cable is convenient when using a mobile laptop with a small number of terminals at home or in the office. Since the spread of USB Type-C, it has become possible to charge a laptop computer via a dock, making it even more convenient to use. The dock has USB connection and Thunderbolt 3/4 connection products. There are many models that seem to have similar performance, but the price difference is more than double, and some people may be wondering. Therefore, we compared both types of Anchor Japan products (Figure 1, Figure 2).

Thunderbolt 4 compatible multi-function dock Figure 1 A dock equipped with various functions such as a USB hub, video output, card reader, and laptop charging. Compatible with Thunderbolt 4 daisy chains [Click image to enlarge] USB Type-C dock that can also charge laptops Fig. 2 In terms of functions such as video output and USB PD charging, it is not the same as Thunderbolt 4 compatible models Multifunctional dock. It is also possible to quickly charge smartphones [Click image to enlarge]

　Although the Thunderbolt 4 model has a slightly larger number of terminals, the functionality is not significantly different. However, when comparing the maximum values ​​of each terminal, it can be seen that there is a considerable difference (Fig. 3). The big difference is the video output function. Thunderbolt is required to simultaneously output two devices with 4K resolution and 60Hz refresh rate (Fig.4). Thunderbolt 3/4 connection is more advantageous for heavy users.

There is a difference in the upper limit of the specifications Figure 3 Focusing on the number of functions, the specifications of both models are similar, but if you look closely, there are differences in the speed of the USB terminal and the power of the USB PD. In particular, be careful when using a 4K LCD [Click image to enlarge] Be careful when using a high-resolution LCD Figure 4 Both models can connect two LCDs (left). However, in the case of USB connection, the signal line is shared with USB, so the bandwidth that can be used for video is reduced. DisplayPort 1.4 can originally connect two 4K/60Hz liquid crystal displays, but it is necessary to lower the resolution and refresh rate when going through the dock (right) *[Click image to enlarge] *Inspiron 13 5310 (Core i7- 11370H equipped model) tested with Thunderbolt 4 terminal. When the USB Type-C model is connected to Dell's 4K liquid crystal displays "S2721Q" and "P2721Q" at the same time, the resolution of the display connected via HDMI becomes 2560 x 1440 dots. The black part of the screen is an area that is not displayed