Is it possible for a right-angle Thunderbolt 3 to be manufactured?

Thunderbolt
1

I see lots of right-angle USB C and one or two charge-only TB3 cables, but nothing for TB3 data. Is it a physical limitation? Or simply a supply and demand issue?

I figured people here might know the answer.

2

Hello Collin,

Thank you for reaching out to Plugable support!
To answer your question, Thunderbolt 3 is very picky about cables. Currently, Thunderbolt 3 has a maximum bandwidth of 40Gbp, so extension cables and right-angle variants could easily break things. One main thing to note with Thunderbolt 3 is there there is smart circuitry built in the cable, which is important for aspects such as charging communication. A right-angle Thunderbolt 3 connector end would need to address this technical component, and even if it was possible to get things “working,” it would then need to pass strict Intel Thunderbolt 3 certification. I don’t believe a right-angle Thunderbolt 3 cable exists, which is also Thunderbolt 3 certified. So, that’s to say this is probably both a physical and R&D cost limitation.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out!

Thanks,

3

Thanks! I kind of figured that was the case. It sounds like there isn’t a known limitation that would prevent such cables being developed in the future, other than potential market. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. I can’t be the only person who’s laptop TB3 port is exactly in the way of where I’d like to put my monitor for maximized screen continuity. Not all manufacturers have adopted Apple’s 2 ports on each side design, and instead only offer a single TB3 connection.

1 Like
4

Hello Colin,

You’re welcome! If you have any other questions, just let us know.

Thanks,

Omar D
Plugable