I’m sure you have seen the name of thunderbolt 3 in the specs sheet of every high-end laptop. The reason is that no reputable company wants to exclude thunderbolt 3 from its laptop. So why does this port has so much hype?
According to PC Mag, Thunderbolt 3 allows you transfer data at up to 40Gbps.
Let’s have a look at some of the best laptops with thunderbolt 3, we have listed all the reviews, specification and pros and cons.
Table of Contents
Which are the best laptops with thunderbolt 3?
1. Dell XPS 15
2. Apple MacBook Pro
3. Lenovo ThinkPad T480
4. LG Gram
5. Acer Predator Triton 500
6. HP Spectre x360 15t
7. Razer Blade Stealth 13 Ultrabook
8. Acer Swift 3
9. HP Omen 17
10. Apple MacBook Air
This post may contain affiliate links so I earn a commission. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Display Size: 15.6″
Processor: 4.5-GHz Intel Core i7-9750H
RAM: 16GB
Graphics: Intel UHD 630 GPU
You all thought that the 2018 XPS model could not get any better but the 2019 Dell XPS 15 proved you wrong.
Design and Display
The wait is over. We finally have an OLED display in Dell XPS 15. It is an OLED wonder. XPS has a 15.6-inch display with 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. It carries vibrant colors with rich contrast, making it stand out from other 15-inch models.
Talking about the design, the aluminum and carbon fiber body makes XPS 15 a tech favorite. The carbon-fiber keyboard deck, and large trackpad further augments XPS 15 sleek design. Also, it has a circular power button which also acts as a fingerprint reader.
Performance
The XPS combined with lightning-fast 9th Gen Core i7 processor and a distinct Nvidia GTX 1650 GPU, makes this laptop a powerhouse.
In addition, XPS 15 can be configured up to an astounding 64GB of RAM. So no need to fret about storage hitch. Dell XPS 15 has been equipped with user-upgradable storage range from 256GB up to 2TB which is amazing.
Other Features
Therefore, giving an overview of ports and slots, you’ll find an SD card reader, a battery indicator button, and a USB 3.1 Type-A port on the right-hand side.
The left side is installed with, a Thunderbolt 3 port, HDMI 2.0, another USB 3.1 Type-A port, a headset jack, and a power plugin. Unquestionable is the fact that Dell has loaded XPS 15 with enough slots and ports to make the ultimate one.
Even with such power and exquisite design, Dell XPS 15 has its drawbacks. Dell XPS 15’s battery time is just over 8 hours. That’s a bummer if you were expecting a long-lasting battery life on this laptop.
Read More: Best Laptops Under $600
Display Size: 15″
Processor: 2.4GHz 8-core Intel Core i9
RAM: 8GB
Graphics: Intel UHD 630
If you are fascinated by the Apple ecosystem and looking for an Apple laptop that suits you the best, we surely have what you are looking for.
Design and Display
Moreover, the new MacBook’s Retina show stays amazing looking with a 2,880 x 1,800 resolution. It highlights DCI-P3 color space which gives much more lively hues than sRGB which is the best gift for video editors.
The True Tone highlight makes hues on the screen look increasingly vivacious and practical giving ease to the eyes.
Performance
The new Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch) is an epitome of power and elegance. It is loaded with the 9th Gen Intel Core i9 processor, backed up by 16GB RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. Besides, it comes with the amazing Radeon Pro 560X graphics card, making it one of the fastest MacBooks ever.
This model follows its predecessors’ premium design of the magnesium alloy body. As you know, Apple’s tradition of providing good durability is still sustained.
Other Features
The 15-inch MacBook Pro is equipped with 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports which makes it to the top list of this guide. but If you are not a fan of Apple’s butterfly keyboard, you’ll still have to wait for the next model because this Apple MacBook Pro still has it.
Additionally, the Touch Bar is still not going anywhere. It aids seamless workflow by allowing you to create fast shortcuts of the particular application that is being used. A joy for music lovers as the speakers in MacBook Pro provides amazing sound size which is surprising for such a thin design.
You’ll rarely see Apple compromising on its battery. So is the case with MacBook Pro, the battery will last you a full workday with a drainage time of 10 hours and 21 minutes. That’s impressive. Isn’t it.
Display Size: 14.1″
Processor: Intel Core i5-8350U
RAM: 8GB
Graphics: Intel UHD 620
If you are looking for a business laptop with lots of ports, a swappable battery, a sturdy keyboard, and a strong processor. Also, if are willing to settle on an average display, no need to hassle anywhere else. We surely have what you need. The Lenovo ThinkPad T480!
Design and Display
The ThinkPad T480 has a 14-Inch HD (1366×768), anti-glare display. The screen lacks color vividness while brightness and contrast show decent results subjectively. The display showed poor results in sRGB and AdobeRGB. But then again, it is unfair to expect high-end resolution display from a business laptop.
In addition, ThinkPad T480 has a robust chassis made of magnesium hybrid and glass-fiber braced plastic. The body has gone through US military durability tests so no question about the strength of framework.
Performance
Lenovo ThinkPad T480 has an 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor (CPU), 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 256GB PCIe SSD.
It weighs 3.6 pounds(1.63kg). Not the lightest 14-inch laptop but still a beast at work, and that what it is needed for. In addition, The back panel is removable. You can upgrade RAM, Wi-Fi, and LTE card but its best feature is its swappable battery that is available in either 24Wh or 72Wh variants.
Other Features
Moreover, looking at the ports and slots, the right side has an SD card reader, a 3.5mm audio jack, HDMI, Ethernet, and two USB-A 3.1 ports.
The left side is installed with a dock connector, an optional smart card reader, USB-C, and a Thunderbolt 3 port.
Display Size: 15.6″
Processor: Intel Core i7-8565UU
RAM: 16GB
Graphics: Intel HD 620
Tired of carrying a big bulky laptop? Looking for a minimalist lightweight laptop? The answer to all these questions is a 15.6-inch LG Gram laptop.
Design and Display
The 15.6 inch full HD IPS touchscreen looks good and has decent color accuracy too. It is not the brightest screens and the glossy screen makes it quite hard to use under really bright conditions.
One of the most rousing features of the new LG Gram is the addition of Thunderbolt 3 supported USB-C port. If you want to hook up your LG Gram Feel with some external graphic card, feel free to do so.
Performance
LG Gram is the world’s lightest 15.6-inch laptop weighing only 2.5 pounds (1.2kg). It boasts the 8th Gen Core i7 processor, two 512GB SSD, and 16 GB RAM. The new LG Gram packs an even bigger 72Wh battery. This bigger battery combined the more powerful processor means we get a fantastic battery life of whopping 18.5 hours.
Other Features
Speaking of ports you also get three USB 3, a full-size HDMI, DC power, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a micro SD card slot. With its lightweight and great battery life, LG Gram is surely one of the candidates to be crowned as the best laptop with thunderbolt 3.
Additionally, LG has given the Gram a great keyboard. Typing on backlit chiclet keys feels responsive and soothing to use. One thing that you will like is the fingerprint reader that is built-in to the power button
A major turn off for graphic people is that there is no option for any sort of dedicated graphics card on any spec model. Video editors and intensive gamers might get a bit disappointed.
Display Size: 15.6″
Processor: Intel Core i7-8550UU
RAM: 16GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX150
In dire need of a convertible laptop with great performance. We suggest you HP Spectre x360 15t.
Design and Display
Moreover, HP has given it a new color called Poseidon Blue. With the hinges and borders brushed golden, the new color makes the Spectre look exceedingly attractive.
The HP Spectre x360 comes with a 15.6-inch full HD touchscreen display along, with a maximum brightness of 300 nits, and a pixel count of 166 PPI. The Bang & Olufsen speakers, however, shows an underwhelming performance. The bass is barely felt and heard from the device.
Did You Know? HP Spectre claimed to be the thinnest laptop
Performance
HP Spectre x360 15t is a 15.6-inch 2-in-1 laptop with a quad-core Core i7 CPU, relatively plain Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
Other Features
Additionally, The HP Spectre x360 comes with no user-replaceable quad-cell 61Wh battery. When put under the battery benchmark tests, the device lasted 4 hours and 17 minutes, which is decent but not a significant hop over last year’s model.
Despite being a thin convertible laptop, Spectre x360 provides a range of ports. The diagonally cut right and left rear corners hold a Thunderbolt 3 port and a power button respectively. You’ll also find the power connector, an audio jack, and an HDMI port on the left side. The right side is integrated with a USB 3.1 Type-A port, a microSD card slot, and a second Thunderbolt 3 port.
With its specs and elegant design, this laptop is one the most likely contenders to with the title of the best laptop with thunderbolt 3.
Display Size: 13.3″
Processor: Intel Core i3
RAM: 8GB
Graphics: Intel Iris Plus
If you are a student and big Apple enthusiast but do not have a big budget, no worries. We suggest the new affordable Apple MacBook Air.
Design and Display
Besides, the new MacBook Air includes Apple’s sharp Retina Display with 2560 x 1600 resolution for more than 4 million pixels. The True Tone innovation modifies the white point of the display for organizing with the shading temperature of your condition.
Performance
The new MacBook comes with a 10th-generation Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB RAM, and 256 SSD storage. It has Intel’s 1.1GHz dual-core 10th generation Core processors with Turbo Boost of 3.2Ghz.
Moreover, it means it has the potential to delivers two times the performance compared to its previous generation. MacBook Air has the privilege of being one of the most exquisitely thin laptops weighing only 1.29kg.
Did You Know? The MacBook Air was the first laptop to implement Apple’s precision aluminum unibody enclosure.
Other Features
Moreover, with the Butterfly keyboard being replaced with a much more satisfying Magic keyboard. It is a rejoicing moment for all those who abhorred the Butterfly keyboard.
The new MacBook Air has improved sound system speakers that convey half more bass and 25% more volume than its ancestor. The MacBook Air has also an improved battery life, Apple claims that the battery will last for up to 11 hours of wireless web browsing.
The new MacBook Air 13″ has two Thunderbolt 3 ports. This empowers the MacBook Air to help a 6K outside display for the very first time making it enter the list of the best laptop with thunderbolt 3.
Read More: Best Laptops For Seniors
Display Size: 14″
Processor: Intel Core i5-1035G1
RAM: 8GB
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics
The new 2020 Acer Swift 3 is one of the most stylish budget ultrabooks that you are in dire need of.
Design and Display
Swift 3 features a 14-inch Full HD (1080p) display which is decent enough for many tasks. The Design is also very slim, so you don’t have to worry about having a fat laptop.
Performance
The Acer Swift 3 comes loaded with a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of DDR4 SDRAM, 512GB SSD with Intel Iris Plus graphics.
However, Acer has integrated Swift 3 with a 48Wh battery. The 1080p video run test resulted in a battery lasting for 7 hours and 6 minutes, on the battery saver mode, it will make it to full 8 hours.
Other Features
On the right-hand side, you’ll get to look at a headphone/mic jack, a USB 2.0 Type-A port, and a card reader. On the left side of the Swift 3, you will get an HDMI port, a DC-in connection, a USB Type-C port, a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port, Thunderbolt 3 and power supply.
With the addition of Thunderbolt 3, you can enjoy faster transfer speeds and connect to multiple 4K displays. The 2020 Acer Swift 3 belongs to the category of budget laptops. It can give a tough time to all the competitors in being the best laptop with thunderbolt 3.
Display Size: 15.6″
Processor: Intel Core i7 8750H
RAM: 16GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060
To all the gamers looking for a laptop best suited to them, we have a perfect suggestion for you all, the 2019 Acer Predator Triton 500.
Design and Display
Moreover, The Triton 500’s display full HD (1080p), which may not be stirring to some but is the best choice for a gaming laptop.
So Acer put the cherry on top by equipping the display with a 144Hz refresh rate and G-Sync support.
Performance
Acer has set a new benchmark with its all-new Predator Triton 500. It is a thin and light laptop installed with Intel 8th gen Core i7, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics,16 GB DDR4 RAM, and a 15.6-inch screen. Predator Triton 500’s GPU will overshadow some shortcomings of the older 8th Gen CPU.
Did You Know? The lightning-fast Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2060 GPU is the same as the desktop GeForce RTX 2060. The difference is that the clock speed and power consumption is reduced for laptop.
Other Features
Besides, the keyboard is one of the better keyboards on a laptop. It is relatively tactile with RGBs installed at the bottom. Other than that, the trackpad is also pretty great with decent enough palm rejection and your usual tracking and gestures.
Additionally, you will find a Thunderbolt 3, two USB-A ports, and a mini-DisplayPort on the right side of the Predator Triton 500. The left side is installed with a full-size HDMI port, analog mic and headset jack, a third USB-A port, a charging port, plus an ethernet.
With its 82Wh battery, the Triton 500 comes in under decent 6 hours of playback time. It’s on a slightly lower side when compared to powerful laptops, but still pretty good.
Display Size: 13.3″
Processor: Intel Core i7 8565U
RAM: 16GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX150
The Razer Blade Stealth is a perfect option for anyone looking for an ultraportable gaming laptop. It has a sleek sharp-edged design, a snappy processor, and a dedicated graphics option for gaming.
Did you Know? Razer has around 70 million gaming users.
Design and Display
Additionally, the new Razer Blade Stealth nails the trackpad being one of the largest in any 13-inch laptop. Talking about the speaker, the Dolby Atmos software generates amazing sound quality.
Also, with four top-firing speakers which give gamers complete perfect sound. So the base model offers a 13.3-inch 1080p display with full support for the sRGB color. Yet, if you are willing to drop a few thousand dollars on your laptop, there is a more exciting 4K display option available.
Performance
The new Blade Stealth comes with a respectable Intel Core i7 processor, a full matte HD display, 256GB of storage, and 16 GB of DDR3 RAM. The most exciting feature of this model is the addition of NVIDIA GeForce MX150.
Other Features
Razer has one of the better keyboards amongst all the ultrabooks out there, the keys also have a sweet ‘pop’ to them, which is quite satisfying.
Moreover, The battery performed excellently in the video playback test, lasting for almost ten hours. Blade Stealth 13 guarantees all-day performance off a single charge if put on battery saver mode. Also, it has well-balanced ports options, it is fitted with two USB Type-C ports, with one being Thunderbolt 3 and two Type-A ports along with a headphone jack. Razer omitted HDMI, as many are making the change to Type-C for external display.
Thanks to the lightning-fast Thunderbolt 3, you can connect your Blade Stealth to Razer Core X Chroma eGPU, for a gaming bump.
Display Size: 17.3″
Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H
RAM: 16GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
If you want to go all guns blazing, a high-end gaming laptop with mighty specs, so no more. We present to you the HP Omen 17.
Design and Display
The display is stunning with a 17.3-inch 144Hz 1080p panel. It is a phenomenal choice for quick jerk gaming. Particularly since it’s fitted with Nvidia’s G-Sync to streamline the experience.
Performance
So the HP Omen has been incorporated with an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor that can be overclocked up to 4.2 GHz to deal with challenging tasks. The powerful processor itself touches the high level of performance.
This gaming laptop is capable of multitasking. And can conveniently perform many tasks at the same time. Along with the processor, the laptop comes with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080. The storage (8 GB GDDR6 dedicated),256 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, & 1 TB HDD which is amazing for an affordable laptop.
The HP Omen 17 comes with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (8 GB GDDR6 dedicated). , 256 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, & 1 TB HDD.
Other Features
Additionally, if wireless streaming is done, battery life shrinks to only 6 hours and 45 minutes. Moving forwards, Omen 17 offers a generous amount of ports, the right edge has only one USB 3.1 Type-A port and a full-size SD card reader.
Besides, the left side is stuffed with a power connector, HDMI, an Ethernet port, and Mini DisplayPort video output. Other than that, a couple of USB 3.1 Type-A ports, a Thunderbolt 3 port, a microphone, and an audio jack.
Read More: Best Gaming Laptops Under $1500
Best Laptops with thunderbolt 3 - Buying Guide
Thunderbolt 3 is not the only thing you should look in while buying a laptop. This guide will help you invest your money in the laptop best suited for you.
Operating System
You are always in the question of whether to buy a Windows laptop or Mac OS. Both have their plusses. Windows notebooks provide a wide range of features like touch screen, fingerprint reader, and dual graphic chip. Mac OS has a different interface than windows with apps docked at the bottom of the screen, unlike Windows’ taskbar. Where Windows has Cortona as its digital assistant, Mac has Siri.
Display Size
You have to choose the right size that best suits your activity on a laptop. If you desire a light and thin system, you should opt for a display size of 11 to 12 inches. Whereas 13 to 14-inch laptops give the best equalization of convenience and ease of use. Especially if you get a laptop with thunderbolt 3 that weighs under 4 pounds.
If you want a high-end gaming laptop or workstation, we suggest you to buy a 17-18 inch display laptop.
Battery Life
The battery is one of the features of a laptop that should never be compromised upon. If you don’t want to worry about battery life, go get a bulky laptop. But if you are an average user of a laptop, you do need at least 7 to 8 hours lasting battery on your laptop.
So it depends on you that whether you need a laptop with a battery that lasts longer with one charge or you need a laptop with a normal battery that lasts shorter. Most people who buy laptops for ideal use don’t look at the battery timing.
Type
It is your choice to decide if you want a 2-in-1 laptop or a traditional clamshell one. Many laptops nowadays fall in the category of one which has detachable screens and one with hinges that bend back 360 degrees to alter modes. In our opinion, it is better to go for a 2 in 1 laptop because 2 in 1 laptop provide double features in one laptop.
Processor
You should always keep an eye on the CPU, that is, the brains of your computer. Intel Core i9 is the most powerful CPU only available in top-of-the-line, premium workstations or gaming laptops.
Core i7 chips are used in laptops for fast gaming and productivity. Further going down the list, Core i5 and Core i3 are integrated into mainstream and entry-level laptops.
Storage
You should also look out how much RAM the best suites you. 8GB RAM is the go-to option for many users. But if you are a content creator or an intensive application user, you might have to upgrade to a 16GB RAM option.
Mostly laptops have a minimum of 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD. Now that you have comprehended the importance of Thunderbolt 3 in a laptop and gone through a guide that aids you in buying a laptop.
Conclusion
Thunderbolt 3 is an overhaul for USB-C, It accompanies four PCIe paths, taking into account more information to be parsed at some random time. This empowers interesting usage like power conveyance, quicker record transfer, and even the use of outside GPUs.
We have compiled the best laptops for the wide array of users ranging from a laptop for students with minimal usage to high-end workstations.
Our recommendation, for a user that acquires a sleek laptop with high-end specs, is Dell XPS 15. Yet, if you are a gaming freak, don’t miss out on checking on Acer Predator Triton 500. For all the Apple universe lovers, Apple MacBook Pro is our suggestion for your go-to laptop.
While all the referenced models with their preferences and weaknesses. We suggest that you search for the PC which best suits your exercises of intrigue.
