Thunderbolt 5 is the next-generation high-speed interface standard introduced by Intel, featuring a bidirectional bandwidth of 80Gbps. With Bandwidth Boost technology, the unidirectional bandwidth can be increased up to 120Gbps, approximately three times that of Thunderbolt 4. Meanwhile, the power delivery capability is enhanced to a maximum of 240W, and the video output specification is upgraded to the 8K level, targeting application scenarios such as high-performance laptops, professional displays, and external storage. As an indispensable part of the Thunderbolt 5 ecosystem, the cable must meet the stringent requirements of both high-speed signal transmission and high-power delivery, presenting a considerable technical threshold.
The Connect Thunderbolt 5 cable launched by Belkin has passed Intel Thunderbolt 5 certification, supporting up to 240W PD3.1 power delivery and 80Gbps data transmission. With a length of 1 meter, it adopts a passive cable design and is backward compatible with Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4, and USB 3.2/3.0 devices.
Chongdiantou got our hands on this data cable. Let's take a look at its internal workmanship and materials through a teardown.
Exterior of the Data Cable
The packaging box is made of white paper with a green bottom edge, and the belkin brand is printed on the front.
The back of the packaging box features an English introduction, stating that the bandwidth is three times that of Thunderbolt 4; it supports triple-screen display, with a maximum of 4K/144Hz for three screens, 8K/60Hz for dual screens, and 4K/540Hz for a single screen.
The side of the packaging box lists compatible devices in multiple languages, applicable to devices with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB4, USB 3.2, and USB 3.0 ports, covering Windows, Mac, Chromebook, tablets, and smartphones.
The Chinese labeling indicates compatibility with USB-C supported devices, consistent with the English description.
Opening the package reveals the data cable itself, a user manual, and a product hazardous substance declaration table.
The data cable features an overall black rubber jacket, with USB-C male connectors at both ends. The connector housings are made of black matte material and printed with the belkin logo.
Close-up of the connectors at both ends: one end is printed with the Thunderbolt logo and the number 5, while the other end features the belkin brand logo.
Close-up of the front of the connector, with the belkin logo printed on the black matte housing.
The strain relief at the connector tail features an extended design.
The USB-C plug features a full-pin design.
The serial number is printed on the cable body near the connector.
Placing the data cable on an electronic scale, the measured total weight is approximately 44.4g.
Using a tape measure to check the cable length, the end-to-end measured length is approximately 103 cm.
Using a caliper, the measured diameter of the cable body is approximately 4.43mm.
Using a POWER-Z KM003C tester to read the E-Marker chip information inside the cable, it is measured that the cable supports up to 50V 5A, 240W power delivery. The data transmission specification is USB Gen 4, and the built-in E-Marker chip model is EJ903W.
Teardown of the Belkin 240W Thunderbolt 5 Cable
Starting with the teardown of one end, the black plastic housing of the connector is cut and peeled off, revealing the metal shielding shell inside.
Close-up of the metal shielding shell, showing that the latch structure at the edge of the shell is quite neat.
Close-up of the junction between the root of the metal shielding shell and the data cable, where copper foil is visible.
Close-up of the side of the metal shielding shell.
Continuing to disassemble the metal shielding cover, a small PCB board is revealed inside.
Close-up of the front of the small board, where multiple wire cores are sequentially soldered onto the pads.
The back of the small board is also soldered with several wire cores.
Close-up of the solder joints on the front of the small board, featuring a surface-mount capacitor.
Extreme close-up of the solder joints, showing full and round soldering.
Continuing the teardown, the metal housing at the head of the connector is removed to reveal the internal pin layout.
Close-up of the connector contacts, featuring a full-pin arrangement in two rows, top and bottom. The front ends of the contacts are gold-plated, aligned neatly without any skew.
Moving on to the port at the other end, after peeling off the plastic housing, the metal shielding cover is also visible.
The copper foil wrapped at the root shows consistent workmanship at both ends.
Close-up of the front of the small board, with the black E-Marker chip located in the center of the PCB.
The back of the small board is soldered with multiple wire cores with various jacket colors including gray, green, red, blue, and yellow, each corresponding to different pin functions of the connector.
Close-up of the black E-Marker chip from eEver, model EJ903W. The EJ903W adopts a WLCSP 20 package, complies with USB PD 3.1 and Type-C R2.2 standards, and supports EPR 240W and USB4/Thunderbolt 4. The chip integrates a 12 MHz crystal, VCONN diode, power LDO, and 8 KB MTP, allowing online programming via the CC line. It has an operating power consumption of about 10 mW, 5.75 V protection on the VCONN side, and has passed USB-IF certification (TID/XID 6918/748).
Continuing to disassemble the metal housing at the head of the connector to expose the internal contacts.
Extreme close-up of the connector contacts, showing that both the top and bottom rows of contacts are metal gold-plated.
Close-up of the connector contacts from another angle, showing a uniform gold-plated layer that ensures plug-and-pull durability.
Cutting the cable in the middle to observe the cross-section. The jacket thickness is considerable, and the internal structure is compact.
Peeling off the black jacket reveals a silver-white shielding layer inside.
Underneath the peeled layer, there is an aluminum foil shield, forming a dual shielding structure with the braided layer.
Peeling off all the shielding layers fully exposes the internal wire cores.
Laying out all the internal components of the cable in a row, including the black jacket, shielding layer, and various colored wire cores, which will be introduced one by one below.
Close-up of the white anti-pull fibers filled inside the cable, totaling seven strands, used to withstand tensile stress and prevent the pulling force from acting directly on the wire cores.
Close-up of a white coaxial wire core responsible for signal transmission. The outermost layer is a silver-white silver-plated shielding braid to isolate interference.
Close-up of the coaxial wire core with a green jacket.
Close-up of the coaxial wire core with a red jacket, which is part of the high-speed data channel.
Another coaxial wire core with a red jacket, paired with the previous red wire core.
Close-up of the coaxial wire core with a white jacket.
Close-up of the coaxial wire core with a black jacket, featuring a uniform thickness of the black foamed insulation layer.
Close-up of the blue coaxial wire core.
Close-up of the coaxial wire core with a golden-yellow jacket. This concludes the introduction of all high-speed coaxial cables. The data transmission of Thunderbolt 5, DP video output, and USB4 data read/write are all handled by these coaxial cables.
Next is the power supply section. The red wire core is the VBUS power supply positive pole, internally composed of multiple stranded tinned copper wires, handling the high-power transmission of 50V 5A, i.e., 240W.
Close-up of a red wire core.
Close-up of the pink wire core, which is the Vconn wire core responsible for powering the E-Marker chip inside the cable.
Close-up of the ground wire with the jacket peeled off.
Close-up of the light blue CC wire core.
Close-up of the green wire core, used for USB 2.0 transmission.
Close-up of the white wire core, which, along with the other white wire core, handles USB 2.0 transmission.
A full overview of the teardown, here is a group photo of all components.
Chongdiantou Teardown Summary
Finally, the bill of materials for the product is attached for your reference.
Through the teardown by Chongdiantou, it can be seen that this Belkin Connect Thunderbolt 5 cable features a black rubber jacket paired with a matte connector housing on the exterior. The connector tail is designed with a buffer, and the cable length is 1 meter. The measured weight is 44.4g, and the cable diameter is 4.43mm. It has passed Intel Thunderbolt 5 certification, supporting up to 240W PD3.1 power delivery and 80Gbps data transmission.
Inside the connector, a small PCB board is used to solder the wire cores, with dual protection from a metal shielding shell and copper foil on the outside. The contacts are gold-plated. On the small board at one end, an eEver EJ903W E-Marker chip is soldered to report the cable's power delivery and transmission capabilities to the device.
The coaxial wire cores with independent shielding handle 80Gbps high-speed data transmission. The power supply section consists of parallel red VBUS wire cores plus a ground wire, meeting the 240W EPR requirement of 50V 5A. The entire cable features dual shielding with a braided shielding layer and aluminum foil, and is filled with seven anti-pull fibers, representing a typical Thunderbolt cable configuration.