Processor: All of the processing done by your laptop is handled by its processor due to which getting a powerful one is highly important. Generally, an Intel Core i7 processor is going to be faster than a Core i5 one. Other than that, H series processors are much more powerful than U series or G series processors. Newer generations of processors are also more powerful than older ones. RAM: Apart from having a powerful CPU, you also need to have a lot of RAM in your laptop for a smooth experience. While 8 GB is enough for using Windows 10, 16 GB or higher is recommended for heavy-duty usage. Storage: You will also need a lot of storage in your laptop for storing all your programs and files. In other words, laptops with a 1 TB SSD are much more practical than those that come with a 256 GB SSD.
Even though these factors are quite important, we have stated all other details and specifications of the various laptops with thunderbolt 3 present down below. When combined with the extensive “Buying Guide”, you will be able to get the best laptop for thunderbolt 3 at the end of this list.
9 Best Laptops with Thunderbolt 3 in 2023 List
Best Laptops with Thunderbolt 3 in 2023: Reviews
1. ASUS Duo Laptop with Thunderbolt 3
Asus ROG is a lineup of premium and high-end laptops offered by Asus that are generally known to offer excellent performance for all sorts of uses. The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo comes at the 1st position of this list since it is the most powerful option stated here. Thanks to its Intel Core i9 10th Gen 10980HK CPU, Nvidia RTX 2080 Super GPU, 32 GB DDR4 RAM, and 2 TB RAID 0 SSD storage, you can expect excellent performance from it. As per its name, you get dual displays in this laptop both of which are 4K UHD for the best possible image quality. Other than Thunderbolt 3, you also get various other connectivity options like WiFi 6, HDMI, USB ports, ethernet, and much more. Best Features:
Uses the Intel Core i9 10th Gen 10980HK Offers 32 GB DDR4 RAM Comes with 2 TB SSD storage Powered by Nvidia RTX 2080 Super 8 GB Includes a 15.6 inch 4K display Offers Thunderbolt 3, USB type A, HDMI, RJ45, and audio ports Comes with a 1-year long warranty
Pros:
Excellent high-performance laptop Includes a high resolution 4K display Powered by RTX 3080 Super GPU
Cons:
Quite an expensive laptop
2. LG Laptop with Thunderbolt 3
Apart from its home appliances, LG also makes a few thin and light laptops under its LG Gram lineup of laptops that can be a great portable option. LG’s Gram 15 comes at the 2nd position of this listicle as it is a highly portable option. Despite being a thin and light laptop, you get decent performance out of it as it uses the Intel Core i7 10th Gen 1065G7 CPU, 16 gigs of DDR4 RAM, and a 1 TB SSD along with a pretty long 17-hour battery life. Coming to the portability of this laptop, even though it has a 15.6-inch touchscreen display, it is one of the lightest laptops out there. However, this does result in a bit of deck flex which is something to keep in mind. Best Features:
Uses the Intel Core i7 10th Gen 1065G7 Offers 16 GB DDR4 RAM Comes with 1 TB SSD storage Powered by Intel Iris Plus Graphics Includes a 15.6-inch FHD touchscreen display Offers Thunderbolt 3, USB type A, HDMI, micro SD card reader, and audio ports Comes with a 3-year long warranty
Pros:
Quite a portable thin and light laptop Decent performance for the given weight Very long battery life
Cons:
Slight keyboard deck flex
3. ASUS Laptop with Thunderbolt 3
Asus also makes many affordable laptops under its VivoBook lineup of laptops that can be a viable option for those who are on a budget. This Asus VivoBook S14 comes at the 3rd position of this article because you can go with this if you have a tight budget and are looking for an affordable option. Being a budget option, its internals are justified which includes Intel Core i5 10th gen 1135G7, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, and 512 GB SSD for decent performance. While it may not be the most powerful option, you certainly get handy connectivity options in this Asus laptop including WiFi 6 as well as Thunderbolt 3. As for the display, it uses a compact and high-quality 14-inch FHD screen. Best Features:
Uses the Intel Core i5 11th Gen 1135G7 Offers 8 GB DDR4 RAM Comes with 512 GB SSD storage Powered by Intel Iris Xe Graphics Includes a 14-inch FHD display Offers Thunderbolt 3, USB type A, HDMI, micro SD card reader, and audio ports Comes with a 1-year long warranty
Pros:
Affordable Thunderbolt 3 laptop Decent performance Compact 14-inch screen
Cons:
Only 8 gigs of RAM
4. Razer Laptop with Thunderbolt 3
While Razer is known for offering gaming laptops, you can also find a few offices and productivity laptops that are highly powerful. Since the Razer Book 13 is not made for gaming, you do not get any dedicated graphics card with it. But even then it is a viable option for productivity since you get the Intel Core i7 11th Gen 1165G7 CPU, 16 GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD inside. One of the best things about this laptop is that you get an excellent 13.4-inch touchscreen display with FHD resolution. Unlike most other laptops in this listicle, this one comes with the newer Thunderbolt 4 port for even better speeds. Best Features:
Uses the Intel Core i7 10th Gen 1165G7 Offers 16 GB DDR4 RAM Comes with 256 GB SSD storage Powered by Intel Iris Xe Graphics Includes a 13.4-inch FHD display Offers Thunderbolt 4, USB type A, HDMI, micro SD card reader, and audio ports Comes with a 1-year long warranty
Pros:
Great looking display Pretty high performance Uses the latest Thunderbolt 4 port
Cons:
Limited storage space
5. ASUS Zenbook14 Laptop with Thunderbolt 3
Unlike its higher-end ROG laptops and budget VivoBook ones, Asus also offers premium thin and light laptops under the ZenBook lineup. If you are looking for a premium and portable laptop with high performance, then the Asus Zenbook 14 can be a viable option. Even in its thin and light form factor, you get the Intel Core i7 10th Gen 1065G7 CPU along with a 512 GB SSD. Although, it only has 8 gigs of DDR4 RAM in it. Since it is a premium laptop offering from Asus, you get a high-quality 14-inch FHD display with narrow bezels. You also get a unique Numpad built into its Numpad which is great for productivity users. Best Features:
Uses the Intel Core i7 10th Gen 1065G7 Offers 8 GB DDR4 RAM Comes with 512 GB SSD storage Powered by Intel Iris Plus Graphics Includes a 14-inch FHD display Offers Thunderbolt 3, USB type A, HDMI, micro SD card reader, and audio ports Comes with a 1-year long warranty
Pros:
Premium build quality Decent performance numbers High-quality displays with narrow bezels
Cons:
Limited memory capacity
6. ASUS S17 Laptop with Thunderbolt 3
Coming back to high-end gaming laptops offered by Asus, the ROG Zephyrus lineup can be a great option if you want to play games or simply want a powerful laptop for heavy-duty use. Being a laptop designed for gaming, this ROG laptop is a highly powerful laptop. Some of its key components include the Core i7 10750H 10th Gen processor from Intel, a fairly powerful GPU in the form of the RTX 2070 Super from Nvidia, a decent amount of 16 GB DDR4 RAM, along with a 1 TB SSD making it an excellent performer. Because this laptop is designed for gaming, you get an excellent FHD 300 Hz display with large 17.3-inch display size. Other than a Thunderbolt 3 port, you also get an RGB keyboard and liquid metal thermal compound inside making it ideal for gaming. Best Features:
Uses the Intel Core i7 10th Gen 10750H Offers 16 GB DDR4 RAM Comes with 1 TB SSD storage Powered by Nvidia RTX 2070 Super 8 GB Includes a 17.3-inch FHD 300 Hz display Offers Thunderbolt 3, USB type A, HDMI, and audio ports Comes with a 1-year long warranty
Pros:
Uses the RTX 2070 Super Large 17.3 inch 300 Hz display Thin and light gaming laptop
Cons:
Not an option for budget buyers
7. Razer Blade Laptop with Thunderbolt 3
Razer’s Blade lineup also includes a few thin and light laptops that can be viable for portable usage while offering decent performance to the user. The Razer Blade Stealth is one of the smallest laptops with thunderbolt 3 stated in this list. Despite its compact form factor, you get decent performance out of it because of the Intel Core i7 8th Ge 8565U CPU, 16 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD used by it. To offer a small and compact form factor, Razer has offered a 13.3-inch FHD display with this laptop. Unlike other thin and light laptops, this one uses the Nvidia MX150 GPU which is much better than most other integrated graphic cards. Best Features:
Uses the Intel Core i7 8th Gen 8565U Offers 16 GB DDR4 RAM Comes with 256 GB SSD storage Powered by Intel UHD 620 Graphics Includes a 13.3-inch FHD display Offers Thunderbolt 3, USB type A, and audio ports Comes with a 1-year long warranty
Pros:
Small and compact form factor Great build quality Decent performance CPU and GPU
Cons:
SSD capacity could have been higher
Even though this Dell Latitude laptop is a refurbished one, you can consider it if you want something affordable with decent features. Dell’s Latitude 7480 is a viable option for budget buyers despite being an older laptop model since it comes at a fairly low price tag. Starting with its performance numbers, you get the Intel Core i7 7th Gen 7600U, 16 GB DDR4 RAM, and 512 GB SSD which is to be expected from such an old laptop model. Thankfully, despite being an older laptop, you get a 14-inch FHD display for a compact form factor. Other than Thunderbolt 3, you also get other handy ports with this one including ethernet, U-SD, U-SIM, USB type C, HDMI, and even an SC port making it highly versatile. Best Features:
Uses the Intel Core i7 7th Gen 7600U Offers 16 GB DDR4 RAM Comes with 512 GB SSD storage Powered by Intel UHD 620 Graphics Includes a 14-inch FHD display Offers Thunderbolt 3, USB type A, HDMI, RJ45, U-SD, U-SIM, SC, and audio ports Comes with a 1-year long warranty
Pros:
Wide range of ports Fairly portable and mobile Affordable refurbished laptop
Cons:
Old laptop model
9. Lenovo Laptop with Thunderbolt 3
Lenovo ThinkPad also offers used laptops that are fairly cheap and a great option for budget buyers who can go with a used unit. This Lenovo ThinkPad T470 is one of the cheapest options out there being a used model. Since it is fairly old, you get the Intel Core i5 6th Gen 6200U, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, and 256 GB SSD which is fairly decent for the given price. Because the Thinkpad T470 is fairly old, you get a 14 inch HD display making this laptop fairly compact. Coming to its other features, you will find a fingerprint reader, Thunderbolt 3, SD card reader, HDMI, ethernet, and even an SC reader making it highly versatile. Best Features:
Uses the Intel Core i5 6th Gen 6200U Offers 8 GB DDR4 RAM Comes with 256 GB SSD storage Powered by Intel UHD 520 Graphics Includes a 14 inch HD display Offers Thunderbolt 3, USB type A, HDMI, RJ45, SD card reader, SC reader, and audio ports Comes with a 1-year long warranty
Pros:
Portable and compact laptop Multiple connectivity ports Fairly affordable for budget buyers
Cons:
Not a new laptop but a used one
Buying Guide for the Best Laptops with Thunderbolt 3
Even though the ports of your laptop may not affect its performance, making sure that you have high-performance ports is highly important for versatile usage. Thus, we have stated some of the best laptops with thunderbolt 3 which allow you to easily connect an external GPU. If you want to know each and everything, then make sure to go through this detailed buying guide for the best laptops with thunderbolt 3:
1. Processor
Out of the various components of your laptop, its processor plays a vital role in terms of the performance that it can offer. It is due to the reason that having a powerful CPU is quite important for a smooth and snappy computing experience. Most Thunderbolt 3 laptops will either have the Intel Core i5 or the Intel Core i7 where the latter is more powerful. You should also check the generation of the processor since a newer 11th gen chip is going to be more powerful than an 8th gen one. Another factor while choosing the right processor is to look at the wattage rating which is given as H for high-performance chips and U or G for mobile processors making H processors ideal for heavy-duty usage.
2. RAM
The memory or RAM of your laptop is another important factor to keep in mind before getting a laptop with thunderbolt 3. This is due to the reason that all of the running programs are stored in the RAM. Due to this, having a lot of RAM makes for a great multitasking laptop. Even though an 8 GB RAM laptop will work just fine, having at least 16 gigs of memory in your laptop is recommended for heavy-duty usage.
3. Storage
Just like your smartphone, you will also need a lot of storage space in your laptop for installing programs, storing your files, and various other things. Thankfully, almost all thunderbolt 3 laptops use high-speed SSD drives. But, while some come with small 256 GB SSDs, higher-end models include 1 TB SSD drives which are much more practical.
4. GPU
If you want to play games, use rendering applications, or want to use your laptop for any other type of graphical use, then it is important to have a dedicated graphics card. In such cases, getting a gaming laptop with a graphics card like the RTX 2070 super or the more powerful RTX 2080 can be a great idea.
5. Display
While it does not affect the performance, the display of your laptop affects your overall computer experience quite a lot. It is highly important to get a high-quality screen with your laptop with thunderbolt 3. While entry-level displays come with FHD 60 Hz displays, gaming laptops can come with up to a 300 Hz FHD screen and other high-end laptops may come with a UHD 4K display for much better quality.
6. Ports
Apart from the thunderbolt 3 port included with the various laptops stated above, it is also important to consider other input and output ports. It can include ports like USB Type-A ports, HDMI port, ethernet port, SD card reader, audio port, and a few others. Any laptop that includes multiple such ports can be used to easily connect all sorts of devices without needing external adapters.
7. Battery Life
If you are going with a thin and light thunderbolt 3 laptops, then it is highly likely that you are going to use it while on the go. This is only possible when your laptop offers you a long battery life rating along with a large battery. As you would expect, the battery life rating is given in hours and includes ratings like 7 hours long, 9 hours long, and even 11 hours long in some laptops. On the other hand, the battery size rating is given in Wh where a higher rating is better making a 90 Wh battery more practical than a 65 Wh one.
8. Operating System
Even though you can install an operating system yourself on your laptop, it is still great to have one installed out of the box. Fortunately, almost all thunderbolt 3 laptops come with either Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro installed out of the box. While both of them are quite similar, Windows 10 Pro does offer a few extra features and options to the user.
9. Warranty
Make sure to check the warranty included with your laptop before getting one. Fortunately, most of them include at least a 1-year long warranty with a few options even coming with up to 3 years of warranty for peace of mind.
Conclusion
Thunderbolt 3 is a highly versatile port that can be used for connecting any USB type C device, dongles, eGPUs, high-speed networking cards, and much more while allowing you to charge your laptop. Hence, some of the best laptops with thunderbolt 3 have been stated above. With these various laptops, you will also find their specifications and features along with a detailed buying guide. Based on all this information, here are our recommendations for the best laptops with thunderbolt 3:
The ASUS Duo Laptop with Thunderbolt 3 is the most powerful laptop stated above thanks to its high-end components which include Intel Core i9 10th Ge 10980HK, RTX 2080 Super GPU, 32 GB DDR4 RAM, and 2 TB RAID 0 SSD drives. As for its connectivity options, you can find WiFi 6, HDMI, ethernet, audio ports, and Thunderbolt 3. LG Laptop with Thunderbolt 3 is the most portable thunderbolt 3 laptop present above as despite having a 15-inch display, it is quite light. You also get decent performance out of its Intel Core i7 10th Gen 1065G7 CPU, 16 gigs of RAM, and 1 TB SSD while having a pretty long battery life of up to 17 hours. If you are on a budget then the ASUS Laptop with Thunderbolt 3 can be a great option since it is the cheapest option present here. Even at its entry-level price tag, you get the latest Intel Core i5 11th Gen 1135G7 CPU paired with 8 GB DDR4 RAM and a 512 GB SSD along with thunderbolt 3 support which is not found in most budget offerings.
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