Flagship panels

Top 3 influence manufacturers, three products each. Start with the then-vs-now story, then open the 2021 or 2026 product panels.

Compare 2021 2026

Apple

MacBook Pro 14-inch / 16-inch (M1 Pro or M1 Max)

laptop · 2021

Apple's redesigned 2021 pro laptop. Three Thunderbolt 4 ports over USB-C plus MagSafe 3, HDMI, and SD. The high-end Mac USB story in 2021.

Port	Role	Marketing	Mapped tier	Speed
Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ×3	Primary	Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C)	USB-C · USB4	40 Gbps
Apple documented Thunderbolt 4 up to 40 Gb/s and USB 4 up to 40 Gb/s. Mapped to USB4 40 Gbps tier.

Source · Compared with 2025/2026 MacBook Pro flagships that moved primary ports to Thunderbolt 5 / USB4 v2 class.

iPad Pro 11-inch / 12.9-inch (M1, 2021)

tablet · 2021

Apple tablet flagship in 2021 with a Thunderbolt / USB4 USB-C port. Already modern on the tablet side while the phone was still Lightning.

Port	Role	Marketing	Mapped tier	Speed
Thunderbolt / USB 4 ×1	Primary	Thunderbolt / USB 4	USB-C · USB4	40 Gbps
USB-C shell with Thunderbolt and USB4 up to 40 Gb/s class. Mapped to USB4 40 Gbps tier.

Source · Shows Apple already on USB-C/TB for iPad while iPhone lagged on Lightning.

iPhone 13 Pro

phone · 2021

Apple phone flagship in 2021. Still Lightning, not USB-C. The biggest five-year contrast on the phone side.

Port	Role	Marketing	Mapped tier	Speed
Lightning ×1	Primary	Lightning connector	Lightning · Apple Lightning (USB 2.0 data class)	480 Mbps
Lightning with USB 2.0-class wired data. Not a USB-IF shell. Included so the panel can show the pre-USB-C iPhone era.

Source · Five years later the comparable Pro iPhone is USB-C with USB 3 data on Pro models.

Samsung

Galaxy Book Pro 360 (2021)

laptop · 2021

Samsung Windows convertibles/laptop flagship line in 2021. Thunderbolt 4 on USB-C plus USB-A still present on many configs.

Port	Role	Marketing	Mapped tier	Speed
Thunderbolt 4 ×1	Primary	Thunderbolt 4	USB-C · USB4	40 Gbps
2021 Galaxy Book Pro family marketed Thunderbolt 4. Port counts vary by size/SKU; one primary TB4 path is recorded for the panel. Mapped to USB4 40 Gbps tier.
USB-A ×1	Secondary	USB 3.2	USB Type-A · USB 3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps
Secondary legacy-friendly Type-A on many 2021 Galaxy Book configs.

Source · Five years later Book5 Pro still pairs Thunderbolt 4-class USB-C with a USB-A port on several models.

Galaxy S21 Ultra

phone · 2021

Samsung Android phone flagship in 2021. USB-C only; no Lightning era on this side of the market.

Port	Role	Marketing	Mapped tier	Speed
USB-C ×1	Primary	USB Type-C	USB-C · USB 3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps
Galaxy S21 Ultra used USB-C with SuperSpeed-class data (commonly documented around USB 3.2 Gen 1 / 5 Gbps). Mapped to USB-C 3.2 Gen 1. Consumer pages emphasized charging more than the exact Gen label.

Source · Compared with 2025 Ultra: same shell family (USB-C), still not Thunderbolt-class on the phone.

Galaxy Tab S7+

tablet · 2020

Samsung tablet flagship generation spanning 2020-2021 retail. USB-C as the only wired path.

Port	Role	Marketing	Mapped tier	Speed
USB-C ×1	Primary	USB Type-C	USB-C · USB 3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps
USB-C with SuperSpeed-class data for DeX and storage. Mapped to USB-C 3.2 Gen 1. Product year listed as 2020 launch with 2021 as active flagship year in market.

Source · Chosen as the Samsung tablet flagship for the 2021 window (Tab S8 arrived in 2022).

Intel

11th Gen Intel Core H-series (Tiger Lake-H)

platform · 2021

Higher-power 2021 mobile platform for creator and gaming laptops, with up to four Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 ports in Intel platform messaging.

Port	Role	Marketing	Mapped tier	Speed
Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 host capability ×1	Primary	Thunderbolt 4 / USB4	USB-C · USB4	40 Gbps
Intel materials for Tiger Lake-H cite multiple integrated Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports. Mapped to USB4 40 Gbps tier.

Source · Shows that even high-power 2021 Intel platforms centered on TB4/USB4, not USB4 v2 or Thunderbolt 5.

11th Gen Intel Core mobile (Tiger Lake)

platform · 2020

First Intel Core generation with integrated Thunderbolt 4 / USB4. Powered 2020-2021 Intel Evo thin laptops that defined Windows premium port expectations five years ago.

Port	Role	Marketing	Mapped tier	Speed
Integrated Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 ×1	Primary	Thunderbolt 4 / USB4	USB-C · USB4	40 Gbps
Platform capability; OEM sets port count. Mapped to USB4 40 Gbps tier.

Source · Launch late 2020; full market presence through 2021. Pair with OEM laptops of that year.

Thunderbolt 4 (host standard)

platform · 2020

Intel's flagship host connectivity standard entering broad laptop adoption by 2021. Required on Intel Evo designs and integrated starting with Tiger Lake.

Port	Role	Marketing	Mapped tier	Speed
Thunderbolt 4 host port capability ×1	Primary	Thunderbolt 4	USB-C · USB4	40 Gbps
USB4-compliant 40 Gbps class with mandatory minimums beyond baseline USB4. Mapped to USB4 40 Gbps tier. This was the 'current' high bar in 2021; Thunderbolt 5 was not shipping yet.

Source · Compare with 2024-2026 Thunderbolt 5 platform row on the current panel.