The USB-C charge cable that came with the MacBook Pro split its casing just below one of the connectors, I sealed that up with some UV LED-cured liquid plastic, now I’ll keep that cable as a spare. When used for data transfer, it’s USB 2 speed, up to 480 Mbps.
Bought an $18 braided USB-C cable from Amazon, it’s half the length of the original but claims to be able to transfer data at up to 5 Gbps & still be able to supply the full 60W power the Mac needs.
It arrived today, I connected a Samsung T5 ext SSD to the Mac & checked the connection with System Info app.
It isn’t just up to 5 Gbps, it’s up to 10 Gbps, the same as the half-metre long USB-C cable supplied with the T5.
Rather than Apple’s notoriously fragile soft rubbery coating, this cable has a stiffer & much longer-wearing braided nylon outer jacket.