Everything You Need to Know About USB Ports and Speeds (2024)

The precise name, Universal Serial Bus (or USB) is an ambitious promise: One larboard to regularisation them all. The world is unluckily messier than that. While your phone, tablet, and laptop mightiness each usage the aforesaid USB-C larboard for charging and transferring information these days, they tin each enactment differently.

What's USB4? What's Thunderbolt? Is it the aforesaid arsenic USB-C? I'm present to assistance reply each of those questions, truthful you tin get the champion show retired of your devices.

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Glossary of USB Terms

First, it's important to specify a fewer presumption upfront.

USB 2.X/USB 3.X/USB4

Every USB instrumentality is built to immoderate mentation of the USB specification, managed by the USB Implementer's Forum (USB-IF). These versions are chiefly characterized by however overmuch information they tin transportation and however overmuch powerfulness they tin present (at least, those are the main things you request to attraction about). While astir of these devices are interoperable arsenic agelong arsenic they usage the aforesaid benignant of port, the full concatenation volition conform to the slowest portion of the chain. Say you plug a USB 3.2 solid-state thrust into a USB 3.2 larboard connected your computer, but usage a USB 3.0 cable—data volition lone transportation astatine USB 3.0 speeds. Make definite each nexus successful your concatenation is rated for the velocity you need.

USB Power Delivery (or USB-PD)

Instead of carrying a charger for each azygous instrumentality you own, you mightiness opt for a charging adapter that tin foodstuff up aggregate devices via respective USB-C Power Delivery (USB-C PD) ports. Power Delivery is simply a fast-charging method that supports up to 240 watts of powerfulness and allows gadgets to safely speech to chargers to benignant retired the close powerfulness needs. You'll find these kinds of ports connected USB hubs arsenic well, sometimes referred to arsenic “pass-through charging," though it's not an authoritative term.

Make definite the wattage of a USB-C larboard connected a charging adapter oregon hub tin grip what your instrumentality needs. A MacBook Pro typically needs 96 watts during aggravated workloads (though you tin inactive complaint them astatine little wattage), truthful you'd astir apt request a 100-watt USB-C port connected the charging adapter oregon USB hub for the champion charging experience.

USB-C and USB-A

These presumption notation to the carnal signifier of the connectors and ports connected devices. USB-C is communal and looks similar a small, elongated oval. It's besides reversible, truthful you can't plug it successful the incorrect way. USB-A is the older, rectangular larboard you've seen for years. There are a batch much types of USB connectors, but these are the 2 you're astir apt to spot successful charging adapters, hubs, and docking stations today.

SuperSpeed

You mightiness besides spot immoderate USB devices marketed with presumption similar “SuperSpeed,” “SuperSpeedPlus,” and “SuperSpeed USB 5/10/20 Gbps.” These presumption were initially meant to beryllium much helpful, marketable labels to denote what procreation oregon velocity a USB larboard was, but unfortunately, it lone made things much confusing. In astir cases, you tin disregard these labels and look astatine the existent velocity ratings.

What Is Going connected With USB Generations?

It would beryllium bully if you could plug a USB 3.2 instrumentality into a USB 3.2 larboard utilizing a USB 3.2 cablegram and spot that it each works. Unfortunately, it's mode much analyzable than that.

When USB 3.0 came retired successful 2008 it had a max velocity of astir 5 gigabits per 2nd (Gbps). However, erstwhile USB 3.1 came retired successful 2013 with a max velocity of 10 Gbps, the 5-Gbps mentation was renamed to USB 3.1 Gen 1, portion the new, faster spec was USB 3.1 Gen 2. Confused yet? Well, it gets worse.

After USB 3.2 came retired successful 2019, the 5-Gbps USB was rebranded again to “USB 3.2 Gen 1,” the 10-Gbps mentation became “USB 3.2 Gen 2,” and the caller 20-Gbps specification became—you guessed it—USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. Wait, what? The “2x2” refers to moving 2 10 Gbps lanes of information simultaneously. You don't request to cognize each of this. Many USB hub and docking presumption manufacturers person fixed up connected names, labels, and symbols. They've started printing the maximum velocity adjacent to ports directly.