The name, Universal Serial Bus (or USB), is an ambitious promise: one port to rule them all. Unfortunately, the reality is more complicated. While your phone, tablet, and laptop may all use the same USB-C port to charge and transfer data these days, they may all work differently.
What is USB4? What is Thunderbolt? Is it the same as USB-C? I’m here to help you answer all those questions, so you can get the best performance from your devices.
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Glossary of USB Terms
First, it is important to define some terms beforehand.
USB 2.X/USB 3.X/USB 4
Every USB device is built to some version of the USB specification, managed by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF)These versions are primarily characterized by how much data they can transfer and how much power they can deliver (at least, those are the main things you need to look out for). While most of these devices are interoperable as long as they use the same type of port, the entire chain will be scaled to the slowest part of the chain. Say you plug a USB 3.2 solid-state drive into a USB 3.2 port on your computer, but you use a USB 3.0 cable — data will only be transferred at USB 3.0 speeds. Make sure each link in your chain is rated for the speed you need.
USB Power Delivery (or USB-PD)
Instead of carrying a charger for every device you own, you can opt for a charging adapter that can charge multiple devices. via multiple USB-C Power Delivery Ports (USB-C PD). Power Delivery is a fast charging method that supports up to 240 watts of power and allows devices to safely communicate with chargers to determine the correct power needs. You’ll also find these types of ports on USB hubs, sometimes referred to as “pass-through charging,” although that’s not an official term.
Make sure the voltage of a USB-C port on an adapter or charging hub can support what your device needs. A MacBook Pro typically needs 96 watts during intense workloads (though you can still charge them at a lower voltage), so you’ll probably need a higher voltage than that. 100 watt USB-C port into the charging adapter or USB hub for the best charging experience.
USB-C and USB-A
These terms refer to the physical shape of connectors and ports on devices. USB-C is common and looks like a small, elongated oval. It’s also reversible, so you can’t plug it in the wrong way. USB-A is the older rectangular port that’s been around for years. Many more types of USB connectorsbut these are the two you’re most likely to see in charging adapters, hubs, and docking stations today.
Super velocity
You may also see some USB devices marketed with terms such as “SuperSpeed,” “SuperSpeedPlus,” and “SuperSpeed USB 5/10/20 Gbps.” These terms were It was initially intended to be more usefulThere were marketable labels to indicate what generation or speed a USB port had, but unfortunately, they only made things more confusing. In most cases, you can ignore these labels and look at the actual speed ratings.
What’s happening with USB generations?
It would be nice to be able to connect a USB 3.2 device to a USB 3.2 port using a USB 3.2 cable and trust that everything works. Unfortunately, it’s a lot more complicated than that.
When USB 3.0 came out in 2008, it had a maximum speed of about 5 gigabits per second (Gbps). However, when USB 3.1 came out in 2013 with a maximum speed of 10 Gbps, the 5 Gbps version was renamed USB 3.1. 1st generation, While the new fastest specification was USB 3.1 Generation 2Confused already? Well, it gets worse.
After USB 3.2 came out in 2019, 5Gbps USB was renamed. again Instead of “USB 3.2 Gen 1,” the 10Gbps version became “USB 3.2 Gen 2,” and the new 20Gbps spec became, you guessed it, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. What? The “2×2” refers to running two 10Gbps data lanes simultaneously. You don’t need to know all of this. Many USB hub and docking station manufacturers have ditched the names, labels, and symbols. They’ve started printing the maximum speed right next to the ports.