Everything you need to know about USB ports and speed (2024)

The very name Universal Serial Bus (or USB) is an ambitious promise: one port to rule them all. Unfortunately, the reality is much messier. Although your phone, tablet, and laptop can all use the same USB-C port for charging and data transfer these days, they can all work in different ways.

What is USB4? What is Thunderbolt? Is it the same as USB-C? I’m here to help you answer all of these questions, so you can get the best performance from your devices.

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USB Terminology

First, it’s important to define some terms beforehand.

USB 2.X/USB 3.X/USB4

Each USB device is manufactured according to some version of the USB specification, which is managed by USB. USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF)These versions are characterized mainly by how much data they can transfer and how much power they can provide (at least, these are the main things you need to care about). While most of these devices are interoperable as long as they use the same type of port, the entire series will correspond to the slowest part of the chain. Let’s say you plug a USB 3.2 solid-state drive into a USB 3.2 port on your computer, but use a USB 3.0 Cable—Data will only transfer 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 having a charger for each of your devices, you can opt for a charging adapter that can charge multiple devices Via multiple USB-C power delivery (USB-C PD) port. Power Delivery is a fast charging method that supports up to 240 watts of power and allows the gadget to safely talk to the charger to solve the exact power needs. You will find such ports here usb hub tooThis is also sometimes called “pass-through charging”, although this is not an official term.

Make sure the wattage of the USB-C port on the charging adapter or hub can handle the power your device needs. A MacBook Pro typically requires 96 watts during intensive workloads (though you can charge them at lower wattages too), so you’ll probably need one 100-watt USB-C port Tap on the charging adapter or USB hub for the best charging experience.

USB-C and USB-A

These terms refer to the physical shape of the connector and port on the device. 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 old, rectangular port you’ve seen for years. There are several ports that come with USB-A. Many types of USB connectorsBut these are the two you’re most likely to see in charging adapters, hubs, and docking stations Today.

Super speed

You may also see some USB devices marketed with terms such as “SuperSpeed”, “SuperSpeedPlus”, and “SuperSpeed ​​USB 5/10/20 Gbps”. It was initially intended to be more supportiveLabels sold in the market indicate what generation or speed a USB port is, but unfortunately, this only makes things more confusing. In most cases, you can ignore these labels and look at the actual speed rating.

What’s up with the USB generations?

It would be nice if you could just plug a USB 3.2 device into a USB 3.2 port using a USB 3.2 cable and trust that it all 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. Gen 1, while the newer, faster spec was USB 3.1 Gen 2Are you still confused? Well, it gets even worse.

After the introduction of USB 3.2 in 2019, it was rebranded 5-Gbps USB again The 10-Gbps version from “USB 3.2 Gen 1” became “USB 3.2 Gen 2,” and the new 20-Gbps specification became — you guessed it — USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. Wait, what? “2×2” means running two 10 Gbps lanes of data simultaneously. You don’t need to know all of this. Many USB hubs and Docking station manufacturers They have dropped the use of names, labels and symbols. They have started printing the maximum speed directly next to the port.