More on that later.Īnother big advantage of USB 3.2 Gen 2 is that it can support a feature known as Power Delivery 2.0. The 2017 laptop shipped with two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, while the 20 models replaced those with USB 3.2 Gen 2 connections of the USB-C flavor.

A good example of a change between hardware generations is with Dell’s XPS 13 laptop. USB 3.2 Gen 2 isn’t supported by all modern devices but has slowly seen greater support over the past few years. A standard Type-A cable, used for most current PC accessories. This is also known as SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps.Īll of these speeds are the theoretical maximums of the USB standard and are unlikely to be seen in everyday use, but you will certainly see an increase in transfer speed for files of most sizes when using a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB 3.1) device over one that is rated USB 3.2 Gen 1, or USB 3.0, only.

This is also known as SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps. Some may still refer to various USB speeds, colloquially at least, as USB 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 individually, but the official naming convention and their respective speeds are as follows: That has resulted in a rather confusing mess of names and speeds. It would, in turn, go on to be replaced by USB 3.2, which would refresh the naming conventions of USB as well. Officially launched in July 2013, USB 3.1 effectively replaced USB 3.0 as the new, high-speed USB standard. USB 3.1 is a generational number that mostly refers to the data transfer speed of the USB connector, not its shape or size. Read on to find out the strengths and weaknesses of USB 3.1 and to learn more about technological advancements in current USB innovation.

Usb 3 transfer rate