USB is short for Universal Serial Bus, which is an industry standard for cables and ports that make it possible to transfer data and power between devices, among other things.
Since its initial development in the 90s, USB has progressed a long way from the initial USB-A standard to the increasingly popular USB-C.
However, keeping up with technological innovation has made it challenging for everyday consumers to remain up-to-date on the latest USB features.
Considering this, here’s everything you need to know about USB technology.
Transfer speeds, port colours, and power delivery
Before USB 3.1’s launch, USB colour schemes were simple: white for USB 1.1, black for USB 2, and blue for USB 3.
As USB 3 improved, other colours had to be used to differentiate the transfer speeds:
- USB 1.1 — white; 12 Mbit/s transfer speeds
- USB 2.0 — black; 480 Mbit/s transfer speeds
- USB 3.0 — blue; 5,000 Mbit/s transfer speeds
- USB 3.1 — teal; 10,000 Mbit/s transfer speeds
- USB 3.2 — red; 20,000 Mbit/s transfer speeds
However, as USB technology improved, manufacturers started to use colours to indicate not just transfer speeds, but power delivery capabilities too.
For example, red and orange could also indicate that a port supports fast charging, while yellow could indicate always-on functionality that can charge devices even when the PC is powered off.
Additionally, the colour used to show fast charging capabilities can also depend on the product manufacturer, like Qualcomm using green to show fast charging support.
Since there is no standardisation regarding port colours, some companies do not follow convention and use colour purely for aesthetic purposes.
For example, anyone who has seen a Razer laptop or peripheral knows the company’s obsession with green.
Form factor
Although the EU has proposed new legislation requiring all relevant devices to come with USB-C ports, the standard is still far from being homogenous.
USB-C transfer speeds can range from 5Gbit/s to 40 Gbit/s — but the former is far more common.
What’s more, plenty of cheap USB-C cables don’t comply with standards and can damage your devices.
If you are an Apple user, you also have to consider the company’s proprietary Lightning standard.
You cannot use a Lightning cable with a USB-C port and vice versa — even though they appear similar, you will need to use an adapter.
To top it off, the USB Implementers Forum changed the branding of every device using USB 3 and above to be called USB 3.2.
This has led to even more confusing branding like USB 3.2 Gen 1 for devices that were previously called USB 3.0.
Luckily for us, the new USB 4 standard might eliminate many of these inconveniences, as it will require standardised speeds, backwards compatibility, and apple device support.
So, before you buy new cables or devices, be sure to research the specifications to ensure you get the right product that will be compatible with your other tech.
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