USB4 Is Here And It Doubles Data Transfer Speed To 40Gbps

USB4 is complete, according to a statement from the group that develops the next version of the popular USB connector tech. The new USB connector will be twice as fast as USB 3.2 thanks to the incorporation with Thunderbolt technology from Intel which you may have seen on premium laptops as well as peripherals.

On Tuesday, the USB Implementers Forum announced they have completed the technical specification, a move freeing software and hardware engineers to get the tool they need.

The existing USB 3.2 can transfer data at speeds of up to 20 GB per second, but it’s rare to reach that figure with most people using its earlier versions working at 5 or 10GB per second. With USB4, data speed can reach 40 gigabits per second, helpful for heavy tasks such as copying files from external hard drives and using multiple external screens.

In brief, USB4 promises easier-to-use, more useful, and faster cable connections. If things go as expected, device makers can stop offering chargers, devices, as well as other things using the smaller-sized USB Micro B the old-style rectangular USB-A ports. This can help spread the new USB to more chargers, cars, power strips, airplane seatbacks, laptops, and other electronic devices.

Similar to previous USB upgrades involving backward compatibility, you can still plug your older USB equipment into USB4. However, you will need new USB-C connectors with the oval-shaped ports appearing on both phones and PCs and no longer requiring you to plug with the right side up. Hence, you may want to buy a dongle to make your older devices compatible.

It remains unclear when devices with USB4 ports will arrive, such as laptops, dongles, external hard drives, and controller chips. But according to USB-IF executives, such devices will come within 1 to 1.5 years. This means USB4 devices is likely to come in late 2020. As stated by USB-IF, the latter half of next year is reasonable for an expectation.

And Intel says that there will be USB4 dongles and hubs with several modern ports. Right now, USB-C hubs offer only old rectangular USB-A ports, which come handy for those with an older external drive, network adapter, mouse, and keyboard. However, if you are using new USB-C connectors, each of them needs a port of their own on the laptop’s sides.

The new USB connector is expected to bring a better way for juggling various data streams so that users can plug several USB-C devices into one hub.

While USB4 get advantages from Thunderbolt, we cannot assure these two technologies is getting along. For instance, the existing Thunderbolt 3 makes use of USB-C ports on the laptop, but one or two years later, a USB4 port may not support a Thunderbolt peripheral. USB4's current support for Thunderbolt 3 is just an optional capability, that means device manufacturers will have to clear tests on Thunderbolt as well as certification requirements.

All the features, speeds, and connectors can confuse people a little. The USB Implementers Forum aims to make things simpler with branding rules which it will discuss at developers events this September and November. As of now, we already know one change: the forum will use the trademarked term ‘USB4’ to replace more technical names such as USB 2.0 or USB 3.1, which are confusing. The old names indicate different updates on the technology.

The forum is not ready to share what is has in mind for logos and other brands yet, but at least, it will come up with a way to tell the type of data rates that a specific USB cable can handle. USB-IF said: