The next generation of Universal Service Bus has just been officially released in the form of USB 4.
As we already know, the USB 4 specification is more like a remake of Intel 's Thunderbolt 3 rather than something new. It has managed to double the transfer speeds, reaching up to 40Gbps through dual-lane operation.
USB 4 can simultaneously send data on two separate lanes, each at speeds of 20Gbps. For comparison, USB 3.2 supports dual-lane 20Gbps operation with speeds of up to 10Gbps per lane. You can use your existing Type-C cable to achieve dual-lane operation, but you'll need a certified 40Gbps cable to reach the speeds promised by the new port.
The speed is equivalent to that provided by Thunderbolt 3 since 2017. However, the advantage in the case of USB 4 is that it represents a platform that is more popular than Thunderbolt and is present in almost every consumer electronic device on the market.
Additionally, USB 4 is compatible with Thunderbolt 3, which also uses the same Type-C connector. And it is backward compatible with previous versions, including USB 3.2 and USB 2.0.
The new USB 4 also brings an upgraded version of the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) extension, which supports charging up to 100W.
However, there is one issue that has yet to be defined – the Type-C connector. While the Type-C connector offers great advantages over the standard USB connector, it is very difficult to know which version of USB it supports, which makes things a little confusing for users.
When will I get USB 4 on my computer?
USB 4 has already been officially released, but computers with USB 4 ports are not expected to be released anytime soon. We will probably have to wait until 2020 to be able to use these faster USB ports.
