That said, all of these ports are backward-compatible, just at the speed of the slowest element.Ĭonfused yet? Further complicating matters: The number scheme around USB 3 has been in flux since 2019, which has made references to these ports something of a swamp. Note: Some older USB-C ports support just 5Gbps maximum speeds, so it's important to look for a 'USB 3.2 Gen 1x2' or '10Gbps' designation to verify that a given USB-C port supports 10Gbps transfers. The minor wrinkle is that USB ports with 10Gbps speeds can also exist in the original, larger shape (the USB Type-A rectangles we all know), and are dubbed 'USB 3.2 Gen 2x1.' With the exception of some desktops, though, it's more common to see 10Gbps-speed USB ports with Type-C physical connectors.

(That 10Gbps is theoretically twice as fast as original USB 3.0.) USB-C ports that support this peak speed are called 'USB 3.2 Gen 1x2.' The most common speed that USB-C connectors are rated for is 10Gbps. Where USB-C gets tricky is in the numbers that get attached to the ports. USB-C and USB 3.2: The Numbers Beneath the Port Most of the time, you have different connectors at each end. That has not been the case with all the USB cables we've been using for the past 20 years. The standard cables also have the same connector on both ends, so you don't have to figure out which end goes where. Line up the connector properly, and you never have to flip it over to plug it in the 'right way' is always up. Like Lightning and MagSafe, the USB-C connector has no up or down orientation. Here's a guide to everything USB-C can do, and which of its features you should look for when buying your next USB-C device. USB-C may now be ubiquitous, but it doesn't serve the same functions everywhere. While every USB-C port looks the same, not every one offers the same capabilities. USB Type-C ports are now found on all manner of devices, from simple external hard drives to high-end laptops and the latest smartphones. VHS ate Betamax, then was ousted by DVD, which faded in the face of Blu-ray (a standard that itself knocked off its chief rival, HD DVD), now facing its own mortality at the hands of online streaming services.īut USB-C is different-and perhaps it's even as truly universal as its acronym (Universal Serial Bus) suggests. At best, you end up in a format war, and one faction emerges victorious for a few years until an entirely new technology takes it out. Landing on a single standard to rule them all is an elusive aim in the realm of personal technology.

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