USB 3.0 ports may implement other USB specifications for increased power, including the USB Battery Charging Specification for up to 1.5A or 7.5W, or, in the case of USB 3.1, the USB Power Delivery Specification for charging the host device up to 100W. [14] Availability [ edit ] Internal circuitboard and connectors of a USB3.0 four-port hub, using a VIA Technologies chipset USB4 was announced in 2019 as the next evolution of the USB standard, and is available exclusively using the USB-C connector (rather than the legacy USB-A connector). It can operate at either 20 or 40 Gbps, the latter of which is equivalent to Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 as USB4 can be compatible with Thunderbolt. The Linux kernel mainline contains support for USB3.0 since version 2.6.31, which was released in September 2009. [27] [28] [29]

We’ll talk about performance shortly, but how well it performs is entirely dependent on the specification of the USB the drive is connected. a b "USB 3.1 Specification Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF" (PDF). USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. 28 May 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2016 . Retrieved 10 March 2016. The latest USB4 ports on laptops can utilize DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0, which can run at up to 8K resolution at 60 Hz and use HDR10 color. Though USB4 itself can only do 40 Gbps of data, the port can send 80 Gbps of DisplayPort data, because it sends all the data in just one direction and can therefore take over all 8 lanes. Crothers, Brooke (7 March 2010). "Long delay expected for Intel support of USB 3.0 | Nanotech– The Circuits Blog". CNet News . Retrieved 19 January 2014.

In May 2018, Synopsys demonstrated the first USB3.2 Gen2×2 operation mode, where a Windows PC was connected to a storage device, reaching an average speed of 1600MB/s, [66] [67] which is 66% of its raw throughput. If the external device has an appropriate connector, it can be powered by an external power supply. The USB3.1 specification includes the USB 2.0 specification while fully preserving its dedicated physical layer, architecture, and protocol in parallel. USB3.1 specification defines the following operation modes: a b c d "Universal Serial Bus Revision 3.0 Specification". Archived from the original on 19 May 2014 . Retrieved 19 May 2014.

Why Samsung took until now to jump on the Gen 2x2 bandwagon is a mystery, but it could have plenty to do with the less than overwhelming level of USB 4.0 capable systems in the market.

At the time of writing, the PNY EliteX-PRO looks like a great deal, but we suspect that the drop in NAND memory pricing coming could make for even better ones in the coming months. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, external SSDs and the best hard drives need at least USB 3.2 / 3.1 / 3.0 speeds. The fastest external SSDs or SSD enclosures can operate at USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) or USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps), though the 10 Gbps speed is far more common and cheaper. USB 3.2 standard gets new, even more confusing names ahead of its mainstream debut". 27 February 2019.

Thunderbolt and USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 are different technologies with different specs that use the same connector (Type-C). Basically, the XS2000 SSD needs to be connected to a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 USB (Type-C) port and use the appropriate cable to reach the advertised speed. Even though Thunderbolt 3 & 4 use a Type-C connector and advertise up to 40Gbps of transfer speed, the pins layout (aka lanes) are different from the one of USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. The pins of the Type-C connector need to be allocated for data transfer to reach the 20GBps of USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. For the Thunderbolt Type-C connector, some of the pins (2 lanes) are used for video signals (or else) and not specifically dedicated to data transfer, that is why the data transfer speed is lower with Thunderbolt.” In short, Magician 8.0 sounds useful but hardly comprehensive, but whatever it contains isn’t reviewable by us at this time. The USB3.2 standard includes the USB 2.0 specification with four dedicated wires on the physical layer. The Enhanced SuperSpeed System encompasses both, but separated – and in parallel to the USB2.0 implementation: [65] Intel released its first chipset with integrated USB 3.0 ports in 2012 with the release of the Panther Point chipset. Some industry analysts have claimed that Intel was slow to integrate USB 3.0 into the chipset, thus slowing mainstream adoption. [33] These delays may be due to problems in the CMOS manufacturing process, [34] a focus to advance the Nehalem platform, [35] a wait to mature all the 3.0 connections standards (USB 3.0, PCIe 3.0, SATA 3.0) before developing a new chipset, [36] [37] or a tactic by Intel to favor its new Thunderbolt interface. [38] Apple, Inc. announced laptops with USB 3.0 ports on 11 June 2012, nearly four years after USB 3.0 was finalized. Universal Serial Bus Type-C Cable and Connector Specification, Release 2.2. USB Implementers Forum (Technical report). USB 3.0 Promoter Group. October 2022 . Retrieved 12 April 2023.Some of the listed capacity on a Flash storage device is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. As such, the actual available capacity for data storage is less than what is listed on the product. For more information go to Kingston's Flash Memory Guide.

Initially, the Elite-X PRO refused to use Gen 2x2 mode and instead defaulted to Gen 2 operations, capping the speed to around 1,000MB/s. Universal Serial Bus Revision 3.1 Specification". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. pp.5–20. Archived from the original (ZIP) on 12 April 2016 . Retrieved 12 April 2016. Obviously, you want USB3+ for anything data intensive. Apart from the speed, it has the added advantage that it's full duplex, so data can flow simultaneously in both directions, like on Ethernet networks or PCIe. From what we’ve been told about Magician 8.0, this release combines all the Samsung software tools, including data migration software, PSSD software and card authentication, into a single tool. And that it should support Windows, Mac and Android.The other cost issue with USB 4 is the cables. These will be considerably more expensive than previous USB leads, as they need to be higher quality ‘40Gbps certified’ cables to successfully carry all that bandwidth. A factor affecting the speed of USB storage devices (more evident with USB3.0 devices, but also noticeable with USB2.0 ones) is that the USB Mass Storage Bulk-Only Transfer (BOT) protocol drivers are generally slower than the USB Attached SCSI protocol (UAS[P]) drivers. [43] [44] [45] [46] Intel Universal Serial Bus (USB) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". Intel.com. Intel Corporation . Retrieved 26 December 2014. In 2017, the organization rolled out a 20 Gbps speed for USB 3.x devices. In honor of the new speed, the version number changed for all speeds so the 5 Gbps speed became USB 3.2 Gen 1 and the 10 Gbps speed became USB 3.2 Gen 2 and the 20 Gbps speed became USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. a b c "SuperSpeed USB Consumer Cert Final 2" (PDF). USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2012 . Retrieved 24 June 2011.