USB 4 - Explaining USB 4 and how fast it can be ?

Technology Review : Explaining USB 4

Get ready for a whole new Technology and a whole new generation of USB. The USB Promoter Group recently announced that a new standard called, “USB4” (official spelling lacks a space, but we’re using one in this article to reflect the way readers search), will be released later this year with products that utilize the technology likely to come much later. USB 4 promises a host of benefits that include faster transfer speeds, better management of video and optional compatibility with Thunderbolt 3, 100W support and much more.

Main Benefits of USB 4

The new USB 4 standard will have three main benefits over prior versions of USB.

• 40 Gbps Maximum Speed: By using two-lane cables, some devices will be able to operate at up to 40 Gbps which is the same speed as Thunderbolt 3.

• Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 devices: Some, but not necessarily all USB 4 implementations will also work with Thunderbolt 3 devices.

• Better Resource Allocation for Video: If you’re using a USB 4 port to transport both video and data at the same time, the port will allocate bandwidth accordingly. So, if the video only needs 20 percent of the bandwidth to drive your 1080p monitor that’s also a hub, the other 80 percent will be free for transferring files from your external SSD.

Three Speeds of USB 4

Though it can hit theoretical speeds of up to 40 Gbps, not all USB devices or hosts will support that standard. Saunders told us that there will be three speeds: 10 Gbps, 20 Gbps and 40 Gbps. Expect smaller and less-expensive devices such as phones and Chromebooks to use one of the lower speeds and, when you do get a laptop, you’ll need to make sure to look at the specs if you want the fastest USB 4 connection available.

Not Coming Anytime Soon

The USB Promoter forum released the specs for USB 4 in September (you can find them here), but don’t expect to see any products based on the standard until 2020. Saunders told us that a typical development cycle for new products is 12 to 18 months.

When it comes to USB 4-enabled laptops and desktops, even 18 months seems optimistic. The spec for Type-C was announced in 2014 and It took a really long time for USB Type-C to go mainstream--many laptops still don’t have it.

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