What’s the Difference between USB 3.0, 3.2 Gen 1 and 3.2 Gen 2?

The USB standards and their specifications can be a little challenging to understand, especially after their many updates. We’ll address questions like “What’s the difference between USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2?” and talk about which of them is best for your system, along with other helpful information that’ll allow you to understand everything you need to know about USB standards.

USB 3.0 was released almost 20 years ago in 2008 and it was the third major revision to the USB standard. It was a big improvement from USB 2.0 which first arrived in 2000 with transfer speeds of only 480 Mbit/s. Since then, we’ve moved on from USB 3.0 which is now known as USB 3.2 Gen 1. Therefore, USB 3.0 is the same thing as USB 3.2 Gen 1.

USB-IF, the organization that is responsible for maintaining USB (Universal Serial Bus) standards, performance specifications and compliance, did this to make it easier for developers and manufacturers to have the same relevant information to ensure products are properly developed to be backwards compatible. The USB-IF is responsible for the naming conventions and logos found on USB cables and devices.

USB 3.2 Gen 1 vs USB 3.2 Gen 2

The only difference between USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 is speed. USB 3.2 Gen 1 supports speeds of up to 5Gbit/s while USB 3.2 Gen 2 supports speeds of up to 10Gbit/s. The USB-IF originally intended to use "SuperSpeed USB" and "SuperSpeed USB+" to differentiate the two standards strictly for marketing purposes, but the industry never caught on. Often, OEMs will add the speeds of 5Gbps or 10Gbps to their spec tables to highlight the differences between the two USB standards. The rest of the industry just refers to them as "USB 3.2 Gen 1" or "USB 3.2 Gen 2."

Arrival of USB 3.2 Gen 2x2

Almost a decade after the release of Gen 2, USB technology advanced even further with USB 3.2 2x2 arriving in 2017. Its release finalized three different variations of USB 3.2 with their own special names and meanings. To recap, the three variations of USB 3.2 are:

With the arrival of USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, the industry dominant USB-A connection began to be phased out in favor of USB-C. Since USB-C supports higher data transfer speeds and could charge other peripheral devices faster, it has naturally become the main USB connector in utilizing USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. Beyond a boost in speed, what does 2x2 mean? Learn more about USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

USB4 is Already Here

The next advancement in USB technology is USB4. It offers 40Gbit/s data transfer speeds, Thunderbolt 3 compatibility and is only supported by a USB-C connector or port. USB4 increases bandwidth and focuses on converging the USB-C connector ecosystem and minimizing end-user confusion.

Several key designs of the USB4 include:

• Display, data and load/store functionality with the use of a single USB-C connector
• Universally compatible with existing USB and Thunderbolt products
• Define port capabilities for a predictable and consistent user experience
• Increase host flexibility to configure bandwidth, power management, and other performance-related parameters for system needs

USB and its specifications have come a long way from when it was first introduced and will continue to advance in the future. When it comes to USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Gen 2, the only differences are their speed and their backwards compatibility with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, but don’t forget to check your host device for compatibility if you’re looking to upgrade your storage solution! In the future, with newer generations of USB standards and the transition to USB-C, there will be even better improvements.