USB 3.2 Is Here To Make Things More Confusing For Everyone

Bid goodbye to slow data transfer speed as the ultra-fast USB 3.2 is here and will be available later this year.

The USB-IF standards body has announced that USB 3.2 capable controllers will be available in desktop PCs by the end of 2019. USB 3.2 offers ultra-fast 20Gbps speed.

While the new USB specification brings lightning fast speed, USB-IF standards body has disappointed us again by announcing a branding for it that would make things more convoluted.

USB 3.0 offers 5Gb/s speed and the standards before it namely USB 2 and USB 1.1 offer relatively lower speeds. The naming convention of USB standards was smooth until USB 3.1 was launched.

USB 3.1 offered double the speed as compared to USB 3.0. In a universe where logic prevails, USB 3.1 that offered 10Gbps speed would’ve been named “USB 3.1” but the USB-IF standards body decided to brand it as “USB 3.1 Gen 2” whereas its predecessor USB 3.0 with 5GB/s were branded as “USB 3.1 Gen 1.”

This confusing branding has been leveraged be manufacturers who say that their peripherals and PCs support “USB 3.1” which in fact is “USB 3.1 Gen 1” that offers slower 5Gb/s speed. Some Samaritan OEMs do exist that denote 5GB/s transfer speeds by “USB 3.0” and 10GB/s speeds with “USB 3.1”

But with the introduction of USB 3.2, things have become even more confusing.

The USB standards body has now rebranded 5Gb/s devices as “USB 3.2 Gen 1,” 10Gb/s devices as “USB 3.2 Gen 2” and the latest standard offering 20Gb/s speed has been dubbed “USB 3.2 Gen 2×2” because two 10Gb/s connections run parallelly in the wire.

So now, when a manufacturer says that it has provided “USB 3.2” in its devices, it remains a mystery whether it offers 5Gb/s, 10Gb/s or 20Gb/s.