After months of work, USB-IF presents new logos for USB ports and cables that should make it easier to find your way around.
USB-C, USB-C 2.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, USB4 And also USB4 2.0, USB standards have been very difficult to navigate in recent years. The consortium responsible for the standard, USB-IF, has therefore undertaken the task of clarifying things for the user. From now on, with new signage, the capabilities of a cable or port can be understood more quickly.
A simple chart for ports
No longer referred to by the generation of USB used or marketing names such as “SuperSpeed”, we now refer to the speed offered by our devices’ USB ports. USB-IF provides several logo examples to use for a port or device packaging.
The icon gets straight to the point and indicates the maximum speed supported, from 5 to 40 GB/s. If the USB port in question is capable of recharging the device, especially on laptops, the battery icon will indicate the speed. Again, it’s very simple.
Two considerations for cables: speed and load
For USB cables, things are a bit more complicated. In fact, a cable can only be used to charge a device without being able to transmit much data or vice versa. USB-IF offers a dual logo that supports maximum speed on one side and indicates the electrical power the cable can transmit on the other.
A good quality cable can show on its box that it can do both 240W and 40 Gb/s. A cable primarily used for charging, otherwise restricted to a lower USB 2.0 speed, may only indicate “240 W” or “60 W”. It’s simple for the user, and we immediately understand that this is a cable designed for charging devices.
Now let’s hope manufacturers quickly adopt this new nomenclature to clear things up quickly.
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