In the market we can find a large number of USB ports, but if we focus on the ecosystem of a PC, this number is considerably reduced to only 3 options: USB-A, USB-B And USB-C. Each of these ports uses a different connector, the most popular being Type A and Type C, with Type B reserved primarily for printers, scanners, and UPS devices, although it is very popular in some industries outside the home PC world.
Once we are clear about what USB port types that can be found in any PC or peripheral, it is important to know that not all cables are created equal. As the USB standard has moved up in category to provide better performance, the requirements that a cable must meet to get the most out of it have changed.
This does not mean that we cannot continue using an old cable, since the compatibility will always be there, but we can enjoy a higher transfer speed that, ultimately, always varies with each new standard launched on the market.
Types of USB Cables
Once we are clear that, if we talk about a PC and peripherals, the three types of connectors that can be found are USB-A, USB-B and USB-C, it is time to know what the types of cables are based on their standard.
- Compatible with USB 1.X. This is the oldest standard. The latest version of the standard was the one that reached a transfer speed of 1.5 MB/s.
- Compatible with USB 2.0. This version allows data transfer at a maximum of 60 MB/s.
- Compatible with USB 3.X. With version 3, the data transfer speed has been significantly increased, a speed that varies depending on the version of this standard.
- USB 3.0. It reaches a maximum of 600 MB/s.
- USB 3.1. There is a maximum of 1.25 GB/s.
- USB 3.2. Its maximum transfer speed is 2.5 GB/s.
- Compatible with USB 4.0. Reaches a maximum of 5 GB/s.
How to differentiate between USB cable types
The only way to differentiate a USB cable from other models is to color of your connectorprovided the manufacturer follows the color coding that can be found on desktops and laptops so that users know what type it is.
If the color of the USB Type A connector (USB-C does not use color coding) is colored Navy bluemeans it is compatible with USB 3.0 or higher. If the color is light blueThis means that it is compatible up to USB 3.1 and if it is red or orangethis one will be compatible up to USB 3.2.
On some computers, you can also find colored ports YELLOWports designed to provide fast charging only, not to establish communication between the device and the PC.
Yes it’s Negromeans that it is compatible with USB 2.0 and earlier. And we say partially because at the specification level it is impossible to know if it is compatible up to USB-4 or only USB 3.2 supported, to give an easy to understand example.
If we want to be sure of the type of USB cable we are using, the best and only way to do it if it does not use the color code that we mentioned above these lines and look at the packaging where this information should be displayed.
