USB 3.2 Doubles Existing Cable Speeds

The new USB standard – 3.2 – is here, but you won’t have to invest in new cables to reap the benefits. The USB Promoter Group announced that USB 3.2 will double the speed of existing USB-C cables. Don’t get too excited yet, though. Unfortunately, those cables will have to be connected to new USB 3.2-compatible hardware to achieve double speeds. Finally, the cables in question must comply with the 3.1 specification – something that can’t be taken as a given, sadly.

Existing Cable Speeds

USB 3.1 cables will get the following data speed boosts:

• Generation-1 cables: 10Gbps
• Generation-2 cables: 20Gbps

In practice, though, USB cables rarely achieve their certified speeds. We’ll soon find out if USB 3.2 is different.

The new standard brings the following benefits:

• Two lanes of either 5Gbps or 10Gbps
• 2GB/s transfer over SuperSpeed

The USB 3.2 standard will be finalised by the end of 2017.

USB 3.2 Update

In a press release, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group unveiled the new USB 3.2 standard. Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman, said:

“When we introduced USB Type-C to the market, we intended to assure that USB Type-C cables and connectors certified for SuperSpeed USB or SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps would, as produced, support higher performance USB as newer generations of USB 3.0 were developed. The USB 3.2 update delivers the next level of performance.”

Roanne Sones, General Manager, Strategy and Ecosystem for Windows and Devices, Microsoft, added:

“With increased performance and seamless compatibility, the new USB 3.2 specification brings even more speed and bandwidth benefits to new USB 3.2 devices, while remaining compatible with USB 3.0 and earlier devices. We’re excited to work with our partners in the USB 3.0 Promoter Group to help showcase these benefits to users around the world.”