Watch Out For USB 3.2 Hype

You probably know that there are several USB standards, the latest of which has been known as USB 3.1. Now there's USB 3.2, but it's a bit more complicated than just a single speedier extension of the specification.

At Mobile World Congress last week, the USB Implementers Forum decided to change up the wild and crazy world of USB by renaming what’s now known as “USB 3.2"—the latest and speediest standard expected to hit PCs later this year—as well as USB 3.0 and USB 3.1.

And to make things “easy,” everything is just going to be named USB 3.2. No, we aren’t making this up. There are (or, more accurately, will be) three versions of “USB 3.2.”

• USB 3.2 Gen 1, which most call USB 3.0, transferring data at up to 5Gb per second.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2, which we’ve been calling USB 3.1, transferring data at up to 10Gb per second.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, which media outlets have previously called USB “3.2,” transferring data at up to 20Gb per second.

And it's even more complicated than that, because it depends on the type of cable you're using. Read the article for the gory details.