Usb cables are named in one of two ways.
Usb3 cable types.
Types of usb cable.
These devices are backwards compatible so you can plug a usb 3 x cable into a usb 2 0 port or vice versa.
For more information about usb versions you can refer to this table.
The below chart shows what connector types are compatible with which standards.
You can use a usb 2 0 device in a usb 3 port or a usb 3 device in a usb 2 0 port but neither setup provides the extra speed benefit.
Usb c or usb type c connector is the newest usb interface came to the market along with the new usb 3 1 standard.
Shop usb 3 0 b type.
However usb 3 0 devices with this connection type can accept previous usb 2 0 and 1 1 cabling.
So for example a cable with both a usb type a and a type c connector is a usb type c cable.
The usb 3 a and usb 3 b cables are identical to the usb a and usb b cables at the top of this article except they are coloured blue inside to distinguish them.
The usb 3 0 b type connector is found on usb 3 0 devices.
Notice that micro usb devices that support usb 3 x have a different plug.
For example a usb type c cable.
Usb 3 was designed to be able to be backwards compatible with earlier versions of usb cables and ports.
In july 2016 it was adopted by the iec as iec 62680 1 3.
This connector is designed to carry data and power in usb superspeed applications.
Different from previously mentioned usb a type and b type connector usb c type connector can be used on both host controller ports and devices which use upstream sockets.
You ll frequently see this on external hard drives.
The usb type c specification 1 0 was published by the usb implementers forum usb if and was finalized in august 2014.
It was developed at roughly the same time as the usb 3 1 specification.
Older cable types like micro usb require a special connector type for usb 3 0 compatibility.
The usb 3 has different shaped connector pins so it can withstand more frequent use.
Cables with this connector are not backwards compatible with usb 2 0 or usb 1 1 devices.
You can connect various devices such as smartphones cameras keyboards and more to.
With these cables the type is whichever end of the cable isn t the standard usb type a connector.
Usb c formally known as usb type c is a 24 pin usb connector system with a rotationally symmetrical connector.
As a single type.
The different versions of usb cables like usb 2 0 and usb 3 0 are concerned with the functionality and speed of the usb cable.
Usb type a connectors are extremely common and will likely be at one end of a lot of usb cables nowadays.
Among other improvements usb 3 0 adds the new transfer rate referred to as superspeed usb ss that can transfer data at up to 5 gbit s 625 mb s which is about 10 times faster than the usb 2 0 standard.
However doing so limits you to usb 2 0 speeds.
It is recommended that manufacturers distinguish usb 3 0.
Usb 3 0 is the third major version of the universal serial bus usb standard for interfacing computers and electronic devices.