USB 3.1īy the time version 3.0 came along, USB was well established as the industry standard. Launched in 2008, USB 3.0 improved significantly on its predecessor USB 2.0 by introducing SuperSpeed, a new data transfer rate that increased processing speeds more than tenfold, from 480 Mbit/s to 5 Gbit/s. the lower the version, the slower the speed).

USB 3.1 Gen 2 is backwards compatible with ports and connectors that use either:ĭata transfer speeds will vary depending on the version (i.e. All components in the chain-the two devices and the cable-must be USB 3.0 to achieve that later version’s high speeds. The same applies if you use a USB 2.0 cable with a USB 3.0 device.Ī USB 2.0 cable has four wires inside it-a USB 3.0 cable has eight-and so will only transfer data at USB 2.0 speed. So, if you plug a USB 3.0 flash drive into a USB 2.0 port, it would only run as quickly as the USB 2.0 port can transfer data and vice versa.

You can plug a USB 2.0 device into a USB 3.0 port and it will always work, but it will only run at the speed of the USB 2.0 technology. Yes, USB 3.0 backwards is compatible-meaning it’s designed to work with older USB versions including USB 2.0 and USB 1.1. To read more about USB connector types and how to identify them, click here. Type-the shape of the USB connector or port.The version affects the speed of data transfer and the charging speed only. Version-the technology standard itself rather than the shape of the plug or the USB port.USB versions and types-what’s the difference? USB 3.1 vs 3.0 vs USB Type-C-what’s the difference?.What are the different versions of USB?.USB versions and types-what’s the difference?.the most recent USB versions-USB 3.0, 3.1 and 3.2.which new and old versions work together-known as backwards compatibility.what makes a USB version and what makes a USB type.The short answer is yes-USB 3.0 does work with USB 2.0, but you won’t get the speeds of USB 3.0 technology.

Flash drives usb 2 vs usb 3