▷ How to identify USB ports by their symbols

Makes 10 years, the world of technology was just beginning to coalesce around a standard of connection. At the time, being a tech person meant carrying a bunch of different cables for your devices.

USB 3.0 was released in 2008, but some of us still don't see the difference between this iteration and USB 2.0. Since then, USB has become the universally accepted standard for connecting our peripherals. The adoption of USB was certainly driven by the adoption of the micro USB in the mobile realm., that wiped out any attempt to push custom charging ports.

But while all current USB ports look and behave the same, there are some differences between them that are easy to overlook. For example, you may have noticed that your phone charges faster when you connect it to a certain USB port on your computer. Or you may find that only one of the ports will allow you to charge the phone while the computer is off.. Why did this happened? You might experience a classic case of USB confusion 2.0 and USB 3.0.

USB 2.0 versus USB 3.0

There's a good reason USB 3.0 gained a lot of traction early on. Manufacturers quickly adopted this technology because it is exponentially faster than USB. 2.0.

In terms of speed, USB port 3.0 theoretically can transfer data ten times faster (until 5 Gbps / s) compared to USB 2.0 (480 Mbps). I used the word “theoretically” because the transfer speed is highly dependent on your configuration and the data cable you use. To be exact, with USB 3.0, will reach practical speeds of around 300 MB / s, while USB speeds 2.0 reach a maximum of about 40 MB / s.

USB 3.0 it is also better with energy use. While USB 2.0 can only consume 500 mA, USB 3.0 can consume more than 900 mA power. This will result in shorter recharge times for your mobile devices if it receives power from a PC / laptop.

Check if your computer / laptop has a USB port 3.0

If you recently bought a new computer, definitely has at least one USB port 3.0. Slightly older laptops usually have a USB port 3.0 and two USB ports 2.0. However, before trying to locate the correct port, you must first confirm that you have a USB port 3.0. That is how:

In windows

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.

   

2. In Device Manager, scroll down to Universal Serial Bus Controllers and expand the drop down menu. If it detects a USB input 3.0 and a host controller, you can safely assume you have at least one USB port 3.0.

   

And Mac

1. Click on the Apple icon at the top left of the screen. Then select About this Mac.

   

2. In the About This Mac window, select System Report.

   Note: If you still have OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or earlier versions, click on More information.

3. In System Information, click on Hardware and then expand the USB tab.

   

4. As in windows, USB ports are listed by type. Confirm that you have a USB port 3.0 checking if an item has »USB 3.0» in the title.

Now that you have confirmed that you have a USB port 3.0 On your computer, let's find out what it is.

USB port identification 3.0 from your laptop / computer

If you have a USB port 3.0 in your system, it's good to know which port will give you the best performance. There are two main ways you cannot identify your USB port 3.0: by logo and by port color.

by logo

USB 3.0 also marketed as SuperSpeed ​​USB. Most manufacturers use the SuperSpeed ​​USB logo to let you know it is a USB port 3.0. If you see the SS prefix in front of the normal USB logo, you have correctly identified the USB port 3.0.

Note: If you have a laptop / New pc, the manufacturer may have removed the SS prefix from the icon. This is common among newer systems where each port is USB 3.0.

You can also find the USB logo followed by a charging icon. This means that the port is capable of using the higher transfer rates of USB. 3.0 to charge your mobile devices faster.

If you are lucky, you will see that your computer will continue to power this charging port while the system is off. This will allow you to use this wall plug-like port and charge your mobile devices without having to turn on your computer..

Note: Even normal ports that do not have the lightning symbol can charge your mobile devices. But even if they are USB 3.0, its power is limited and the total charging time will be longer.

By color

The official guidelines for manufacturers using USB ports 3.0 is to use a blue color for the interior of the port. This makes it easier to tell them apart from USB. 2.0, that has a black or white interior.

Note: the vast majority of manufacturers follow this pattern, regardless of the gender of the USB port 3.0 (male or female).

Conclution

If you're wondering about backward compatibility, a USB product 3.0 is fully backward compatible with a USB port 2.0. However, the USB product 3.0 will be limited to the speed of the USB port 2.0, so speed or power benefits will not be exploited.

It is clear that USB 2.0 is slowly being replaced by newer and more powerful iterations of the USB port. On 2017, the promoter group behind USB announced USB 3.2. This technology is capable of handling multiple lanes of data at the same time, which translates into higher transfer speeds.

But the tech giants are already preparing the ground for the new universal standard.. USB-C is expected to become the only port that will charge and connect our phones, laptops and consoles in the near future.