The latest USB standard, USB 4 has been announced. The new USB 4 is based on Intel’s Thunderbolt protocol which supports an array of new features. USB 4 will support multiple display protocols and power delivery.

The USB 4 includes data transfer rates of up to 40 Gbps.

USB 4 is royalty free. Any manufacturer can use it without paying a licensing fee. Earlier the specifications weren’t made public. So, the adoption is expected to widen.

Expected to go be available widely by the end of 2020, here the new features you will get with USB 4.

The latest USB 4 standard will increase the maximum speed to 40 Gbps over the current 20 Gbps on the ongoing version, USB 3.2. This is double up the speed transfer over USB 4 supported cables.

USB 4, 100W Power Delivery

The USB 4 offers an increased data throughput up to 100W of power delivery. This will help it to be compatible with external graphics cards and output to two 4K monitors at the same time, or single 5K display.

USB 4 Compatibility and Support

USB 4 is backward-compatible with USB 3.x, 2.x and 1.x devices. If you currently use a USB 3.x cable with a Type-C connector, you will be able to upgrade to USB 4 cables. The existing Thunderbolt 3-verified cables and devices can work interchangeably with the latest USB 4, enabling broader support for devices and accessories.

It will come with support for the Thunderbolt 3 specification directly into its forthcoming 10nm Ice Lake processors. So, this eliminates the need for any third-party control chips with integration for existing Thunderbolt 3 support in Windows 10 and macOS.

Simplifying Connector Scheme

The backward compatibility will be there with the older versions. USB-C port will come alongside an older USB-A port so that it can simplify the connector scheme without creating any confusion.

Eight Lanes Of DisplayPort 1.2 Supply

Thunderbolt 3 can pass data across four PCIe 3.0 lanes supplying eight lanes of DisplayPort 1.2 providing up to 100W of power for system charging. It connected bus-powered devices, it can provide 15W power delivery.

Speed & Connection Standard

The new USB4 is both a speed and connection standard embracing the Type-C connectivity. It’s still in the drafting phase and will be finalized within a few months.

The USB 4 is expected to makes things less confusing in the long term with wider adoption and easier accessibility among manufacturers and consumers across the globe.