New USB 4 gets twice as fast, despite old cables

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The speed of the USB standard will double. The USB Promoter Group, responsible for this, has announced USB 4 version 2.0. Instead of the previous 40 gigabits per second (Gbps), the new standard will create 80 Gbps. This means that, under ideal conditions, 10 GB files could be transferred in just one second.

The unique thing about USB 4 V2.0 is that new cables are not necessarily needed for this speed. USB 4 uses the USB-C port. If you already have a USB-C cable suitable for USB 4 and 40 Gbps, the same cable should also manage the 80 Gbps when used with a USB-C port of the USB 4 V2.0 type.

It is not yet known how this is technically possible. The USB Promoter Group does not want to reveal the details until the specifications are finalized. This is supposed to happen in November. At least it was revealed that USB 4 V2.0 should work better with USB 3.2 devices. Transfer speeds of over 20 Gbps should be possible here. The support of DisplayPort and PCIe should also be improved.

Name chaos continues
While most users are happy about the higher speed, the new name is met with criticism. The following standards currently exist for the USB-C port:

USB 3.2 Gen 1 (formerly USB 3.0)
USB 3.2 Gen 2
USB 3.2 Gen 1×2
USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (the fastest 3.2 standard with 20 Gbps).
With USB 4, it was hoped for a simpler naming scheme or at least a logical one. The fact that there is now USB 4 version 2.0 alongside USB 4 indicates a continuation of the naming chaos.