The USB-IF (for USB Implementer’s Forum) gave a glimpse of the future of USB 4 which, in the best tradition of naming complexity, will be called USB 4.2 and not USB 5. This baptismal name is justified by the lack of real innovation and takes up the codes of USB 3, 3.1 and 3.2 which have already lost more than one.
The introductions being made, let’s move on to the technical part. If USB 4 – which we haven’t seen on any laptop so far – promises speeds of 40 Gb / s, UBS 4.2 will increase the transfer speed to 80 Gb / s.
Twice as fast speeds
This speed can even reach 120 Gb/s as an option by connecting high-end screens of the 4K 240 Hz or 8K type. Good news, existing USB-C 40 Gb/s cables will be able to take advantage of this thanks to a new architecture based on the PAM3 encoding signal. Similarly, the current USB 3.2 will be able to support up to 20 Gb/s against 10 Gb/s.
It will also be possible to charge devices with a maximum power of 240 W, and there is therefore a risk of seeing computers gaming charging via USB-C in the future. The new logos used by manufacturers will now indicate data transfer speeds as well as power, which should avoid too much confusion. It is still necessary that the sellers respect this nomenclature.