Enlarge / The USB-IF published the USB4 Version 2.0 specification today. (credit: Getty )

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: USB-C is confusing. A USB-C port or cable can support a range of speeds, power capabilities, and other features, depending on the specification used. Today, USB-C can support various data transfer rates, from 0.48Gbps (USB 2.0) all the way to 40Gbps ( USB4 , Thunderbolt 3, and Thunderbolt 4). Things are only about to intensify as today the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) published the USB4 Version 2.0 spec. It adds optional support for 80Gbps bidirectional bandwidth as well the optional ability to send or receive data at up to 120Gbps.

The USB-IF first gave us word of USB4 Version 2.0 in September, saying it would support a data transfer rate of up to 80Gbps in either direction (40Gbps per lane, four lanes total), thanks to a new physical layer architecture (PHY) based on PAM-3 signal encoding. For what it's worth, Intel also demoed Thunderbolt at 80Gbps but hasn't released an official spec yet.

USB4 Version 2.0 offers a nice, potential bump over the original USB4 spec, which introduced optional support for 40Gbps operation. You just have to be sure to check the spec sheets to know what sort of performance you're getting.

Enlarge / VESA released the DisplayPort 2.1 specification today. (credit: Getty )

VESA released the DisplayPort 2.1 specification today. Typically when an industry group announces a new standard, it takes months or even years for products supporting the spec to be available to consumers. But DisplayPort 2.1 products are already available today; in fact, you may already own some. With a flick of its magic specs wand, VESA also declared today that any product that was already DisplayPort 2.0-certified before today's announcement is now DisplayPort 2.1-certified, too.

"VESA has been working closely with member companies to ensure that products supporting DisplayPort 2.0 would actually meet the newer, more demanding DisplayPort 2.1 spec," the announcement from VESA, which also makes DisplayHDR, AdaptiveSync/MediaSync , Clear MR , and monitor-mounting specs, said.

"Due to this effort, all previously certified DisplayPort 2.0 products including UHBR (Ultra-high Bit Rate) capable products—whether GPUs, docking station chips, monitor scalar chips, PHY repeater chips, such as re-timers, or DP40 / DP80 cables. (including both passive and active and using full-size DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, or USB Type-C connectors)—have already been certified to the stricter DisplayPort 2.1 spec."

Enlarge / EU's USB-C charging mandate is moving forward across 13 device cateogories (credit: Getty )

The European Union is moving forward with legislation requiring USB-C charging on a variety of consumer electronics. Today, the EU Parliament formally approved the agreement that it and the EU Council agreed upon in September . The EU Council has to formally approve the agreement next, and it will then be published in the EU's Official Journal.

The Parliament's announcement confirmed a timeline and additional affected device categories. The legislation requires a USB-C port on all phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, earbuds, portable speakers, handheld video game consoles, e-readers, keyboards, mice, and navigation systems that are sold in the EU, use wired charging, and support power delivery of up to 100 W "by the end of 2024," the Parliament said.

Laptops will have to have USB-C charging "from spring 2026," the announcement said.

Enlarge / The USB-IF no longer recommends SuperSpeed logos or branding for speedy USB ports. (credit: Getty )

When SuperSpeed USB was announced in 2007 , the branding was a logical differentiator. The term launched with USB 3.0, which brought max data transfer rates from USB 2.0's measly 0.48Gbps all the way to 5Gbps. But by 2022, there were three versions of SuperSpeed USB in various connector types facing consumers, plus the potentially faster USB4 . Looking ahead, USB products will continue to offer different performance capabilities while looking the same, but there's at least one thing we can all agree on: The word "SuperSpeed" isn't a helpful differentiator anymore.

SuperSpeed branding already felt pretty unremarkable by 2019, when the USB-IF, which makes USB standards, renamed USB 3.0 to USB 3.1 Gen 1; USB 3.1 to USB 3.1 Gen 2, and then USB 3.2 Gen 2; and USB 3.2 to USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. The group sought to make things easier for consumers by recommending to vendors that they label products not by specification name but by "SuperSpeed USB" followed by max speed (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, for example, would be SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps).

Per updated guidelines and logos that started coming out this quarter and that you may see before 2022 ends, as reported by The Verge today, the USB-IF now recommends vendors label products as, simply, USB 20Gbps (for USB 3.2 Gen 2x2), USB 10Gbps (for USB 3.2 Gen 2), etc. No SuperSpeed necessary.

Enlarge (credit: Getty )

Intel is working on making its Thunderbolt technology support a throughput of 80Gbps. That would put it on par with the upcoming USB4 Version 2.0 specification and double the throughput of today's Thunderbolt 4.

Intel showed a video of the "first test system" using a Thunderbolt connection running at 80Gbps today, Tom's Hardware reported from the Intel Development Center in Haifa, Israel. The demo was not live, and the company didn't provide a name or release date for the next generation of Thunderbolt, so we expect it to be a while before consumers start seeing this kind of performance in products.

The Thunderbolt connection reportedly hit 80Gbps by use of two Thunderbolt lanes, with each one running at 40Gbps. With USB-C becoming increasingly popular among gadgets and some countries considering , pushing for , or issuing USB-C mandates for electronics, it's not surprising to hear that the demo ran over the slim connector.

Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Aurich Lawson)

USB has come a long way since the 12Mbps days of the '90s. It has waved goodbye to USB-B and is inching away from USB-A in favor of the slim, reversible USB-C connector. Data transfer rates have increased so dramatically that we can run powerful setups with high-resolution monitors, speedy external storage, and numerous other devices from the USB Implementers Forum's latest open standard, USB4.

USB4 unifies the USB and Intel Thunderbolt protocols for the first time, expanding USB's capabilities while further dividing the technology into different performance classes. Adding features like dynamic bandwidth allocation ensures that USB4 is by far the most advanced USB generation. While there are PCs, docks, and cables supporting USB4, we've yet to see everything the protocol can do, like powering an eGPU without Intel branding.

With all that going on, we thought it would be a great time to put a spotlight on the latest and greatest generation of USB. We've whipped up a handy refresher for all things USB4, breaking down the various key aspects of the spec, from how it differs from other specs to protocol tunneling, Alt Mode, and power delivery.

Enlarge (credit: Hyper/Kickstarter )

For power users juggling a high-resolution monitor or two, large data transfers, multiple PC accessories that need power, and, perhaps, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, a Thunderbolt dock can add helpful high-speed ports while powering a supporting PC, like a MacBook. This helps streamline an office setup but also typically comes with a clunky power brick to add to the mix. Hyper's gallium nitride (GaN)-powered HyperDrive Thunderbolt 4 Hub , which started crowdfunding on Monday, is hoping to change that.

Hyper, a 7-year-old maker of PC hubs, docks, portable chargers, and the like, is seeking to crowdfund a Thunderbolt 4 hub that it claims is the first "Thunderbolt 4 hub with an integrated GaN power source." The dock is a small, rounded-edge square offering one Thunderbolt 4 upstream port and three Thunderbolt4 downstream ports with up 40Gbps operation and accompanied by zero clunky power bricks.

However, Hyper isn't ready to release its dock yet; it's currently undergoing a Kickstarter campaign.

Enlarge (credit: Getty )

Brazil is the latest country to consider making USB-C charging a requirement for smartphones. On Tuesday, Anatel, Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency, announced a public consultation for a proposal to make USB-C charging a requirement for all cell phones sold in the country.

Anatel's announcement said it was following in the European Union's footsteps. The EU's USB-C policy will require all smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, and some other consumer electronics with wired charging to receive power over USB-C in order to be sold in the region. Laptops will eventually have to meet the requirement, too. Anatel is currently only discussing a mandate for phones in Brazil.

The regulator also noted that some US senators are seeking a universal charger strategy similar to the EU's policy.