First, we told you about the USB 4 and how much of a huge contender it is. Now, we want to tell you all you need to know about it. The USB 4 adopts many of the best features of Intel’s Thunderbolt 3 standard. However, it is a faster, more standardised and better-equipped option.

Here are three things you should know about the new USB 4.

The features

USB 4 will be entirely reversible. It will no longer require flipping back and forth like with the USB-A cables. It will also be able to deliver power and charge up to 100 watts. This sounds like it will be capable of charging a laptop or powering a monitor. It is backwards compatible with USB 3.x, 2.x, and 1.x devices.

USB 4 is also able to act as a singular cable for displays. It can handle two 4K displays or one 5K display over a single connector. It also has enough data to connect external graphics cards to desktops and laptops. The plan is also to use USB generation to make the standard more uniform across devices. Any manufacturer will be able to use USB 4 in any fashion they choose.

The availability

The new USB 4 was announced earlier in March 2019, with speculations on its features and capabilities. According to a statement from the USB Promoter Group, the standard is currently in its final stages and full specification is slated to be released sometime later in the year.

Because USB 4 has backward compatibility, there are already existing products that will work with it. However, USB 4 certified devices though are expected to be made available at the second-half.

The performance

A big advantage the USB 4 has is that it’s much faster than its predecessors. It is capable of four times the speed of the USB 3.1 (3.2 gen. 2) and eight times as fast as USB 3.0 (3.2 gen. 1). Where the USB 3.2 2×2 specification can only transfer data at up 20 Gbps, the USB 4 will be capable of up to 40 Gbps.

The USB 4 speed also matches that of the Thunderbolt 3.