Numbers
USB 3.1 is a generational designation that refers mainly to the data transfer speed of the USB interface rather than its shape or size. Officially released in July 2013, USB 3.1 effectively replaced USB 3.0 as the new high-speed USB standard. It would in turn be replaced by USB 3.2, which would also update USB naming conventions. This resulted in a rather confusing mess of names and speeds. Some may still refer to the various USB speeds, at least colloquially, as USB 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2, separately, but the official naming convention and their respective speeds are as follows:
USB 3.2 Gen 1, which is USB 3.0. It has a maximum throughput of 5 Gbps. This is also called SuperSpeed USB.
USB 3.2 Gen 2, this is USB 3.1. It has a maximum throughput of 10 Gbps. This is also called SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps.
USB 3.2 Gen 2 × 2, this is USB 3.2. It has a maximum throughput of 20Gbps. This is also known as SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps.
Can you understand why so many people are fervently excited that USB4 will help us overcome this awkward naming convention? All of these speeds are theoretical maximums of the USB standard and are unlikely to be achieved in everyday use, but you will certainly see an increase in transfer speeds for most file sizes when using USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB 3.1) devices compared to USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB 3.1) devices.
