In this technology-leading era, USB devices play important parts in data transmission. They apply to many peripherals. Because of its wide compatibility, users don’t need to prepare different interfaces for different peripherals. Today I will talk about the features of USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 and the differences between them.

What is USB?

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a new generation of interface standards jointly developed by computer and communication companies in 1994. The USB bus is used in a wide range of applications due to its extremely high transmission speed. Because it has the following features:

1. Simple way to supply power
2. Support hot-plugging and the installation is easy
3. Scalability- easy to expand ports
4. Multiple transmission modes
5. Good compatibility

Nowadays, the widely used USB devices are USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. Both of them are important in our daily lives. Today you will know what they are and the distinguished differences between them.

What is USB 2.0?

USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus 2.0) is a kind of interface used widely in hardware, supporting the transmission between a computer and some peripheral hardware devices such as keyboards, mice, printers, cameras, etc. It supports a high-speed transmission rate of 480Mbit/s. It is backward compatible with low-speed 1.5 Mbit/s and full-speed 12 Mbit/s. A USB interface can support up to 127 USB devices by cascading the interface via HUB.

What is USB 3.0?

USB 3.0 is a Universal Serial Bus data transfer standard used commonly in hardware to support the high-speed transmission between computers and peripherals. It is also backward compatible with the transmission rate of the USB 2.0.

The differences between USB 2.0 and USB 3.0

Both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are backward compatible with lower-speed transmission rates. They have the same electrical voltage-5V. They are commonly used in computer peripherals. Then what are the differences between them? Read the following detailed information to know their outstanding features.

1. Different colors: USB 2.0 is usually a white or black interface, and USB 3.0 is a blue interface.
2. Data transfer speed: USB 2.0 supports up to 480Mbps, but USB 3.0 supports up to 4.8Gbps. The latter supports higher-speed data transmission.
3. Power usage: USB 2.0 supports up to 500mA, but USB 3.0 supports up to 900mA.
4. Number of connectors: USB 2.0 has 4 connectors while USB 3.0 has 9.

Therefore, compared with USB 2.0, USB 3.0 is more energy-saving and efficient. Importantly, USB 3.0 supports the transfer of large files.

USB	Electrical Voltage	Interface Color	Power Usage	Transfer Speed	Number of Connectors
USB 2.0	5V	White/Black	500mA	480Mbps	4
USB 3.0	5V	Blue	900mA	4800Mbps	9

Which one is better?

We have mentioned the outstanding features of USB 3.0 compared with USB 2.0. But which one is better for users? Is USB 3.0 always the best choice? Actually, in our daily lives, USB 2.0 can cover a majority of our needs. It is easy to find that USB 2.0 is still widely used in many devices because it is cost-effective for many people. For special needs, people choose USB 3.0 such as video editing, graphic design, and data backup. What’s more, to extend the transmission distance, some people choose to use USB KVM extenders like Kinan KEU200 USB 3.0 KVM extender. In a word, choosing USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 depends on your needs.

Conclusion

USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 have differences in data transfer speed, power usage, colors of interface, and number of connectors. USB 3.0 is suitable for large file transfer, and USB 2.0 is a cost-effective choice because it can meet most needs.