It has been a little over 6 years now since USB 3.0 ports were introduced to the market and while we have all been very happy with the significant speed increases they offer (compared to the prior 2.0) many have felt for a while that was time for something better. We did get some pretty strong indicators as to what we could expect from it earlier this year. Particularly the utilisation of Intel’s Thunderbolt 3 technology. We were, quite simply, just waiting for the technology ‘level’ to be confirmed.
Well, in a report via Engadget, your prayers might be set to get answered. The USB Implementers Forum (basically the governing body of USB standards) has agreed to their final technical specifications for USB4 and, as such, we can likely expect to see it debut as soon as next year!
USB4 Likely Set For 2020 Release
Before any new technology such as this can be released, generally speaking, a ‘performance standard’ must be agreed to. For example, the performance ‘base standard’ of 8K TVs was only just recently agreed.
So, what do we know about this USB4? Well, firstly that it will utilize a dual-lane 40Gbps speed. This will comparatively speaking, offer twice the best speeds seen from the current USB 3.2 connection.
Based upon this, it seems almost certain that in terms of connections, it will follow a USB type-C style. Albeit, still offering backwards compatibility to the older styles. With the additional transfer speed offered, however, it seems likely that we may start to see our first monitors which display video and audio directly from the format.
When Will It Be Released?
With the standard now agreed, it is entirely expected that the USB4 platform will make its debut at some stage in 2020. It does, of course, all boil down to which manufacturer gets the technology out of the door first and, in addition, it may not necessarily be led by the PC market.
With the blazing speeds offered, however, it is certainly something to look forward to!
What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!
