USB 3.0 details and connector information
USB 3.0 is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, released in November 2008. Most new computers and devices being manufactured today support USB 3.0. Devices that adhere to the USB 3.0 standard can theoretically transmit data at a maximum rate of 5 Gbps, or 5,120 Mbps.
Similarly, you may ask, what is the difference between usb2 0 and usb3 0?
First the transfer rates: USB 2.0 offers transfer rates of 480 Mbps and USB 3.0 offers transfer rates of 4.8 Gbps - that's 10 times faster. USB 2.0 provided up to 500 mA whereas USB 3.0 provides up to 900 mA, allowing power hungry devices to now be bus powered.
Similarly, can a USB 2.0 be used in a 3.0 port?
Unfortunately, most computers in use today don't have integrated USB 3.0 ports. USB 3.0 is also backward-compatible with USB 2.0, so you can plug a USB 2.0 peripheral into a USB 3.0 port and it will function properly. You can also plug a USB 3.0 peripheral into a USB 2.0 port and it will work just fine.
Is USB 3 the same as USB C?
USB Type-C isn't the same thing as USB 3.1, though. USB Type-C is just a connector shape, and the underlying technology could just be USB 2 or USB 3.0. In fact, Nokia's N1 Android tablet uses a USB Type-C connector, but underneath it's all USB 2.0—not even USB 3.0. However, these technologies are closely related.
What does USB 3.1 look like?
USB 3.1 (aka USB 3.1/gen 1 and USB 3.1/gen 2) is the successor to USB 3.0. Identifiable by its bright turquoise port, USB 3.1/gen 2 doubles the transfer speed of 3.0 to a whopping 10 Gbps. USB Power Delivery 2.0 makes a big step forward as well with up to 100W of power.