USB4 is official, supports up to 100W of charging

A few days back, USB-IF (USB Implementation Forum) just made USB4 official and it is designed to catch up to Thunderbolt 3 in every way.

Image of the old type of a USB-C cable

USB4 is official

USB4 (USB 4) is based on Intel's Thunderbolt protocol and uses a USB Type-C connection, the current port standard. It will offer up to 40 Gbps (5,000MB/s) bandwidth when used with compatible USB-C cables.

Aside from the speed, USB4 aims to remove the confusion on USB and Thunderbolt. It also has backward compatibility with Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.2, and even USB 2.0 This means that you can still connect your old devices. In addition, it will make your old cable work at maximum speeds.

USB4 also has support for USB PB with up to 100W of charging.

The first few devices to use this new port standard is in 2020. Remember, it took time before USB-C became mainstream.

So, while it is exciting, don't expect it to be available on your phone or PC anytime soon.

Sources: USB-IF, Tom's Hardware